How can airlines change flight schedules without notifying you??

[Bobbigrl27]

I just don't get how airlines can make changes to a flight schedule and not notify passengers. Luckily, I frequent these boards and have learned to check for myself periodically. Here is a classic example:

 

I booked a Delta flight for our November cruise back in March. So far, the flight times have changed twice, but just by a few minutes each way. No big deal.

 

This morning I go to check it, and they have us arriving in ATL at 2:16 pm. with our connecting flight leaving at 2:15!!! I didn't get a phone call or an e-mail notifying me of the change, even though Delta has both on file. So if I hadn't checked, I may have gotten stuck in ATL! :eek:

 

I realize that airlines have to make changes sometimes. My only complaint is that they don't notify passengers. That just seems like bad business to me.

[mii]

I have learned long ago that it is up to me to check my schedule on the airlines web site. Even though there have been times that they have notified me there has also been times that they have not. So again do the checking yourself. When I have a flight I check at least once a week and when it gets to be maybe 2 months out I check twice a week.

 

marilyn

[Katiebug430]

I'd be ticked off, too!

 

American just sent us an email notification of a schedule change for our flights to/from Miami for our cruise in October. We're leaving a half hour earlier on our outbound flight (woo hoo, arriving at the ship earlier! :D ) and leaving Miami an hour earlier on our return flight (also not a problem).

 

I always check the airline's website for schedule changes...better safe than sorry!

[nho9504]

I fly AA the most. AA has NEVER failed once to inform us flight changes if the flights are within 90 days. AA has options for you to choose on which medium you would like to be informed - voicemail, email, PDA. I opted for email. However on changes that are more drastic, AA would CALL. I got a call few days ago on a 40min earlier departure as well as change of aircraft on the second leg, for our Sept trip.

 

DL, on the other hand, seems not only NEVER inform passengers about changes, the changes often are totally out of wack that cause passengers miss connections totally, like the connecting flights would either depart earlier than the arrival flights or not have enough time to connect.

 

It is up to the passengers to play defensive, especially if you fly DL. Getting mad or frustrated, is not going to help the situation but harm your health. :p

[Sea and Me]

the airline would cancel flights after final payment for the cruise is made?? Since they can change and rechange their schedules we are at their mercy. Sometimes I think of just cancelling the cruise and lose the money paid for the air. Desperate times mean desperate measures. It just makes it awful to think about stuff like this happening.

[FlyerTalker]

the airline would cancel flights after final payment for the cruise is made?? Since they can change and rechange their schedules we are at their mercy. Sometimes I think of just cancelling the cruise and lose the money paid for the air. Desperate times mean desperate measures. It just makes it awful to think about stuff like this happening.

Let's guess....first, there would be no flight to take you to your cruise. Second, you would have to work on alternate arrangements.

 

Bigger question....are you talking about day-of-flight operational cancellation (the plane "broke") or are you talking about schedule changes resulting in your particular flight no longer operating? The former has always been there - which is why many fly in the day before, and/or have alternatives up their sleeves. The latter has also been a fact of life in travel. It is just now becoming more apparent, as airlines are cutting back on schedules. Schedules have ALWAYS been subject to change, and have been changed in the past. Just a matter of degree now.

 

Not sure what the "desperate times means desperate measures" comment is about....if you want to be totally "safe", know - THERE IS NO SUCH THING.

[ab0si]

 

I realize that airlines have to make changes sometimes. My only complaint is that they don't notify passengers. That just seems like bad business to me.

 

Delta has been doing this for quite awhile. THere are many threads here and on the websites dedicated to air travel. It is NOT bad business because people still willingly book their flights with Delta or brand X or whomever has the lowest rate. If more people were willing to pay for better service, it won't happen. If more people refused to book with airlines which provided bad service, it wouldn't happen. Since such a large portion of the U.S. air market makes their airline decision on price, price, and price, the airlines have no incentives to do otherwise.

