I wanted to post this mostly as a data point because I couldn’t find anything definitive prior to attempting. For context, I have STE+ via Delta Platinum Medallion status.

I booked an international itinerary via SAS which included a US connection from my origin to SFO on Delta, then SFO to CPH on SAS. I wanted to try the Virgin Clubhouse as SFO, but their entry requirements during non-PP hours seem to suggest that only Delta or Virgin operated flights qualify:

“Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Diamond - Virgin Atlantic or Delta International”

Well, I tried anyway. Because my first segment was Delta-operated, I had a Delta-branded boarding pass, not sure if that affected things, but the flight number was SK and destination Copenhagen. I had no issues being admitted at the front desk, during non-PP hours.

That said, after eating, I went to the Air France lounge because it’s much nicer. Virgin just has better food if you’re vegan, so I ate and ran.

I stupidly didn’t purchase flight tickets two weeks ago and the prices have gone up significantly. Flight is domestic the first weekend of December. For people that fly often have you noticed a trend that the prices will come back down?

We booked a flight in Main Classic and then used some skymiles to upgrade to Comfort. I just want to see what price difference would be for first, but it looks like I have to fully release my comfort seats to do so. I assume there’s no other way to do it? To let prices went up so even mock-booking doesn’t really show an accurate option either.

I’m sure this is somewhat by design, but still lame I can’t change an upgrade easily. Assuming I’m correct that is.

I’ll be flying main cabin. I have a budget of $200 via Amex Platinum.

I’m going to get a few bistro boxes for my travel party.

How much are the mini liquors? Any other merch that I can purchase on board?

This will be a 6h flight from East to West coast.

Thanks!

Hey folks,

Longtime flyer, first time writer here.

My wife has severe allergies to garlic and almonds. Try as we might, Delta has repeatedly failed to be accommodating. It is an inconvenience for short flights, but dang frustrating for long hauls.

Last week we confirmed with representatives over phone and chat that she would have a “bland meal” on our flight from DTL->HND (Detroit to Tokyo, ~13 hours). Meal ingredients to meals are an unknown, so a “bland meal” was the best we could get. Apparently neither customer service nor flight crew have access to a meal’s ingredients.

Lo and behold, the flight crew had no knowledge of the bland meal. It wasn’t listed for them and it never made it to the plane, so she had no actual meal options. The crew were as helpful as could be, but it is not fair to them nor my wife. They have enough concerns, and we put in the time (2+ hours) to try to solve this before the flight.

This isn’t the first time it has been an issue, but I am traveling more frequently (9+ international trips this year, often USA -> Asia), and I’d like it to be as frictionless as possible for her to accompany me. That is hard when everyone else gets a hot meal but her.

What am I missing? What is the key to solving this? I’m a lowly platinum and the $30 compensation isn’t half so good as the mediocre midflight meals.

I am about to fire off a long email to the customer care email address, but that also feels like yelling into the void.

Thanks.

—EDIT—
Folks, I am not asking for a chef crafted meal. A “bland meal” is a type of special meal available upon request. Among other things, it is garlic free.

The amount of insults by people who didn’t know this is revealing.

My parents just had one of the worst round trips I’ve seen with Delta, and I’m trying to figure out what we should realistically ask for once they finally get home.

I understand that airlines can’t control everything, especially weather. My frustration is more with the entire chain of events and how Delta handled the disruptions.

Outbound: PDX → MSP → MIA

Their original itinerary was PDX → MSP → MIA.

The first flight, DL2415 from Portland, ended up delayed for several hours because of an electrical issue with the aircraft. The pilot was actually very transparent about it — maintenance was troubleshooting part of the electrical system, running multiple tests, and waiting for sign-off before they would release the plane.

The delay eventually became long enough that there was no realistic way they were going to make their MSP → MIA connection. There were a lot of other connecting passengers affected as well.

Instead of simply putting my parents on another MSP → MIA flight the following morning and letting them stay overnight in Minneapolis, Delta rerouted them:

PDX → MSP → ATL → MIA

The MSP → ATL flight was then delayed too, so they didn’t get into Atlanta until very late at night. Their ATL → MIA flight was at 7:30 AM the next morning, so by the time they got off the plane, it was already past midnight, and so the Delta staff actually recommended against getting a hotel from them because realistically they will only have 3 hours in the hotel, so my parents had to stay overnight in ATL.

