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Kudos to Delta for Coronavirus flight change

Just got off the phone with Delta and couldn't be happier with the customer service. We were scheduled to fly open jaw to London and Madrid next month; however, we have a family member with multiple medical issues, including a history of hospitalizations for pneumonia, so we are rescheduling our trip for when the Coronavirus situation hopefully is more understood and less risky.

Our trip does not meet any of the current change fee waiver conditions (not going to Italy, not traveling in March, etc.), but Delta waived all change fees for us given the medical issue. They asked only for contact information for a medical provider who could attest to the inadvisability of travel for my family member, but we did not need to provide any documentation. The entire phone call lasted about 10 minutes, including the process of rebooking the flights to August. I was also given the option of canceling my original flights altogether and being issued a travel voucher for the full amount, but I chose to rebook at this time.

I'm impressed.

If anyone else is out there under similar circumstances (medically not advised to travel under the current conditions) but were holding off until maybe change fees were waived for their flights, you might want to give Delta a call now.

Posted by
7209 posts

I’m glad for your good news...but customer service like that should be the Normal Operating Procedure all of the time...not just when their bottom line is being threatened.

Posted by
277 posts

A little less exuberant about Delta's accommodations. We were to leave in 10 days from Atlanta for Rome to Milan and based upon current (and worsening) news elected to bag our 19 day trip. Delta GLADLY gave us a credit, but only extended the credit until 1 year from the ORIGINAL purchase date of the ticket - which was July 31st 2019.

According to the agent, our travel (not purchase of a new ticket) must be completed by July 31, 2020 which is looking pretty iffy at this point in time. Also any similar ticket I can purchase between now and July 31 is over twice what I paid for the existing ticket. I know there will be deals on airfare, but would greatly preferred to have my cash returned to me and have a bit more flexibility on the trip that I WILL ULTIMATELY TAKE......once all the hysteria passes.

Airlines are in a tough spot, but ultimately they make billions of dollars - I do not.

Posted by
7209 posts

They make billions, and I’m afraid we’re heading toward another government bailout which I vehemently oppose!

Posted by
4071 posts

Thank you for sharing the excellent treatment you received from Delta. 👍

Posted by
16421 posts

American Airlines set me an email today about what they are doing about the Coronavirus in terms of cleaning the planes and the following:

Travel flexibility
We are extending our offer to waive change fees for customers who purc­hase tickets March 5 through March 31, 2020, for travel through January 30, 2021. This is available for any of American's nonrefundable publish­ed fares. See details for waived change​ fees.

Posted by
737 posts

Airlines are definitely trying to boost new business right now. Delta is offering a similar deal on March purchases.

John, maybe a good ticket price will be offered soon, or change policies will be relaxed even more if this continues. Or maybe you could find a domestic trip that would be more appealing before July 31. I do understand your frustration and I hope you are able to use your flight investment.

Posted by
1137 posts

Delta really came through for our family when my son got sick (non-contagious medical emergency) on vacation in 2016, over 1,500 miles from home. Let us change without fees and ended up offering 4 other passengers over $1k credit each so we could make it on the overbooked flight home. We are Delta fans!

Posted by
10676 posts

Emirates has been awful and refuses to budge on their mistake. I’ve written 3 times and have been denied three times. I’ll now take it to the French authorities since the flight originates in Nice.So not all airlines are bending over backwards to accommodate passengers, and I have a business class ticket. Delta has become a gem.

Posted by
4052 posts

Deb... I'm glad that Delta was so accommodating. I love Delta and have been treated extremely well by them over the last 10-15 years after leaving the dirty planes, grumpy employees, and frustrating customer service of US Air.

Hopefully, things will be looking better in August.

Posted by
44 posts

Yes, I believe Delta is the best domestic carrier. Don't always fly them, but they are my default. BTW Tim, I do not think you have to worry about a bailout for airlines. They are not part of trump's base.

Posted by
737 posts

Dave, funny you should mention US Air. I was a frequent flier with status back in the day, and I miss the routes and the airports (I might be one of the few who loved PHL — and still do), but boy, the ground staff was grumpy!!! Always!!!

This is my first experience with Delta and I, so far (even though I haven’t actually boarded a plane yet), am a happy camper.

Posted by
4052 posts

Deb--

I started flying consistently during spring 2004. Nashville to Charlotte was my most frequent route, so I went with USAir for the non-stop. That was after bankruptcy #1 and things were still looking bad (bankruptcy #2 came that fall). Gate agents... flight attendants... most looked morose, and all were ready to bite your head off if you looked at them wrong.

I moved to the Upstate of SC in the summer of 2004 and stuck with US Air, but the commuter jets were filthy and customer service kept getting worse, so I gave up on them. I didn't realize flight attendants smiled until I made the move to Delta somewhere around 2008.