 

Paul

[poochierebelbear]

I'm glad I came to these boards and read up on some things. I'm a first time flyer and I will probably have no choice but to book with Delta. I'm not happy about that at all. I wanted to go with Southwest since I hear good things about them but I live in rooty poot MS and so you can imagine they only have 1 flight in and 1 flight coming back. Sucks! Delta has a ton. I was waiting to the end of next month hoping SW posts more inbound and outbound flights. We don't have an abundance of airlines here. I check another one and they charge for every little thing. Luggage, etc. No way. I say include it in the price.

 

Erica

[saharaga]

I just got a schedule change notification from Airtran for our flight in November. The changes to the flight to FLL don't really bother me. But, they expect us to sit in FLL until 7 pm for our departing flight:eek: . They must be crazy!

[cruzegirl]

I'm glad I came to these boards and read up on some things. I'm a first time flyer and I will probably have no choice but to book with Delta. I'm not happy about that at all. I wanted to go with Southwest since I hear good things about them but I live in rooty poot MS and so you can imagine they only have 1 flight in and 1 flight coming back. Sucks! Delta has a ton. I was waiting to the end of next month hoping SW posts more inbound and outbound flights. We don't have an abundance of airlines here. I check another one and they charge for every little thing. Luggage, etc. No way. I say include it in the price.

 

Erica

 

I hear ya girl..... I have many more options leaving from LAX but just know, all airlines are charging for more. I don't agree with it but it's pay it or don't fly. I now choose my cruises and trips more carefully.... My trip in Oct. is international so I'm good luggage. And our first cruise planned for next year leaves from Long Beach, no flying for me. But after that, I really have to re-evaluate which airline I use and which cruise I take.

[Sea and Me]

I just got a schedule change notification from Airtran for our flight in November. The changes to the flight to FLL don't really bother me. But, they expect us to sit in FLL until 7 pm for our departing flight:eek: . They must be crazy!

I don't know if they are crazy but if you are on a cruise they offer tours of FLL and some are pretty interesting. We always wanted to do one but our flights left too early. So that is a thought!! Also, we had flight plans that would have us on a later flight too. When we got to the airport I asked if there was a chance of getting on something earlier and we were lucky they had an earlier flight. So it doesn't hurt to ask:) Good luck.

 

Carol

[FlyerTalker]

I just got a schedule change notification from Airtran for our flight in November. The changes to the flight to FLL don't really bother me. But, they expect us to sit in FLL until 7 pm for our departing flight:eek: . They must be crazy!

 

Rent a car, go cruising down to South Beach or into the close Keys. Go out into the Everglades. Head up to Boca or Palm Beach. Lots to do in a day rather than just sit around.

[apeller]

AA notifies you 90 days prior to departure, however by that time your options are severely limited. My December flights from LAX to FLL have changed twice in the last month and the only way I knew about it was by constantly checking. One of the changes they made for me was scheduling a connection prior to landing. By the time they figured it out in September or October, there would be no seats available to get me home on time. You need to be vigilant and proactive.

[MNfamilycruiser]

I just got a schedule change notification from Airtran for our flight in November. The changes to the flight to FLL don't really bother me. But, they expect us to sit in FLL until 7 pm for our departing flight:eek: . They must be crazy!

I just got a schedule change from AirTran for November too! But going from MSP to Orlando. The changes are NOT acceptable!! We went from a direct flight at a decent time to 1-stop and an extra 2 hours time. :mad: :mad:

Our flights back are scheduled too early - we won't be able to make it to the airport from the ship on time.

 

What do they do if you just refuse to accept the changes? Give your money back? Or are we just stuck with whatever they want?

 

How about a $75 "change fee" for each of us - like they charge us?

[vjmatty]

I've actually used schedule changes to my advantage... one time they moved our flight back to a couple hours earlier so we would not have made it off the ship in time to catch the flight. So, I asked them to put us on the 2pm flight, which I had originally wanted but at the time it cost $200 more. Guess who got on that 2pm flight without paying the extra $200 :D

[MNfamilycruiser]

I've actually used schedule changes to my advantage... one time they moved our flight back to a couple hours earlier so we would not have made it off the ship in time to catch the flight. So, I asked them to put us on the 2pm flight, which I had originally wanted but at the time it cost $200 more. Guess who got on that 2pm flight without paying the extra $200 :D

Congrats!

