Drastic changes to my flight by Delta
 

I guess we should be immuned to the way in wchich we are treated by the airlines but I beleive in good service and keeping comitments. Please just let me vent my anger at Delta.

I made, using FF miles< reseravtions in September for flights to Maui next August. It involved one stop and would get us to Maui at 2PM their time.

I juts received a "change" that adjusts the time of departure, extendes the one layover we originally had from 45 Min to 2 hours at SLC and adds a second stopover at LAX where we will remain for over 3 more hours, geetting into Maui after 8 PM.

I called Delat and this is the only flight leaving for Maui that day. They changed everything, inclduing the airline between SLC and LAX to Sotuhwest. Now it is even easier for them to lose our luggage as they have in the past.

Please help calm me down but even in these days of uncertainty, I cannot logicall accept this. Thanks.

David J

I can understand your furstration, but you're actually safer with a 2 hour layover in case of delays than 45 minutes.

How's this for something bizarre from Delta. I used FF miles for a trip from DTW to Berlin. The outbound flights are on Air France. I have my seat assignments from AF but only verbally. AF cannot send them to me because the miles are with Delta. Delta can't give them to me because they're AF seats. So I've asked a handful of people 1) why they can't coordinate better and 2) how can I be sure I actually do have seats if my itinerary doesn't list them and 3) isn't this potentially a problem with heightened security?

Nobody can give me a satisfactory answer.

It looks to me like you made reservations for a flight 13 months ahead of time. Is this right? If so, why are you surprised that something changed?

Hoping you are feeling better now about the whole thing. Just let it go and concentrate on your great vacation in Hawaii.

Don't know where you're originating but you could check if a better schedule is available routing through HNL (with the HNL-OGG segment on Hawaiian) and request that.

DerViking,
You can go to www.airfrance.us to see if it shows seat assignments. You'll need the AF locator (you can also try pulling up the record with the DL ticket number but I find it sometimes doesn't work)

Actuallu the reservations were made 330 days in advance whihc in order to use the FF miles at the lowest tier. I have no problems with changes to any flight and have endured them many times. However, this is not a time change but they have canclled a flight entirely and added a second stop enroute.

This I did not expect.

David J

Patty, thanks for the suggestion but the AF site didn't show the seat assignments even with the AF locator--I should have specified that. C'est vachement bizarre!

I hope the OP did not leave any of his belongings on the turnip truck.

<b>No airline on Earth knows what their schedule will be 11 months from now.</b> They adjust their schedules -- including number of flights and even whether they'll fly a particular route -- as various conditions change. How could the OP possibly have collected those FF miles and not be aware of this?

Actually, most schedule changes are advantageous to a ticket holder, because the schedule change gives you options that you might not have had before.

Instead of wasting his/her breath throwing a little tantrum, the OP would be far better off doing a bit of investigation. Look at the DL summer schedules and figure out the flights/dates that are best for you. Maybe find a couple of alternatives. Then call DL and ask to change the flights to the ones that you want. Push back a bit if DL says award seats aren't available -- find an agent who is willing to request the seats from DL's inventory management.

Or, just continue to post silliness on Fodor's.

DerViking,
What does it say on the AF site under Preferences and Seat? Nothing? Do you get the Select or Modify button? Have you tried www.checkmytrip.com? I have DL issued awards on AF and my seats show up as confirmed on both. If they don't show up on either, I'm guessing you don't really have seat assignments.

These situations are always frustrating because let US try to make a schedule change and we'd pay a hefty penalty. Schedule changes are bound to occur when you book that far in advance, but to use the miles, you had to book that far in advance. You're caught. So try to work within the system.

As was suggested above, look into flights on Delta's website and see if you can't come up with an itinerary to your liking. Then call, armed with that information. Nicely say, "You changed my itinerary. That doesn't work well for me. How about this?"

Often another option in these situations is that you're allowed to cancel and redeposit the miles without penalty. That might not be acceptable to you, but just FYI.

I hope things work out to your satisfaction. :)

TO: rizzuto

I do not appreciate your sarcastic and ignorant reponse to my honest complaint. If you cannot discuss a matter seriouly then do not read nor respond at all. I am not an idiot as you imply nor is my initial compalint silly.

Tantrums are genarlly thrown by children who lack understanding of the circumstance and your response is childish in the extreme.

Of course there may be changes but since the airlines do sell their seats 11 months before the flight, it is assumed that they have something on which to base their times etc. Remember they are the ones who establish all of the flight configurations not the passenger.

Finally, since I am using a tiem share in Hawaii, I cannot change my flights dates or times.

"They changed everything, inclduing the airline between SLC and LAX to Sotuhwest." - is there a partnership between Delta and Southwest airlines?

At least they warned you in advance - like 8 months in advance? - so you have time to cool down (don't do anything in haste!), look at the schedules, call them several times to talk to different agents.

What would you like us to say that will help you calm down? As others have mentioned, this happens all the time. You should be glad you could get any FF tickets to Hawaii.

<i>"They changed everything, inclduing the airline between SLC and LAX to Sotuhwest." - is there a partnership between Delta and Southwest airlines?</i>

No, the SLC-LAX segment is probably operated by Delta Connection carrier Skywest.

Oh, SKYwest not SOUTHwest! I wondered... thank you, Patty!

airlines cancel flights in advance if they feel they can't sell enough seats to justify the flight. I don't understand how YOU don't understand that they CANCELLED the flight, therefore no nonstop the way you wanted. All of the "legacy" airlines are suffering and esp with the recent mergers, most of the big carriers are going to continue to make schedule adjustments over the short term.

Not an airline apologist - but to get FF seats at "saver" mileage to a popular destination in a prime tourist time has ALWAYS been a challenge even for the most experienced fliers. Did you ask what possibilities would occur if you booked with standard miles? ?

rizzuto didn't imply you were an idiot, just naive. And he gave you pretty good advice.

No one should expect flights booked 11 months in advance to not change and should not be surprised if they change significantly. Heck, in this environment, you'll be lucky if your airline is flying at all by then.

Patty: There must have been something wrong with AF's web site because the seats show up fine now. Unless there was some kind of time lag.....

As for the original poster here, you are much safer with longer times between flights than shorter, even though airlines claim 1/2 and hour is a legitimate connection.

Hi DerVikig - I understand your frustration. Delta has changed my flights more often than not. My flights for my trip next month changed twice and the flights for the trip I took in November were changed three times. Not just minor time changes, but elimination of flights. Made for "interesting" conversations with the Delta reps!

Like you I try to book early to get a good deal. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. For the November trip all I could do was get a flight into an alternate airport if I wanted to arrive on the originally scheduled day. But for the trip coming up in February, I was able to get them to book me on flights that were much, much better from a departure/arrival time than what my original flights were - at no additional cost to me.

But it is frustrating and time consuming to deal with. I have learned from fellow Fodorites to always have flight options ready to discuss with the airline rep, to stay calm and to end the conversation and call back if I'm not getting anywhere with the first rep.

Hope you can work things out with Delta for this trip. I know from experience how difficult it can be when there is only one flight per day to your destination.

SCFoodie, that was Davidjac who had the problems with Delta's canceling a flight.

Me, my problem was verifying that I had my seats.

OOPS! Sorry about that, DerViking.