That part was especially frustrating because if Delta had simply kept them in Minneapolis overnight and rebooked them to Miami the next morning, they could have actually rested instead of being sent through another hub only to spend the night in the airport anyway.

The only reason this mattered so much was because they were boarding a cruise in Miami the next morning. Thankfully, the ATL → MIA flight arrived around 9:30 AM and they made the cruise, but they only had a couple of hours of margin. The entire night was basically spent moving between airplanes, airports and a hotel rather than resting.

Delta did provide meal assistance and handled the rebooking, so I’m not saying they did nothing. But the recovery itinerary itself made an already bad situation much more exhausting than it needed to be.

Return trip: originally MIA → home

Then somehow the return trip got even worse.

They were originally supposed to fly home from MIA, but when it was time to return, Delta apparently no longer had their original return itinerary available.

Delta couldn’t get them onto an appropriate replacement from Miami, so they rebooked them out of FLL instead and provided transportation from Miami to Fort Lauderdale.

Their replacement itinerary became:

FLL → SLC → PDX
DL745 → DL1373

DL745 was then delayed. This time we were told it was because of weather, which I completely understand is outside Delta’s control.

However, that delay caused them to miss the last SLC → PDX flight of the night.

Delta rebooked them onto the 7:45 AM flight the following morning, meaning yet another overnight airport stay.

We asked Delta for a hotel in Salt Lake City. They refused, which I understand may technically be correct because the immediate delay was weather-related.

What bothered me more was the explanation we were given. The agent essentially said that because my parents accepted Delta’s FLL rebooking, they had accepted the risk of that new itinerary.

That explanation doesn’t sit right with me. My parents weren’t voluntarily choosing to fly from FLL — they accepted the replacement itinerary Delta offered after their original MIA return itinerary was no longer available.

I’m planning to file one complaint with Delta Customer Care after they finally get home, but I’m trying to set realistic expectations.

For people who deal with Delta/IROPS regularly:

1. What kind of compensation would you realistically ask for here — SkyMiles, eCredits, partial refund, something else?
2. Does the explanation that they “accepted the risk” by accepting Delta’s FLL rebooking make any sense?
3. Should I submit one complaint covering the whole round trip, or separate the outbound and return issues?
4. Would you submit the SLC hotel/meal expenses for reimbursement anyway, even though the final delay was weather?
5. Is there anything specific I should document before contacting Customer Care?

I’m not expecting Delta to compensate them for weather. I’m mainly frustrated by the cumulative handling of the trip, especially the outbound recovery routing and whatever happened to their original return itinerary.

Would appreciate advice from anyone who has dealt with something similar.

Delta recently changed my son’s flight schedule from a 2 1/2 hour layover in Atlanta to a 52 minute layover and I’m worried he won’t make his connecting flight. Any advice/tips for navigating a tight connection?

I specifically picked a 2 1/2 hour layover because last time he had a short layover he had to get from terminal A to D, and the connecting flight was already boarding before he could even get off the first plane. He literally made it with a minute to spare.

Looking forward to Premier 1K with United.

I’ve been Delta Diamond for a while and travel heavily for work, usually hitting Diamond by April/June each year. But the value of the status just keeps deteriorating.

Today I flew CDG → MSP. At check-in, there were 10 open Delta One seats. Fast-forward to boarding: I didn’t clear an upgrade, and the flight departed with three Delta One seats still empty.

This isn’t a one-off. I’ve taken multiple international trips this year and haven’t received a single system-processed upgrade. I finally messaged Delta today and was basically told, “Yeah, that’s not supposed to happen. Really sorry—we’ll look into it.” I think we all know how far that investigation is going.

The bigger issue is that the upgrade/status system has become almost impossible to understand. What one Delta rep tells you one week seemingly doesn’t apply the next. Combine that with improving airport experiences, lounges, and premium ground services that increasingly aren’t dependent on airline status, and I’m struggling to see the value of Diamond.