 

I just accepted the 1-stop flights at worse times in place of my wonderful non-stops that I had booked in April!

 

Changing to another airline at this time would be an extra $75 per person (for a group of 8). I guess next time I will stick with our small SunCountry. At least I know they won't be adding stops - I think everything from here is direct for them!

[nho9504]

I just got a schedule change from AirTran for November too! But going from MSP to Orlando. The changes are NOT acceptable!! We went from a direct flight at a decent time to 1-stop and an extra 2 hours time. :mad: :mad:

Our flights back are scheduled too early - we won't be able to make it to the airport from the ship on time.

 

What do they do if you just refuse to accept the changes? Give your money back? Or are we just stuck with whatever they want?

How about a $75 "change fee" for each of us - like they charge us?

 

Looks like your original flight was cancelled, hence you were rebooked with 1 stop. 2 hours layover is not that bad.

 

You dont need to accept the schedule change, the airline would give you back your money if you refuse to fly the new schedule.

 

Find yourself another airline that has a schedule works better for you.

 

BTW, WHEN did you book has no bearing to the schedule change.

 

Also let's hope SunCountry will still exist in the future should the oil remains at this level.

[FlyerTalker]

I just accepted the 1-stop flights at worse times in place of my wonderful non-stops that I had booked in April!

There is no non-stop any more. So your choice was to take the 1-stop or don't travel on AirTran. Actually pretty simple.

 

Time for reality check - a lot of those wonderful non-stops are going by the wayside, as a number of point-to-point, non-hubbed flights are being cut out. They were fine in better economic times, but maximization of revenue at minimal cost is now the imperative. So, running passengers through the ATL hub is a better plan for AirTran.

 

Many people would gladly have a 2 hour connect as their alternative. If you've read posts here, others have had either much longer connects, more "creative" routings, or out and out impossible situations with no alternative.

 

Changing to another airline at this time would be an extra $75 per person (for a group of 8). I guess next time I will stick with our small SunCountry. At least I know they won't be adding stops - I think everything from here is direct for them!

 

No....changing airlines would have involved a complete refund from AirTran with no change charge (due to the schedule change). Then, you would pay the current going rate for new tickets on a different airline. The cost/savings would be the difference between those two numbers. There is no $75 charge in your case.

 

As for SY: You of course realize that you have little to no protection if Sun Country runs into irregular operations and you are severely delayed or canceled. You'll wait for the next Sun Country flight with available seats, without any option for having your tickets endorsed over to another carrier. Oh, you didn't know that. Might want to consider it when planning for your next trip.

[Globaliser]

If more people refused to book with airlines which provided bad service, it wouldn't happen. Since such a large portion of the U.S. air market makes their airline decision on price, price, and price, the airlines have no incentives to do otherwise.

And this is probably the number one reason why flying in the US has become so miserable over the last 10 years or so.

 

People bitch and moan about the airlines that provided poor service for them last time. But when they're choosing a flight for their next trip, if it's $20 cheaper on that same airline they'll be running back there just to save that $20. Never stopping to think whether it might be better spending that $20 for a better experience.

[Lois R]

I just got a schedule change from AirTran for November too! But going from MSP to Orlando. The changes are NOT acceptable!! We went from a direct flight at a decent time to 1-stop and an extra 2 hours time. :mad: :mad:

Our flights back are scheduled too early - we won't be able to make it to the airport from the ship on time.

 

What do they do if you just refuse to accept the changes? Give your money back? Or are we just stuck with whatever they want?

 

How about a $75 "change fee" for each of us - like they charge us?

 

Hi, yes you do get your money back if the change is not acceptable.

I had a flight booked on Continental and they changed it to

a 7 minute connection time:eek:....that was unacceptable.

They did not have another flight with the time I wanted so I was

given a full refund..no penalty involved.

[Lois R]

I just don't get how airlines can make changes to a flight schedule and not notify passengers. Luckily, I frequent these boards and have learned to check for myself periodically. Here is a classic example:

 

I booked a Delta flight for our November cruise back in March. So far, the flight times have changed twice, but just by a few minutes each way. No big deal.

