All-
If you were contemplating whether or not to contact Delta to ask about your future travel plans, don't bother. They are either not equipping the customer swervice agents with policies on the 'what if' strike scenario or not allowing them to give out any information at this time. See reply to my friend's e-mail inquiry:

Dear Ms. Catherine,

Thank you for your e-mail to Delta Air Lines.

Our flights are operating normally, and you can book on Delta with confidence. We are not experiencing any disruption to our service because of the pilot discussions, nor do we anticipate any.

We appreciate your interest in Delta Air Lines.

Sincerely,

Nandi Gilkey
Online Customer Support Desk
http://www.delta.com


I'm thinking the 'booking Delta with confidence' is a bit much to ask from us poor travelers don't you think?

I have gotten the same email when I requested info from Delta. So I went a step further and called them. Their rep, besides being very nice and actually speaking "perfect" english, has told me that they know nothing further than the media does and at this point they .....same as the email. So I imagine the poor employees, other than pilots, are probably worries just as much over their jobs as we are worried about our tickets.

Really, how would anybody at Delta's management know if the pilots will strike or not?

Or whether partner airlines will take care of DL passengers if they stop flying? Most airlines are flying with 80+% of their seats filled with revenue passengers. Even if they'll try to accomodate you, it's still going to be a big hassle, especially from places like Atlanta or other parts of the SE where other airlines have few seats to start with. Or trans-Atlantic, where DL is the largest airline in that market.

<b>Clio</b>,

in reality, what did you expect from the Delta CSR?

What is s/he going to tell you?

&quot;Don't book with us, because the pilot's strike is imminent?&quot;

I would pay anything to get a response like the one above. One thing would be guaranteed, the CSR would be without a job, regardless if the pilots did/did not strike.

I don't know what's going to happen and I hope that Delta survives, but asking Delta about it's future? I don't know about you, but I would expect one and only reply, &quot;we're doing fine, come fly with us&quot;.

I didn't expect anything from Delta frankly, I'm just responding to a lot of other panicked travelers who keep talking about whether they should book on other airlines or who they should call at Delta. My point is, don't call anyone because no one knows anything at this point.

What I hope is that they work this out and everyone at Delta gets to keep their jobs. I used to live in Atlanta and still have friends there employed by the airline. I would like to think that the country's second largest airline can find a compromise before it implodes.

As for me? I currently have 2 trips booked on Delta and whatever happens I'll work it out. I won't lose my livelihood if Delta folds, at most there will be some short-term inconvenience and maybe some increased travel costs but I'll figure it out. But I can tell you the business trip I'm about to book will not be on Delta.

I spoke with a rep at Delta SMS earlier today to ask about changing a booking for a May 5 to May 13 trip to Paris. She assured me that they were being told that a strike was unlikely in that time frame, and that they were looking at more like May 15 or later, should a strike occur. This tracks with Delta's position that a 30-day cooling off period applies between when the pilots' contract gets tossed and when any strike can actually occur. Of course, the pilots' union likely has the opposite view. I opted to wait and see what happens, since her response was basically that my tickets can't be changed at this point.

I did, however, book fully refundable backup tickets on another airline for a trip for which I have Delta tickets on April 20.

I and 33 family members hold Delta tickets departure on 4/21 for my Dad's 75 Bday celebration in Cody Wyoming...I greatly apprecaite anyone's experience in this situation.


Called Delta today not to inquire about the strike...but to inquire about the restrictions...

Interestingly altho I NEVER mentioned the strike..the Customer Service Rep
said &quot;We are not anticiapting a strike, and if there is a strike we will call you, but as of today you can fly on your current tickets of 4/21&quot;

So the Reps are being told to say something...

I DO think it is important to call and determine/understand the exact restrictions of your curent ticket.

In my case I determined that we have 34 tickets that are nonrefundable, nontransferable (which we knew when we booked).

The tickets are good for 1 year towards a ticket price credit on another Delta Flight before 3/13/06, one year from the date of purchase..NOT the date of the flight.

Also learned that any change will incur $50.00 fee per ticket plus difference in fare. (I ecpected that)The Rep said there was no time penalty to cx...

Additionally the Delta cx ticket credit CAN NOT be rebooked with Delta Partners United or Continental.
Now this IS new info to me...so how would Delta accomodate ticket holders if strike occurs on another airline....is there a new regulation that goes into play that during a strike the striking airline can transfer tickets to any other airline????

THIS is the kinda info that would be helpful to those of us worried..it would help us understand the situation a little better...and determine what plans would be helpful as we consider critical thinking process of thsi dilema...



Delta can book United or Continental ONLY for award tickets..again can NOT use the cx ticket amount toward award tickets.

The change fees that Delta is quoting to you are for voluntary changes made by you, and do not apply to involuntary changes that are out of your control.

For example, you decide to fly to a different destination. That is a voluntary change and would incur a fee. An involuntary change would be caused by the airline changing/cancelling a schedule. In that case, there would be no fee to apply the original ticket fare to another ticket on the same airline, since the change was involuntary, and you would be entitled to a full refund if you decided not to travel at all.

It has never been possible to voluntarily exchange a ticket on one airline for a ticket on another airline. That would be like buying shoes at one store, and exchanging for different shoes at another store.

However, if the airline goes on strike federal laws will require other carriers to honor your tickets, for a small change fee, on a space available basis.

If the airline goes out of business, it gets a little shakier, but if another airline can accomodate you, they may do so for a small fee, on a space available basis as a goodwill gesture.

If no airline can accomodate you, you would apply to the original carrier for a refund. If they were unwilling/unable to refund you (unlikely), you would dispute the charge with your credit card company and they would reverse the charge.

BTW, I'm departing to Germany on Delta on Saturday for a two-week vacation. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope I get home. I'll make it to my destination one way or another, and so will you. Good luck to us all!

&lt;However, if the airline goes on strike federal laws will require other carriers to honor your tickets, for a small change fee, on a space available basis.&gt;

The federal law covers cessation of operation due to insolvency. It doesn't address the issue of a strike. Of course, a strike could eventually lead to insolvency.

Here's the actual text - http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules...ce2005June.doc

I stand corrected. Thanks Patty!

Well, it's good do know what happens when they shut down because for DL its a very short walk from strike to out of business (1 to 2 days should do it)

Gee, I just LOVE to see the May 15th date! I'm supposed to be flying to Zurich ON May 15th for a much needed vacation. My situation is confounded with the fact that I used my Delta miles for the ticket therefore I'm probably up a creek so to speak! I live in Atlanta and to be honest, most people you talk to here don't have any idea what is going to happen except for the fact that if the pilots do stike, as others have said, Delta will be history in short order. My real question to the pilots is, if Delta folds because of your striking then just where exactly do you think you're going to be working?