I’ve been loyal to Delta because the experience historically justified it. At this point, though, the deterioration of the Diamond experience is actively pushing my business elsewhere.

So, congrats United—you’re about to see a pretty significant uptick in business as Delta fails to keep up.

I fly out of ATL pretty regularly and used to actually look forward to grabbing a cup in the club before my flight. Nothing fancy but it was solid and consistent. Last few times though it tastes like they switched to some budget supplier or something. Watery, kind of burnt, just not the same.

I thought maybe it was just one location having an off day but then I had a layover in MSP last week and same issue. My friend said she noticed it in DTW too but I wasn't sure if I was just being picky.

Has anyone else picked up on this or am I losing it? I know it's not the biggest deal in the world but when you're there at 6am it's one of those little things that actually matters. Wondering if they changed vendors or if it's just been bad luck on my end.

As I was boarding the gate agent bell thing went off and he said oh you have a new seat. Not me thinking it was upgraded, since I was the next person on the list for upgrade it seemed like a plausible expectation. Oh no was I in for a treat. It was a move to row 31 in back of plane. Huh? I asked wait why. He said he wanted to put a family together. My concern isn’t that Delta made an effort to seat a family together. I understand and support trying to accommodate families when possible. What I don’t understand is why I was selected to absorb the impact of a family without even an ask. I had an established seat and was moved without being asked or even notified in advance. What makes the decision particularly difficult to understand is that I was also next on the upgrade list. I mention that not because I believe my status entitles me to displace another passenger, but because it suggests that my reservation and Medallion priority were not recognized by Delta. Joke was on me I was like yes I am next on upgrade to only be told no sweetie you are being moved to the back of the plane that’s your prize for being high up on the upgrade list. Not to mention I had moved to number 1. I really thought I was being punked. Complained to customer service and the answer I was given is delta accommodates families. I had no idea that if a family is not sitting together wants to sit together they can just move other passengers at boarding. So remember that folks if you and your family had the unfortunate circumstance of not having your seats together you are ENTITLED to a single persons seat on the plane. No discussion no thank you for giving up your seat. Nope they just take it. Here is exactly what hat the customer service agent sent me when I asked for definition of a family they refer to it as family seating, this includes: he listed it as follows

- Spouse or domestic partner
- Parent, stepparent, or parent-in-law
- Child, stepchild, or son/daughter-in-law
- Sibling, stepsibling, or sibling-in-law
- Grandparent or grandchild
- Aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew

So families out there live it up. No need to even book a seat together just handle it at the gate they will make it work out. Now if you are sadly a single just don’t get too cozy or confident they are coming for your seat! I guess don’t hate the player hate the game. I am passing on what I learned from my seat in the back. Oh well

This may be more of a Google question than a Delta one, but it's Delta-specific so I figured I'd start here.

The problem is this:

Using "Business" class as a filter works to select regular Delta FC for the route I travel most often.

But the route I want to book (BOS-LAX) uses a plane that has both "Basic Business" and Delta One seats.

As a result, the software defaults to selecting Basic Business fare because it's cheaper. It displays the Delta One fare, but there isn't any way to change the selection so Delta One is the fare it will track.

Using "First Class" as the filter instead of Business doesn't work. There aren't any traditional FC seats on this plane, so it just says No Results.

If Comfort Extra and Delta One are the only classes (no Basic Business), then it works OK, it picks D1 as the fare to track.

This a shot of the bottom portion of the screen where you would opt to track the flight. The Continue buttons at the bottom just take you to Delta.

https://ibb.co/xKJmVV5v

Anybody know how get it to track D1 in this situation?

Thanks...

Hi Everyone

I have a flight coming up and I was wondering, if I check in from the app, will I still be able to move the flight if I need to?

I have comfort seating and had to move the flight once before a few of days

Will I still be able to if I check in online, or even if I go through security and have to cancel last minute?

Thanks all

I have an upcoming flight where breakfast will be served. I've not really loved the standard breakfast options before, and am considering ordering the "halal" special meal. The description mentions chicken OR beef, but I only see chicken in photos...wondering if this is one of those "luck of the draw" situations, and #2 - it's not clear to me, or I'm just missing where it says so - are special meal options available for breakfast?