 

This morning I go to check it, and they have us arriving in ATL at 2:16 pm. with our connecting flight leaving at 2:15!!! I didn't get a phone call or an e-mail notifying me of the change, even though Delta has both on file. So if I hadn't checked, I may have gotten stuck in ATL! :eek:

 

I realize that airlines have to make changes sometimes. My only complaint is that they don't notify passengers. That just seems like bad business to me.

 

Delta is well known for that problem.:rolleyes: I check my reservations

almost daily now.

Seems they make the changes on the weekends though.

I have had 3 changes in 3 weeks now:eek: ...no, they never

called me.

I am hoping my newest flight stays as is but I seriously doubt

it....the flight originates from here in Jacksonville (so there should

not be a delay)...one can only hope.

I leave here at 6:30am and get into Atlanta at 7:40..not a long

flight.

My connection is 47 minutes.......leaving at 8:30.

I would bet you lunch that this flight will change again~I am sailing

in September.

I originally booked this because the price across country

was so good...130.00 total.

I forgot how much aggrivation Delta can cause:rolleyes:

[MNfamilycruiser]

There is no non-stop any more. So your choice was to take the 1-stop or don't travel on AirTran. Actually pretty simple.

 

Time for reality check - a lot of those wonderful non-stops are going by the wayside, as a number of point-to-point, non-hubbed flights are being cut out. They were fine in better economic times, but maximization of revenue at minimal cost is now the imperative. So, running passengers through the ATL hub is a better plan for AirTran.

 

Many people would gladly have a 2 hour connect as their alternative. If you've read posts here, others have had either much longer connects, more "creative" routings, or out and out impossible situations with no alternative.

 

 

 

No....changing airlines would have involved a complete refund from AirTran with no change charge (due to the schedule change). Then, you would pay the current going rate for new tickets on a different airline. The cost/savings would be the difference between those two numbers. There is no $75 charge in your case.

 

As for SY: You of course realize that you have little to no protection if Sun Country runs into irregular operations and you are severely delayed or canceled. You'll wait for the next Sun Country flight with available seats, without any option for having your tickets endorsed over to another carrier. Oh, you didn't know that. Might want to consider it when planning for your next trip.

 

Actually there currently is one non-stop flight per day - but the times won't work for us.

 

Sorry I wasn't clear about the $75 - that was difference in cost between what I paid for our Air Tran flights, and the current price of the Sun Country fllights.

 

And no, I didn't know that Sun Country wouldn't put you on another carrier - we haven't flown with them very much. Being from MSP - NW has always been our main airline. :rolleyes:

 

I understand the reality of air travel has changed - but aren't I allowed to whine a little?:D :D

 

I am making arrangements for 8 people - shopped and got everything figured out in April - paid for my tickets - and now my carefully arranged plans are out the window! That is annoying and frustrating because it is the first time it has happened to us. I know it does no good to complain to the airline - that's why I came here.;)

 

And I know others have worse situations - but I am travelling with small children and I was willing to pay extra to get a non-stop flight, and gave them my money many months in advance. It's not going to ruin my cruise or anything - but really - am I wrong to feel annoyed and frustrated?

[Host CJSKIDS]

I fly AA the most. AA has NEVER failed once to inform us flight changes if the flights are within 90 days. AA has options for you to choose on which medium you would like to be informed - voicemail, email, PDA. I opted for email. However on changes that are more drastic, AA would CALL. I got a call few days ago on a 40min earlier departure as well as change of aircraft on the second leg, for our Sept trip.

 

DL, on the other hand, seems not only NEVER inform passengers about changes, the changes often are totally out of wack that cause passengers miss connections totally, like the connecting flights would either depart earlier than the arrival flights or not have enough time to connect.

 

It is up to the passengers to play defensive, especially if you fly DL. Getting mad or frustrated, is not going to help the situation but harm your health. :p

 

Count yourself lucky, American has changed our flights numerous times over the last few years and I've never been notified. I fly with them frequently, am an Advantage member and I still don't get notified. My flights for a trip to Cancun in October was changed not only in time, but they also had an equipment change which screwed up my seating. I have 2 purchased seats with a third extra between us because I had credit to use and couldn't justify the business class fare so this gave us some extra room. American moved all 3 seats from the front of the plane to 3 separate seats around the plane in the back for both legs. I caught it a couple of weeks ago and was able to get all 3 back together though in the very back of the plane. Had I not randomly checked, I would have been one unhappy person as there are no longer 3 seats together on our flights.

