Grrr.... Delta changed our connections

We decided to keep our flights. The next flight is a 4 hour layover and if we miss our connection we should be able to get on that flight.

10 more days!! Looking forward to meeting some of you at the meet and greet. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe.

Martha

Hi Everyone, we are looking forward to our first cruise on the Escape on Dec 5th. We planned this trip almost a year ago. I booked my flights early because we got such a great deal (BOS to MIA for $200.11 each round trip). I usually fly direct because I hate the landing. :)

 

When I booked our flights I specifically booked flights so we would have at least 1.5 hour layover in JFK, but Delta has changed a couple of times and now we have only 45 minutes to change planes! For you seasoned travelers, is this enough time to change planes and will our luggage get there with us?

 

Luckily we are flying in the day before because I listened to your advice! I'm sure it will all work out... it's just frustrating that I tried so hard to keep everything as stress free as possible and now I'm wishing I had a direct flight!

 

Martha

This is a major problem with booking early. You get the flights and seats you want, but the airlines are constantly changing (fine tuning) their scheduled and your great plans end up going out the window.

Unless it is a very popular flight, I will not book air too far ahead for this very reason.

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This is a major problem with booking early. You get the flights and seats you want, but the airlines are constantly changing (fine tuning) their scheduled and your great plans end up going out the window.

 

Unless it is a very popular flight, I will not book air too far ahead for this very reason.

Another thing. Airlines often change equipment so that wonderful aisle seat in the exit row that you booked originally is a middle seat on the new aircraft. (See, for example, the seat plan for a 767 vs 777.)

That said, if using frequent flyer miles, many times the only time seats are available is when the reservation lists are opened 330 days before the flight. In those cases it's even more difficult when the airline changes schedules so your plans are frustrated. The only saving grace is that most airlines will waive the "restocking fee" when the schedule change won't work for the flyer.

Another thing. Airlines often change equipment so that wonderful aisle seat in the exit row that you booked originally is a middle seat on the new aircraft. (See, for example, the seat plan for a 767 vs 777.)

Or from a 747 to a 737. :eek:

The funniest one we had was with a change of equipment. Our seats were in row 28, but the new plane only had seats going back to 27. I asked the flight attendant if we were to ride in the toilets, but she laughed and told us there were plenty on empty seats on the flight.

We decided to keep our flights. The next flight is a 4 hour layover and if we miss our connection we should be able to get on that flight.

Only if there are seats available AND there are not other passengers with higher priority in the standby queue. Airlines will not bump other confirmed passengers just to accommodate you.

That said, if using frequent flyer miles, many times the only time seats are available is when the reservation lists are opened 330 days before the flight.

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I hope that's not the case this time.☺️

A 45 minute layover for me is too short from experience. I had a 35 minute layover once and it was awful. We were on the plane ready to leave and some passenger had checked bags and didn't show. We left 50 minutes late because they had to deplane the bags.

We missed our connection and had to wait 12 hours for the next flight. It was a long weekend and our two car seats were checked. So we now know Calgary airport too well.

Now if there is a direct flight I take it!

We kept our original flight and didn't have any problems getting to the connection.

We kept our original flight and didn't have any problems getting to the connection.

I'm glad things worked out for you.

Due to work schedules we sometimes have to fly in the day of the cruise but usually go the day before.

We had a day of cruise flight changed like that an being in a wheelchair 1st on last off makes such short layovers impossible yet the airline thinks it can be done. We had a 3hr layover changed to 40min but we switched to a non stop flight. Our friends decided to stick with the layover flight. Upon arrival in FL we found out their flight was diverted due to medical issue, then had to go to Atlanta and on to FL. We made the ship in plenty of time 4hrs they made the cut off time by 5min.

Unfortunately, this is the norm for Delta, American and United! These airlines (and most others) allow bookings 330 days in advance. But because of their routine schedule changes it is less likely then not that your flights will actually be what you booked. In fact, DW and I often fly Delta and have NEVER had a Delta itinerary stay the same when we booked more then 6 months in advance. NEVER! The only airline that seems to consistently honor their schedule is Southwest (perhaps this is why they are very popular). Unlike most other airlines (JetBlue is another exception) SW does not allow 330 day forward bookings.

 

As an aside on Delta, last year they so screwed up our already booked flights that at one point they had us arriving in ATL (from Mexico City) 1 1/2 hours after the flight they had us on to MDT! When I called Delta (fortunately we noticed the change) their reservations agent simply explained that they had computer problems with flights from Mexico! The clerk was very nice, made the necessary changes, and even got us excellent seats as a consolation prize. On another occasion, Delta stranded us in Atlanta for 2 days (and nights) at our own expense because their flight was late, we missed a Delta connection as a result, and Delta simply blamed the weather (which had nothing to do with the delay). A subsequent snowstorm (which dumped 2 INCHES of snow at ATL) shut down the busiest airport in the world for 2 days. Only a minor snowstorm, but Delta (and ATL) do not have the necessary de-icing equipment at ATL to handle even a minor snow fall or icing situation.

 

Hank

My husband and I booked for vacation later this year. They have us flying from Memphis to Atlanta. Then from Atlanta to Seattle. That's three hours of extra flight time. I wonder if they sent flights to Atlanta all the time?

My husband and I booked for vacation later this year. They have us flying from Memphis to Atlanta. Then from Atlanta to Seattle. That's three hours of extra flight time. I wonder if they sent flights to Atlanta all the time?

Delta, right? ATL is DL's main hub. If you are interested in why airline's use hubs, simply google it.

I took a student to a conference once that involved flying from Knoxville, TN to El Paso, TX, with a layover at DFW. The layover was supposed to be an hour or two - I don't remember exactly. Due to mechanical problems, our first flight was late leaving Knoxville. We landed at DFW 11 minutes before our connection was scheduled to take off, in a different concourse. We RAN as fast as we could - had to take one of the people mover trains, which was nerve wracking as they only go one speed and we had to go all the way across the airport...and arrived at our gate after the doors had already closed on our flight. Thankfully, the gate attendant let us on anyway. We disrupted the entire plane getting seated and felt terrible about it. But, not only did we make the plane - our checked bags did, too! Those baggage handlers deserved a serious raise. In this case, it was a good thing that we only carried on our purses, as we never would have made it to the plane dragging luggage.

Moral of the story? If I can make the plane under those conditions, a 30 minute layover (barring delays) should be no big deal. However, if you have my kind of luck, I recommend scheduling longer layovers, taking Murphy's Law into account. :)

My husband and I booked for vacation later this year. They have us flying from Memphis to Atlanta. Then from Atlanta to Seattle. That's three hours of extra flight time. I wonder if they sent flights to Atlanta all the time?

If you are flying Delta, then look for a flight from Memphis to Salt Lake City, connecting from SLC to Seattle.

That said, Atlanta is Delta's biggest hub and probably handles 1/3 of all of Delta's flights.