Missed Connection - Hotel Vouchers - Read the fine print

I think it's best just to ask the airline for cash compensation and leave it at that. At least cash is king, and you can spend it as you see fit. I wonder why the hotel didn't bill you on the spot if that's what the voucher said. The hotel should have made clear what you owed them as well.

No fan of Delta, but is it possible you were supposed to hold on to the voucher, pay the hotel bill, and then submit the invoice and voucher to Delta for reimbursement? Have you contacted Delta about this?

Actually, as a member of Marriot Rewards I would prefer that route as I would get the points for the stay.

Hope you are raising holy hell with Delta. Why bother giving out vouchers?

If Delta blamed the delay on weather, they may have a point. I've had that situation, but the airline made it clear that what I was getting was the hotel at the same rate as the airline paid for crew layovers.

This doesn't sound quite right. Need a few more details. We have had vouchers in similar situations that had dollars limits and we were charged over that limit. Something is missing. What was Delta's response?

We were flying American when our flight from Munich was cancelled. They put everyone up at the same hotel where they also fed everyone dinner and breakfast. Didn't cost us a dime. I would be quite upset with Delta!

Thanks for the advice about reading the voucher. Good advice. We all tend to :assume" what we want to hear.

A number of years ago our Thanksgiving weekend flight back home was canceled because of fog. Horizon/Alaska put us up overnight without cost on their account. When we could not get a return flight back for several more days, Horizon/Alaska advised us that the first night's accommodations was a courtesy on their part because airlines are not responsible for weather caused delays. (We took a refund for the return leg, rented a car and drove back home, getting back several days faster than waiting for the fog to clear for resumed flight operations).

PS You didn't say what caused the 1.5 hour delay that caused you to miss the flight.

The "vouchers" may have been to give you a discounted rate. One of the airlines did that for me once - I got stuck in Chicago due to a long weather delay that caused a missed connection. They had no obligation to pay for a hotel in that situation, but they did get everyone cheap rooms at a decent hotel near the airport instead of just leaving us to fend for ourselves. But it was a long time ago, and they didn't give us "vouchers." Would have been nice to tell you they weren't fully paying the cost of the room.

Jill, if your experience was in Munich, then EU rules would apply, which are often more generous than US rules.

I also find it confusing that Tim could both check in and check out of the Radisson without them settling the bill.

When we had a flight cancelled due to weather, we were given hotel vouchers. However, the voucher was for a reduced rate on the hotel. Since we did not have access to our checked luggage, we were given a little packet that had toothpaste and a brush in it. I learned at that time to always have essentials (underwear!) in my carry on.

How upsetting! Has Delta refused reimbursement of your room? Did you get a special "crew" rate for the room? Even then it would seem Delta would inform you that was what they were giving out. I don't understand why the hotel did not inform you either upon arrival or before you left. Did you not have to check out and settle a bill since the cost was your responsibility? What a sneaky thing to do to passengers. I would push, push, push for reimbursement.

Laura - you find that confusing? Let me help you out. Radisson assumed (just like me) that a voucher was a voucher. Even THEY didn't notice buried down in the text that it said "BILL TO CUSTOMER". We left early the next morning and since we all "assumed" Delta was paying for the room there was no formal checkout. Just told them we were leaving and off we went on the shuttle to the airport.

When Radisson looked at the voucher closer they found the "BILL TO CUSTOMER" and then billed it to my credit card which they had on file.

Yes, we have raised a ruckus, and getting all necessary paper work including copies of the Voucher (which Radisson kept) has been a pain in the rear. Then attempting to track down a person within the Delta machine was probably the biggest nightmare. But we did it, we have a case number, and emailed a pdf of all the paperwork. Delta representative finally called and told us that it was actually Radisson's fault. Radisson said Delta has to actually PURCHASE the voucher before they print it and hand to a customer but that Delta was just blindly handing out paper vouchers without first purchasing them.

Delta says they're going to send us a check - I'll believe that when I see it (and cash it).

Tim, one thing you haven't answered that has been asked of you already is what was the cause of the 1.5 hour delay?

So if Delta had purchased the vouchers as they should have, it would not have read "bill to customer".? or did "bill tomcustomer" mean Delta was the customer and they should be billed?

The whole thing sounds like a mix-up rather than chicanery to me.

Thank you for posting this warning about Delta! No one would want this experience.

We missed our connection in Heathrow last October due to mechanical problems delaying our initial flight on British Air. We had to wait in a long line to have the problem addressed, however British Air provided vouchers for nearby lodging, dinner, breakfast and shuttle service. They also rebooked us on Virgin Air the next day and their service was excellent. Needless to say, I am now a fan of British Air!

Garrison

Tim -

First of all, I'm sorry this happened to you. We had a similar experience returning from Rome via JFK last year. Our flight was late arriving in the States, and even wings would not have enabled us to pick up our luggage and make the next flight. Delta put us up in a nice hotel. End of story. I would have been furious to receive a charge on my card after the fact.

While it sounds like both Delta and Radison may have dropped the ball here, you said that Delta has promised to send you a check. Please let us know if it arrives or not? I'm hoping for a happy ending here.