[steve20832]

As for SY: You of course realize that you have little to no protection if Sun Country runs into irregular operations and you are severely delayed or canceled. You'll wait for the next Sun Country flight with available seats, without any option for having your tickets endorsed over to another carrier. Oh, you didn't know that. Might want to consider it when planning for your next trip.

 

There are several cities that Sun Country flys to only a couple times a week so it could be days before your next flight. Many cities they fly to are only one or two flights a day. I flew them once and had no problem except for the food. Don't eat their hamburgers, they taste like rubber.

I'm really surprised they are still in business since they don't operate MSP as a hub, 95% of the flights either start or end at MSP so if you want to go from New York to Las Vegas, pick another airline (even though SY serves both cities.) I do like the HHH terminal, security is always less than 5 minutes.

Would be nice to see JetBlue or Southwest move into Minneapolis. Wishful thinking, huh?

[nho9504]

Count yourself lucky, American has changed our flights numerous times over the last few years and I've never been notified. I fly with them frequently, am an Advantage member and I still don't get notified. My flights for a trip to Cancun in October was changed not only in time, but they also had an equipment change which screwed up my seating. I have 2 purchased seats with a third extra between us because I had credit to use and couldn't justify the business class fare so this gave us some extra room. American moved all 3 seats from the front of the plane to 3 separate seats around the plane in the back for both legs. I caught it a couple of weeks ago and was able to get all 3 back together though in the very back of the plane. Had I not randomly checked, I would have been one unhappy person as there are no longer 3 seats together on our flights.

 

You lost me here - do you mean you purchased 2 seats or 3 seats? If you purchased 2 seats, you are entitled to 2 seats, and even if you fly on the 757, there is NO GUARANTEE, someone would not be placed in the middle seat between the 2 seats you picked. :rolleyes:

 

Do you really believe the empty middle seat would remain unseated when you fly? Unless your flight is not a full flight and you are at the very back of the plane, I would not hold my breadth for it.

 

Such open-middlesat happenings in my AA flights, may be 1 out of 5, if that much. Usually by the time we fly, the flight is booked full and there is hardly any seat left unoccupied. I have to commend my husband - he never cares where to sit if the flights last less than 3 hours. He actually PREFERS the 2 seater side of the MadDog. On the other hand, he would not take anything less than business if it is over 10 hours. Me think he has set his priority right. ;)

 

Frankly I am not sure which is worse - having another passenger on the same 3-seat row, or sitting at the very back of the plane (the noise and the lav). :p I have to admit, we did have one flight that a gentleman had his body "spilled" over but luckily it was not a full flight and the FA came to rescue after we were underway. The gentleman got his own row and we could breath. Whew!

 

AAdvantage member - you mean you are a GENERAL member, I assume?

 

Oh, yeah, there are Gold members who are those flies 25,000 miles a year, or have 1 million lifetime miles with AA, (so become Lifetime Gold even they dont fly any), and Platinum members (50,000 miles flown per year), then Executive Platinum members (100,000 miles flown per year). The real differentials start with Platinum, and EXP got lots of differential treatments and that is only natural. I am sure GreatAm would wholeheartedly agrees on that. :D

 

If you are an EXP, on a flight that is not very full, you can ask for the middleseat being BLOCKED so no one could sit there. Or better yet, you can choose the EXIT Row when you go to the seat map. I should add, even Gold can pick Exit Row seats, after the PLT and EXP.

 

Unless you get to PLT - or better yet, like GreatAm, flies 100,000 miles a year, and be the Executive Platinum member of AAdvantage, there is hardly any difference between a non-AAdvantage member and an AAdvantage member as far as any special treatment or benefit.

 

General AAdvantage member, means nothing when it comes to the boarding, seat assignment, irregular operation accommodation, etc etc.