Delta Compensation Thread

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
I thought it might be useful to have a thread for compensation so that you can start getting a feeling for 'benchmarks' and if you are being shortchanged. Heck, perhaps I was!

Here goes:

Award Flight in Coach.

Issue: Plane went mechanical, meaning I could not fly to my destination. My bag was checked and I couldnt access it that night. Bag subsequently sent to wrong airport and wasn't available when I landed in NY... Had paid $29 to upgrade seat.

Compensation:

  • Hotel for 1 night (Holiday Inn, Airport... decent room)
  • Rebooked next morning (got an exit row)
  • Bag delivered to house arrived at 3-5am that night
  • $100 Gift Card
  • Charged a pint to the room and it didn't bill to my card :)
Note I received the giftcard by calling in to Delta and asking them about my $29 fee. I explained calmly about the situation. Initially I was offered $75. The CSR also told me that they would auto-refund the $29... I mentioned that I saw the charge but not refund and said:

"I guess if you guys are giving me $75 then its not too bad that I lose the $29" to which she bumped me to $100...

Screen Shot 2015-03-03 at 6.53.00 PM.png

How'd I do? Was I gyped? I personally think they did good by me. Do you have other data points so that if someone else is in this position they can call upon this?
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Forget the Holiday Inn. You could have stayed at the Fairmont and had it, plus your meals, compensated by your Chase card that you used to pay the award ticket tax and fees.

The one time I had an IRROP with DL, they took good care of me.
-Sent me an alert with the list of alternative flights. I rebooked on my smartphone.
-Lounge agent gave me Economy Comfort seat on the new red eye home (I was not entitled).
-My email complaint got me 7,500 miles.

They said the delay was weather-induced, so I felt like I received more than adequate compensation for the situation. AA is much stingier in my experience.
 

PNW-MSSER

Level 2 Member
Forget the Holiday Inn. You could have stayed at the Fairmont and had it, plus your meals, compensated by your Chase card that you used to pay the award ticket tax and fees.

The one time I had an IRROP with DL, they took good care of me.
-Sent me an alert with the list of alternative flights. I rebooked on my smartphone.
-Lounge agent gave me Economy Comfort seat on the new red eye home (I was not entitled).
-My email complaint got me 7,500 miles.

They said the delay was weather-induced, so I felt like I received more than adequate compensation for the situation. AA is much stingier in my experience.
Wow, I had read only horror stories of CSP related claims on moost famous blogs, this is nice :)
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Wow, I had read only horror stories of CSP related claims on moost famous blogs, this is nice :)
I just finished 2 claims from CSP - 1 trip delay and 1 baggage damage. Both were for the same itin where I paid award tax and fees with CSP. Both were approved.

The situation for the trip delay is about as complicated as it gets:
-I changed the itin multiple times since original booking (common for miles and points addicts, but out of ordinary for them), so the flight claimed isn't in the "original confirmation" from airline.
-On the day of travel, I missed a connection (my fault). I was then rebooked on the next flight, which ended up getting cancelled due to weather. Because it was rebooked at the gate, I never received an email confirmation proving that I was ever on that flight.

It took a while for them to understand the story, but once they got a clearly written explanation from the airline, they approved it. One revelation is that even if you miss your flight at your own fault, as long as the rebooked flight is on the same reservation and it gets delayed, you're covered.

Most (all?) my flights are award tickets. Given the high chance of delay and the fact that no other bank covers award tickets, I religiously put all air expenses on my Chase cards (CSP and Ritz; the latter has medical evacuation).
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
I just finished 2 claims from CSP - 1 trip delay and 1 baggage damage. Both were for the same itin where I paid award tax and fees with CSP. Both were approved.

The situation for the trip delay is about as complicated as it gets:
-I changed the itin multiple times since original booking (common for miles and points addicts, but out of ordinary for them), so the flight claimed isn't in the "original confirmation" from airline.
-On the day of travel, I missed a connection (my fault). I was then rebooked on the next flight, which ended up getting cancelled due to weather. Because it was rebooked at the gate, I never received an email confirmation proving that I was ever on that flight.

It took a while for them to understand the story, but once they got a clearly written explanation from the airline, they approved it. One revelation is that even if you miss your flight at your own fault, as long as the rebooked flight is on the same reservation and it gets delayed, you're covered.

Most (all?) my flights are award tickets. Given the high chance of delay and the fact that no other bank covers award tickets, I religiously put all air expenses on my Chase cards (CSP and Ritz; the latter has medical evacuation).
Can you elaborate on the trip delay aspect- what did they approve above and beyond the compensation from the airline?
 

Katstarr

Level 2 Member
A lot has to do with status. more than once when I had a problem on a flight, and was flying with my boyfriend, they'd give me more compensation than they would give him, just because I was platinum and he didn't have status. Having said that, I noticed they were getting tighter and tighter on compensation....
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
A lot has to do with status. more than once when I had a problem on a flight, and was flying with my boyfriend, they'd give me more compensation than they would give him, just because I was platinum and he didn't have status. Having said that, I noticed they were getting tighter and tighter on compensation....
Data points help - does this mean that I got more than both of you in this case using my British accent, or that they duped me?
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Can you elaborate on the trip delay aspect- what did they approve above and beyond the compensation from the airline?
There was no compensation from airline because it was a weather delay. The CC insurance will not reimburse any expense paid by the airline.
 

Katstarr

Level 2 Member
Data points help - does this mean that I got more than both of you in this case using my British accent, or that they duped me?
British accent AND good looks!

its really apples and oranges. Sometimes there were mechanicals and I got great offers, sometimes they were horrible and DL wouldn't budge. The only time I actually got a hotel stay was in Athens years ago, when the plane went mechanical after we already boarded and were on the runway for hours. And the comp they gave was only $250.
 

Brennan

Level 2 Member
Shot in the dark here...I have 1 way domestic award on DL coming up on Monday that I won't be able to fly. Any tricks to get the miles back or flight changed to another day without paying $150?

No status with DL...I do have AS MVP 75k attached to the reservation, if that makes any difference.
 

Brennan

Level 2 Member
Wow, just called in to Skymiles. Got a medical fee waiver (dog has ear infection) and able to book a new flight in my name any time before April 2016 with no fee.
 

pstravels

Level 2 Member
Had a family emergency a while back (real one) and they did the same thing for me as Brennan.

CSR made the change for me and told me to give her the doctor or hospital info, and I said I can call back later to do so, and that I needed to take care of urgent matters due to the emergency.

They said it was fine. I never had to call back or give them any info.
 

Brennan

Level 2 Member
Yes, very pleasantly surprised by the Delta rep. I was totally transparent about the situation and he came up with the medical fee waiver idea. I was fully expecting to forfeit the 12.5k miles.
 
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