Delta's Ability to change times...

[staciarn01]

Hello all!
I just have to comment on the airlines regarding time changes. I heard on the news the other day that the airlines are making changes to flight times at will and can do so within 48hrs of the day of departure. This actually happened to us last year with JetBlue on our return flight. We planned to arrive in Boston at 8pm and they bumped our time to near midnight from JFK! The drive home, which was 3.5hrs away, was actually scary because we were exhausted!

So, for our trip in September we decided to fly out of Hartford,CT with a connecting flight in Atlanta. Delta did make a slight change so far with the times,but it's only mere minutes at this time. I am praying that we don't have any major changes made for the flight down! We are renting a timeshare at the RIU this year instead of staying at the DIVI resort like we have the last 2yrs, so getting there at the time promised would be nice...

I really wish they could potentially leave the flight times alone. Now, the flight from Atlanta to Aruba is nearly full,but our flight from Hartford to Atlanta is not. I just want to get down there in a timely manner....because I miss it!!


Thank you!!
Stacy

[Arubalisa]

It is a shame but proably a circumstance you find with most airlines. Check your itinerary at least weekly if not daily.

One year for a Christmas flight, our flight times on Delta out of Atlanta changed 3 times in about 7 or 8 months.

Another year, they cancelled our flight without so much as an email. Our original day to fly to Aruba was a Tuesday. Delta not only cancelled the flight, but were kind enough to re-book us on another flight, ONE DAY LATER. Thus cutting one day of our vacation. Luckily our dates of travel were flexible and we were able to add a days hotel and change return airfare to one day later at no charge.

Worse yet? An equipment change. A couple of years back flying out of Atlanta they added a larger plane but everyone arrived at the airport and had seat assignments for the old plane configuration. We were fortunate it did not affect us because we were flying business class. Business class when we booked was the same as flying coach so a no brainer. HOWEVER, if we had been one of those people flying coach having to wait on line for a seat assignment and then hoping our family would be seated together...would be a different story.

Another time we had an equipment change and lost our original seats. Luckily dh caught it when checking, to see if the flight time changed, and was able to grab the same seats. We like sitting on the left hand side of the plane to be able to see the island upon approach.

[Arubalisa]

Again, another reminder! Check your flight times.

I know someone recently who had their flight changed by 10 minutes, a change of aircraft configuration from 737 to 757 and not only did their seats change, but ONE reservation booked separately because it was not frequent flyer miles DISAPPEARED. Yup the entire reservation POOF entirely gone vanished into cyberspace.

AFTER much frustration on the persons part, dealing with customer no service half a world away, it was straightened out, grudgingly I might add, on the airlines part.

Document and double check frequently! Imagine going to check in and no reservation

[gmac]

I've had such experiences with Delta. Last year they changed my flight 6 times and would e-mail me that I had an issue with my connecting flight in Atlanta leaving before my Boston flight arrived. It was never an issue to make the correction either online or through customer service, but you have to be constantly aware of these changes otherwise you might face a problem.

[danadog56]

In one of Chadd's comments on another posting he mentioned that usair is going to change their flights come september....i already have my tickets for november, so it will be interesting to see what happens....
one year i fought with a supervisor for what seems like hours because they changed my husbands flight...I mean, they put him on a completely different flight than me, so when I called they gave me all kinds of excuses but when I asked why they didnt change me they didnt have an answer....i think the original reason was because he was booked on a seperate confirmation number than i because i booked him with ff points and paid for mine ....this year both of us are using ff points and on the same itinerary so we will see what happens if they do change their flights.....

[Patti Ann]

We flew Air Tran last year in August. Our flight did not change and neither did our seats. However, we sat at the gate for over one hour waiting to get onto a runway. Then to make matter worse, we taxied the Atlanta Airport for over one hour. We left over two hours late -- without so much as a complimentary drink or even a verbal apology. Actually, the flight attendants were downright rude to all of the passengers. Once they have you on a plane, you are their virtual prisoner. If you say anything to them you can be flagged as a disturbance and will most likely pay the price later with security on future flights.

[Chadd]

In one of Chadd's comments on another posting he mentioned that usair is going to change their flights come september....

The change has already been made, it went live the day I posted it. I will keep an eye on the additions/reductions regarding flights to Aruba. Unfortunately, the airlines don't publish time changes. On the plus side though, the vast majority of changes are made at least 90 days prior to the actual date of the flight. Unless there is a maintenance issue or crew somewhere in the system that impacts a specific flight.

[Andrea J.]

atlanta hartsfield is an incredibly busy airport with tons of air and on the ground traffic.

i would imagine that none of the flight attendants knew of the duration of which you'd be sitting at the gate and..........if the drinks are passed out then, there could be a chance they'd fall short at drink time on the flight. (at least that is my reasoning)

we taxied for over an hr at atlanta a few yrs ago on a delta flight and no drinks were passed out to us........the fight attendants were in their seats, buckled in. air/ground traffic presents delays and issues.

lots of the issues of which you note can be made easier if there is an announcement from the flight crew.

at least the good news is that you did not have to make a connection!!

we have flown air tran and had a positive experience.
some of the stuff is just beyond their control.

rudeness is never acceptable.
rude staff or rude passengers all make for very unpleasant journeys.

We flew Air Tran last year in August. Our flight did not change and neither did our seats. However, we sat at the gate for over one hour waiting to get onto a runway. Then to make matter worse, we taxied the Atlanta Airport for over one hour. We left over two hours late -- without so much as a complimentary drink or even a verbal apology. Actually, the flight attendants were downright rude to all of the passengers. Once they have you on a plane, you are their virtual prisoner. If you say anything to them you can be flagged as a disturbance and will most likely pay the price later with security on future flights.

[chouth]

I HATE flying so I booked JetBlue Direct. Please tell me you have heard positive things.

[Andrea J.]

lots of folks have positive things to say about JB.
we have flown them lots from Boston to Orlando or Tampa ...but never to Aruba.