and didn't give us any notice. I happened to check our itinerary because of all the news reports. Our non-stop to LA now departs 40 minutes earlier, stops in SLC where we have to switch planes and gets us in 60 minutes later.

This just stinks.

Be thankful that they haven't changed your departure day yet as I had happen to me on American today. Thankfully, got it changed back to the day I had reserved.

Instead of lamenting about what happened, try to look at it as an opportunity to improve your itinerary . . . Look at other flights within DL (connect through CVG or ATL instead) or the other SkyTeam Partners (NW or CO) . . . If you find a flight that works better, call DL and ask them to rebook you on that flight.

I took DL DCA - -SNA fairly recently, and, due to them changing my original outbound flights, I ended up with a MUCH better alternative.

Good luck!

My daughter, who is leaving soon for upstate New York, has had her flights changed by Delta at least 4 or 5 times. It`s getting to be a joke, like Delta has left us another message! They started out on a day flight, now it`s nights (which they hate) with a stop in Atlanta. They sure won`t get any sleep that night, and they are scheduled to be on The Maid of the Mist in Niagare Falls, at 10am. Prices have gone up so much, so they don`t want to cancel and try another airline. They would have cancelled the whole trip, but they have priceline non refundable hotels.

Most airlines are cutting domestic capacity by 15-20% later this year. If you have a ticket and is flying after Labor Day, the chance of your flights being changed or canceled is pretty high.

In my experience, when there are changes to the schedule, you are rescheduled by computer. Check the flight schedules and seat availability. If you find something more convenient, call Delta and get changed (they won't charge you).

I do agree, though. Could have been much worse.

I am thinking about another trip to Costa Rica in March 2009 and was curious how high the airfares were compared to last year. I was surprised that for AA and CO they were lower than I ever paid, and they have been that way for almost 2 weeks. With all the uncertainty and both airlines trimming their schedules, I'm very reluctant to book the trip so far in advance. I prefer to fly midweek, in the morning, to avoid the hassels as much as possible, and I was able to find an itinerary I like. I have a feeling this itinerary will probably change more than once between now and March, probably to something much less desirable.

Thanks to all for your comments. I really was just venting. I knew my non-stop flights from Bos-Lax for under $400 were too good to be true when I booked them. I'm just happy that all four of us are on the same flights as we had two separate reservations (two paid, two frequent flyer miles). I haven't had a chance yet to see if there is a better schedule than what Delta put us on but will do that soon. Thanks again.

I've had this happen to me a time or two. I learned to check the itinerary every week or two to watch for changes. They will not tell you.

It's a shame you can't charge Delta $200 as they do to passengers who want to make a change. Unfortunatly, they set the rules - which, of course, means they always win.

AA just notified us that our departure flight time will be 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:40. We are very happy with the new time, although an even later morning flight would be preferable for avoiding a long layover at DFW. Perhaps there will be another change after September...

I just discovered yesterday, also by checking online, that my return flight from Pisa to JFK was cancelled and I had been put on the next day's flight. No notification from Delta. The Delta customer service person I spoke with was so rude, telling me they had "attempted to notify me by email" but the email got bounced back. When I asked what about the phone, you should have heard her! Subsequent emails from Delta or anyone else to my email address have not bounced back! I was also warned that there is every possibility that my outbound flight will also get cancelled. I am furious. All my other travel arrangements now have to be changed -- extra cost and still no guarantee that I will ever get to Pisa on Delta this summer. I originally chose this flight since it was the only direct flight from JFK to Pisa. If I change now, cost has virtually doubled for inconvenient connecting flights (lost luggage ...). Worst though, is that I promised to take my disabled sister to Italy for a vacation. All her flights, hotel and everything also now have to be changed.

I think all of us need to be prepared for this and follow the oft-stated advice of checking regularly.

As I noted on another thread, I was checking possible schedules on CO yesterday (fall sale just announced) for us to visit daughter in Greece in Nov (where she's studying this fall). Got a flag that said "Can't process schedule; service to ATH ends 10/1/08 and resumes 5/3/09" Dang! So what about her return flight in Dec which we've already purchased?. Sure enough, cancelled. Change to seasonal service made apparently recently but we hadn't gotten notice. CO rep was very nice, but wasn't aware of changes and said to call "in a couple of weeks" so they can sort this out and give us alternatives. Not sure which options we'll take now and will depend on what they offer her, but glad I checked. Wife and I are obviously going to have to go to plan B for our trip.

Be sure to check your itinerary often. Ours was changed and we were not notified by DL. No way could we have made our connection in ATL to go to SEA for a cruise. I think they want stuff like this to happen, so you'll have to re-book at a much higher fare than 6 months ago when I made our reservations. All this charging for this and that stinks.....just set the fare and we'll either pay it or not. I really believe we're heading backward....where only the very wealthy could afford to fly.
Bring back the trains!!

I've had flights changed (who hasn't), but I have always been notified by the airline within a reasonable time of the flight, and when the change is materially disadvantagous to us, the airline has always fixed the problem.

Its just a fact of life that the airlines do change their schedules, and add and cancel flights, and when people hold tickets for a flight six months out, they shouldn't be surprised when there are changes.

I suspect that many of the people who report not having ever been notified of a change are talking about a change many months in the future, and the airline has not yet notified them because the airline knows there is a good chance that there will be further changes before the flight date, and thinks it would be more efficient (and less costly) to solve one problem than multiple problems.

By the way, the trains are still here, but few of us are willing to take a five-day train ride when an airplane can get us there in less than half a day. For intercontinental travel, the ships are still there, and are far more pleasant than a plane ride, but still have the problem of being slow.

I'm lucky, as I'm retired and don't have to leave or return on any specific date, so once when they changed our flight home to the day after our original date, we just enjoyed another day in Paris.