Your right to a refund
If the airline cancels or significantly delays your flight, you are entitled to a prompt refund if you don’t want to be rebooked on another flight, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed and you don’t want to be rebooked and you instead want a refund, you can go to delta.com/refund to apply for a refund.
Problems getting rebooked
Delta said it is “notifying customers about delays and cancellations in their itinerary via the Fly Delta app and text message, and offering rebooking options that can be managed online.”
But it also acknowledged that its Fly Delta app and Delta’s website have had spotty service, being overwhelmed by the hundreds of thousands of customers trying to get help. That’s making it difficult for customers to get information about their flights or rebooking.
“Delta teams are working to stabilize those tools,” the airline said.
Delta customers have encountered more frustrations trying to get assistance from Delta, with some waiting for hours at airports to get rebooked or to get their checked bags back, while others wait hours for responses from Delta customer service on the phone or through messaging.
Many have tried reaching out to Delta on social media.
The company acknowledged some of the challenges by saying: “Also note that our ability to respond to service messages on social media platforms such as X are limited.”
Compensation for passengers affected
Delta said it will cover “eligible expenses” resulting from the flight disruption. The airline said it is “providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations where available and ground transportation” — but many passengers say they were not offered vouchers or hotels.
Another way for stranded passengers to get compensation for their extra expenses is to file for reimbursement from Delta.
“Customers who have incurred hotel, meal or ground transportation expenses while in transit during this operational disruption may submit eligible expenses for reimbursement,” Delta said.
However, Delta said it “does not reimburse prepaid expenses, including but not limited to hotel reservations at the customer’s destination, vacation experiences, lost wages, concerts or other tickets.”
Delta said it is also issuing SkyMiles or a travel voucher, with the amount based on how much the passenger was affected during that time.
Avoid the mess if you can
Many people with flights scheduled on Delta last weekend and this week have worried about whether they’ll also get caught up in the mass flight cancellations.
This has been a reality for thousands of people who ended up stuck after their trips were disrupted. But many others have managed to get on flights that were not canceled.
Some travel experts have advised travelers to avoid flying Delta while the airline’s operation remains dysfunctional and beleaguered with a backlog of thousands of stranded passengers trying to get home or to their destinations.
Delta encouraged this by issuing a travel waiver allowing people with flights booked for a certain period starting Friday, July 19, to change their travel plans without paying a higher fare, with certain conditions.
The waiver has been extended multiple times, and it was recently extended to last through Tuesday, July 23.
Some who have had flights canceled or are worried about the prospect have considered alternate transportation options, such as renting a car or taking a refund from Delta and looking for an alternate flight on another airline.
In a video message to employees on Monday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian signaled that he expects a full recovery to still take some time.
“It’s going to take another couple of days before we’re in a position to say, ‘The worst is clearly behind us,’” Bastian said. Monday “will be a better day than yesterday, and hopefully Tuesday and Wednesday will be that much better again.”
Federal enforcement authority
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating Delta over the meltdown and its treatment of passengers.
The agency says Delta is legally obligated to care for its passengers and adhere to its commitments to customers.
Buttigieg said he has “made clear to Delta that we expect the airline to provide prompt refunds to consumers who choose not to be rebooked, and free rebooking and timely reimbursements for food and overnight hotel stays to consumers affected by the delays and cancellations, as well as adequate customer service assistance to all of their passengers.”
The DOT said the Delta cancellations and delays are considered “controllable,” triggering a higher degree of commitments for handling passengers whose flights are disrupted.
On Tuesday, Buttigieg posted on social media platform X: “While you should first try to resolve issues directly with the airline, we want to hear from passengers who believe that Delta has not complied with USDOT-enforced passenger protection requirements during the recent travel disruptions. We will follow up.”
He directed travelers to the DOT’s online air travel service complaint form.
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