Does Delta EVER stop changing their flight times???

[Jurahn]

Sorry, but just had to have a bit of a rant. As I've mentioned on other threads, I have an upcoming PER-SEA trip booked with VA (LAX-SEA-LAX sectors operated by DL) and there's been no end of "glitches" with the booking whenever there's been a change, and I've had to call on the assistance of the VA reps on this forum several times to get everything sorted out, especially each time the e-ticket is reissued. It seems with DL, they never stop amending their flight schedule. The SEA-LAX leg has changed time and flight number once, but the LAX-SEA flight has been changed multiple times, and I've been put back and forth by DL on different flights on that date like a bl**dy yoyo. I had to ring VA regarding an issue with the previous change, and managed to get them to change me back to the 8.30am connection, which was the one I wanted (and had on my original booking). Just received a call from VA today - DL have moved the flight time forward by 5 minutes, so it no longer meets the minimum connection time VA allows at LAX and I've had to be moved to the 11.40am flight. The VA consultant was very sympathetic and apologetic when I told her about the various hassles I'd had with the booking and said that unfortunately there's no guarantee DL won't change the flight time/number again before the trip (and the VA codeshare numbers have changed each time as well).

FFS, is this the norm with DL? 6 changes so far, 5 just with the one sector. I don't know how long it takes for everything to update on the DL website either - I've received the reissued e-ticket from VA, but note on the Delta website that my booking still shows the previous e-ticket and booking details, and when I look at LAX-SEA flights for that date, it's still showing the old flight times of 8.30 and then the next flight at 11am, not 8.25 and 11:40 so it seems their own systems take time to update. I'll have to check the DL site again in a day or two and see if the booking has been updated - I doubt it, given the previous issues, so will probably have to beg the help of the VA reps yet again as it seems any changes and updated e-tickets related to this booking have to be manually "pushed across" to DL before the changes are reflected. It's the first time I've had connecting flights with DL, and not particularly impressed!

Ok, rant over, thanks for bearing with me

 

[Justinf]

I have experienced the same issue with Alaska. They constantly are changing my flight details which means they won't let me check online and I have to call them, being placed on hold for upwards of half an hour only to find that one of the legs of a five-leg journey has been changed by two minutes.

 

[Jurahn]

I also have two flights with Alaska during this trip, in and out of Montana from Seattle. I went on to the Alaska site just to check something, and found the flight times for both had been changed considerably and I had to accept/confirm the changes, but I'd never received an email about either of the flights, despite them having all my contact details. Maybe they were going to send me something closer to the time as the flights are in March and April, but as it's a route where there's only 2 Alaska flights in and out daily (and only flight time on each day could fit in with my other arrangements), I HAVE to be on those flights.

Have just checked the DL website again - looks like they do a schedule update on the weekends, so the time changes the VA rep discussed with me are now showing on the DL flight schedules. Checked my booking - the 1140 flight I've been moved to is now showing as well which is fine, except the 0830 flight is still listed, as is the flight # and time it was changed to at 0825! So I currently have THREE LAX-SEA flights all showing for the same day on the DL version of my itinerary AND still the previous e-ticket number, as well as messages in red text all over the page about "a time change may mean you will miss a connecting flight". **sigh** No point ringing DL as they'll just tell me (again) that they can't see the reissued e-ticket #, so I'll have to get VA to push the details across yet again so that the DL site updates properly. What I don't understand is how the flight I've been changed to can show up, but the re-issued e-ticket doesn't? Is it a fault with VA's systems, DL systems, or both?? Getting enormously frustrating having to constantly deal with these issues - makes me wonder how many more hassles I'll have with it before I even get on the plane in March!!!!

 

[TomVexille]

Not really uncommon with US carriers. With as many aircraft and flights as they have the logistics are constantly changing.

 

[Justinf]

Not really uncommon with US carriers. With as many aircraft and flights as they have the logistics are constantly changing.

That's a fair enough comment. But one of my flights was changed because it was now a four-minute longer flight time. No change to departure or arrival. Bizarre.

 

[andrewpf]

Yup, thats my experience with Delta too, especially during winter.

 

[Denali]

That's a fair enough comment. But one of my flights was changed because it was now a four-minute longer flight time. No change to departure or arrival. Bizarre.

I had a 4min change advise as well and this morning I got a ATL>LAX change which departs ATL 40mins later. Thankfully it doesnt affect my LAX departure as we have 1 night in LA.

My biggest happy Delta change was they changed a plane from a 757 bucket "F" seats to a 777 Delta First flat bed for LAX>ATL, which is appreciated as I hope to snooze. Hopefully they wont change the plane.


