{"id":160132,"date":"2025-03-27T17:48:26","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T17:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/airline\/deltas-punitive-schedule-change-policy-is-built-to-be-ignored-cranky-flier\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T17:48:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T17:48:26","slug":"deltas-punitive-schedule-change-policy-is-built-to-be-ignored-cranky-flier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=160132","title":{"rendered":"Delta\u2019s Punitive Schedule Change Policy is Built to Be Ignored \u2013 Cranky Flier"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019ve long had an unhealthy fascination with airline schedule change policies. I think it\u2019s because they tend to reflect the personality of the airline itself in funny ways. But ever since the Department of Transportation pushed through new rules on refunds,<\/a> Delta\u2019s policy has stood out for being the complete and total opposite of what people think when they fly Delta. It is unfair to the traveler, and I imagine that this will drive up volume to the call center where a sympathetic agent should override it with regularity. This is not the kind of behavior the airline should be trying to incentivize.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

When I talk about different personalities, let me explain. American\u2019s policy<\/a> is completely overwritten. If I print it out, it will use 28 pages of paper. It\u2019s very detailed yet somehow it\u2019s also impressively confusing and frustrating to navigate. <\/p>\n

United\u2019s policy<\/a> starts out simpler. It looks good on the surface and it talks a good game, but then there are all sorts of footnotes and gaps in the policy that make it not quite as good as you\u2019d thought it was at first blush.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Delta. Delta\u2019s old policy was vague and relaxed. Basically, you could do just about anything you wanted within reason. I found that if I had any real question about whether I could do something, then the excellent sales support team would approve it. In general, you knew Delta would just allow the right thing to be done.<\/p>\n

That was the old Delta. The new policy went into place at the end of October 2024. It aligned itself with the DOT\u2019s mandate that airlines had to provide refunds due to disruptions for a variety of reasons. These are:<\/p>\n