New and Extended Concessions by Delta

Change fees yes, but not ticket price difference. However, the employee was very good finding a date where we could have an even exchange for both our revenue and miles tickets.

One big problem is if you change your itinerary, you will have to pick new dates within one year of the purchase of your airline tickets.

I am coming across this problem twice over. We were supposed to fly to Palm Springs today for the Indian Wells tennis tournament which was canceled the night before it began (Sunday). We bought our tickets on May 12, 2019 when we saw really inexpensive fares. Now while there are no change fees, we must use those tickets anywhere in the World by May 11 meaning we must return home by May 11. The airfare we spent would apply to the new tickets. So we had to figure out a new itinerary with comparably priced airline tickets. We chose Montréal in early May. We have never been to Québec City so we will spend time in both cities. So in this case, I think we made lemonade from those lemons.

I am scheduled to fly to Zürich in 5 weeks for a week in Switzerland. I can hope by April 15 which is the day I depart, things will be better. How likely is that though? I called Delta and found out that I had purchased these tickets in August (dirt-cheap fares) but I will be allowed to use them through mid September. I may have to do that although the airfares will be three times as high so I will have to cash in miles and that will require me to move AMEX membership reward points into my Delta account because I don’t have enough miles. Also, the hotels are much more expensive too.

I’m sharing this because I have learned a valuable lesson. I will never buy tickets 6 months or more in advance no matter how attractive the price is.

Delta's one-year from ticketing, December 31, 2020 deadline is rather stingy in light of other travel provider policies. It's so easy to despise the airlines these days.

I'm curious, and this may be a dumb question, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of changing a ticket or canceling a ticket? United is giving me the option of either.

Applying the standard 1-year limit and hitting people with the fare difference (a completely artificial number, determined by the airlines themselves) is really stingy.

There's a great post today thanking small travel providers who were gracious with refunds. If little, local outfits in Italy can afford to refund your money, then so can a giant, well-capitalized corporation like Delta.

Folks, when this blows over and you start booking completely new trips, remember which travel suppliers were flexible and which ones just cared about holding on to your last penny.

And don't even get me started about the airlines' (and the various European railways') phony claims about an investment in enhanced cleaning for your protection! Cleaning is one of the services these self-same companies drastically cut back over the last 20 years.

Does the new ticket have to booked by 1 year from purchase date or do you have to fly within 1 year of purchase date?

kaydee, for most fares on most airlines, travel after a reissue or an exchange must be completed within one year of the date on which the original ticket was issued. After that, the underlying ticket has no value. Some airlines are being flexible about this right now, but apparently not Delta.

I repeated the information I found with no intention of saluting Delta’s efforts, but just to share information. Yes, the limited time frame for using the credit is a huge negative. Typically, it is 1 year from the original purchase date, though Delta’s website is now saying travel must commence by 2/28/21. In our case, it adds a month. And yes, the fares are way more than what we paid, particularly for May travel.
My own strategy is to wait and see. We were to fly out on April 12. I have time to do nothing for a while and watch for better terms

I bought tickets (4 of them) on 7/8/19 for travel in early May (Switzerland and Italy, open jaw). I didn't even get a great deal - but we bought them when we did so several families (on different itineraries - all 65+ seniors except my immediate family) could be assured to be on the same physical flights.

Now, I'm left with (just for my family) $1500/pp in credits that I can reuse for travel that must complete by 7/8/20 (which Delta confirmed when I contacted them a day ago). Not likely with the current state of (global) affairs. I have CFAR insurance, but it looks like, in reading my policy, I'd basically only get change fees back (which are waived), so seemingly out of luck, although I've not contacted TravelEx to confirm this. I would really be satisfied with extending the use of the credit to a year from date of travel (or even end of this year!), and I'd be thrilled with life.

Lesson learned, but I'm giving a hairy eyeball to Delta, who overall has been really fantastic with supporting the general travel public, as having a real opportunity to work with people on this particular scenario. And, yes, I absolutely do look at large airlines or hotel differently than I would a small hotel or tour provider in terms of "refundable"/"non-refundable." And this is really unprecedented. Non refundable small hotel or tour? You wouldn't hear a peep out of me. Marriott? Delta? Really different, in my book.

My own strategy is to wait and see. We were to fly out on April 12. I
have time to do nothing for a while and watch for better terms.

That is my strategy too. I leave April 15. I hope you are able to travel on the 12th!

I’m curious, and this may be a dumb question, but what are the
advantages/disadvantages of changing a ticket or canceling a ticket?
United is giving me the option of either.

If United cancels the ticket, will the airline refund the airfare 100% particularly if you bought a nonrefundable ticket? If the answer is yes, then I would cancel the ticket in order to get a 100% refund.