Edit: Just saw that a ATL>BNA flight has also changed by 22mins. but thanks to daylight savings, we arrive 3mins after departure

 

[Jurahn]

Unfortunately, all the DL time/schedule changes so far have meant I've been shifted to other flights each time .

 

[coyote25]

I've been on AA Dom flights that changed by +4, +6 and -8 minutes back and forth so it ended up 2 minutes later over a month of updates. Weird little changes to the schedule and I kept getting QF notifications to re ire and co firm changes (booked via QF).

Crazy small alterations.

 

[docjames]

Be reassured the same thing happened to me with AA connecting in LAX to YVR. A 15 min time earlier on the AA flight made an "illegal" connect in LAX.

AA refused to re-route (in F) and gave me 2055 departure from LAX (vs booked 0755) as the only flight with F (offered Rouge at 1255 in Y.....)

I proposed a re-route via DFW in F which they refused.


The irony being I would have made the earlier flight as QF93 was early and the YVR flight was late.

 

[cssaus]

I've also encountered this issue in the past.

Last year for my SYD-LAX-JFK return trip, when I arrived in LAX and checked in at the DL lounge, the CSR was unable to re-issue me with a DL BP as is their normal practice owing to the fact they were unable to locate a current e-ticket!!

My booking apparently had 5 ticket re-issues on top of the original ticket being issued all because flight numbers and/or departure times had changed. It eventually took a phone call back to VA and handing the phone to the DL CSR (thankfully I had an OPTUS travel pack) to sort out the mess and have the correct ticket number entered into the DL system.

If I had instead of going to the DL lounge waited at the gate, I would have most likely denied boarding and missing my LAX-JFK flight!

 

[Jurahn]

I've also encountered this issue in the past.

Last year for my SYD-LAX-JFK return trip, when I arrived in LAX and checked in at the DL lounge, the CSR was unable to re-issue me with a DL BP as is their normal practice owing to the fact they were unable to locate a current e-ticket!!

My booking apparently had 5 ticket re-issues on top of the original ticket being issued all because flight numbers and/or departure times had changed. It eventually took a phone call back to VA and handing the phone to the DL CSR (thankfully I had an OPTUS travel pack) to sort out the mess and have the correct ticket number entered into the DL system.

If I had instead of going to the DL lounge waited at the gate, I would have most likely denied boarding and missing my LAX-JFK flight!

I remember you mentioning this in another thread, and that's what I'm concerned about, with the DL site not updating correctly each time there's a change, showing incorrect flight information, multiple flights for the same sector and the wrong e-ticket number - I don't want to get to LAX and then have the same sort of problems you experienced when I try to continue to SEA! Or vice versa when I'm doing the return trip. There's obviously some sort of "glitch" between the VA and DL systems, not sure whose end it originates from, it may be both systems at fault but I wish it would get sorted out - worrying about this trip is just constant added stress that I do NOT need at the moment!

 

[cssaus]

I remember you mentioning this in another thread, and that's what I'm concerned about, with the DL site not updating correctly each time there's a change, showing incorrect flight information, multiple flights for the same sector and the wrong e-ticket number - I don't want to get to LAX and then have the same sort of problems you experienced when I try to continue to SEA! Or vice versa when I'm doing the return trip. There's obviously some sort of "glitch" between the VA and DL systems, not sure whose end it originates from, it may be both systems at fault but I wish it would get sorted out - worrying about this trip is just constant added stress that I do NOT need at the moment!

I now check both the VA end and the DL end to make sure that they are both in agreement as to the current ticket number.

 

[Jurahn]

I now check both the VA end and the DL end to make sure that they are both in agreement as to the current ticket number.

That's what I do now as well, especially after I saw your post about this in the other thread. The only reason I went on to the DL site after the first change about 6 months ago was to see if I could do seat selection, and that's when I found that the VA/DL info didn't match, and that's where all the hassles started - as I said previously, I'm starting to dread any sort of communication/notification from VA or DL as any changes (especially e-ticket reissue) trigger the same/similar issues with the booking.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

All the big US carriers do it

 

[cssaus]

Not only do DL change their flight times, VA are also guilty of changing their code-share flight numbers which then results in a ticket re-issue. I don't think a change in flight time necessarily results in a ticket re-issue.

 

[Jurahn]

Not only do DL change their flight times, VA are also guilty of changing their code-share flight numbers which then results in a ticket re-issue. I don't think a change in flight time necessarily results in a ticket re-issue.

Unfortunately all the DL flight time changes I've experienced also seem to be schedule changes, as they have all resulted in a DL flight number change, and the VA codeshare number has changed each time as well.

 

[Bagpuss]

Etihad is pretty bad as well.
I think we're pretty lucky in Australia where schedule changes don't occur so frequently.