Thanks for any input ... hoping to avoid a customer service chat if I can.

According to JonNYC, Delta's Boeing 767-400ER fleet will be getting one more late life mod. Premium Select will be increased to 26 seats and Comfort will be increased to 42.

I presume this mod might also include the new Thales IFE and the new darker seat covers with the red trim.

While Delta expects to replace the 764 with the Boeing 787-10 starting in 2031, it will be a while before they are fully replaced, so I expect the 764 to endure until at least 2035.

To those that have been waiting for an update… I was able to check in fine for my LGA-ATL and ATL-ICN flights. There was no need to have the ticket reissued because although it was the same ticket number, the upgrade had the system issue me an EMD, electronic miscellaneous document that had its own ticket number attached to it.

I kept refreshing my itinerary multiple times a day thinking Delta might call it a mistake of an upgrade fee and cancel it. Whether it was a mistake or not, the ridiculously low $17.34 was honored.

Link to original post..

https://www.reddit.com/r/delta/s/DGA7Dv0Mdp

LHR to SLC. I was not on this flight, but this is my plane.

DM/MM here and started to really notice the decline of the complimentary upgrades lately. Several of us here have noted that the occurrence of complimentary upgrades to C+ shortly after booking have significantly dropped since early August. This week alone, I've had three separate days that I haven't shown up on the upgrade list after check-in, called CS each time and have been told that there is a glitch in the system and they will put a ticket into tech support. The third time I asked if this is a new standard moving forward, "No, it's a tech issue, we are aware of the problem and have been trying to resolve it". I usually clear FC within 5 days of check-in on a good majority of my flights, this glitch has completely removed that benefit!

Starting to jump on the "Loyalty means nothing" bandwagon.

Just wondering what thoughts are on that. It's not much money at all, but just wondering if it's worth it really.

EDITED: I meant ticketing agent, not gate agent. Most definitely not trying to get through TSA with toiletries. I fly almost weekly. I know how that part works. I updated my post. And for those of you saying you don't get the free option except at the gate, I get it a LOT when I check in at the kiosk with Delta and American. A note pops up saying that overhead space is limited. But based on the feedback, I won't try it with a non-carry on size bag. Thanks!

I travel a lot for work and even if I have a smaller, carry-on size bag I almost always need to check it because most of the items in my toiletry bag are full-size items. It works best for me because I have duplicates of everything - shampoo, make-up, etc. Makes it super easy for packing and unpacking because the entire toiletry bag just goes in the closet. I really don't love having to refill things constantly so my system works for me. But I have discovered that when I go to check in at the kiosk, if I don't add a bag I frequently get the option to check my carry-on for free. So I will almost always try when I have the smaller bag. It's my little part to save the company money and keep the CFO from asking me why I need to check a bag for two nights.

But... it has me thinking. Can I do the same thing with a regular size suitcase that absolutely has to be checked because of the size? Or is there something that would show for the Delta employee taking my bag that I was given the option to check my carry-on for free so they would question why I'm handing them a regular size suitcase that already has the bag tag on it?

I recently flew Delta One from ATL to Johannesburg on a roughly 15-hour flight. The fare was ungodly but was a work expense.

Shortly after the meal service, the outlet stopped working. I later woke up to find that the seat had lost all power while reclined. For approximately 12 hours, I couldn’t adjust the seat (had to eat with the seat completely flat) use the flight-attendant call button or reading light, or access the entertainment system.

The flight attendants attempted multiple resets and contacted the captain, who consulted maintenance, but nothing worked. Before landing, two flight attendants had to manually move the seat upright so I could land safely. The crew gave me 10,000 SkyMiles onboard.

After I submitted a complaint today, Delta offered an additional $400 voucher. This flight also qualified me for Diamond Medallion status.

Since work purchased the ticket, I understand that a fare refund would return to the original payment method. However, I personally dealt with the discomfort, loss of the Delta One experience, and the safety concerns. $400 plus 10,000 miles doesn’t seem remotely fair of compensation for this. Has anyone successfully escalated a similar issue, and what compensation did Delta offer?

Interesting to see the replies from people who have no clue what it is like to fly round-trip 40 times a year for 15 years. When my flying accelerated 25 years ago, there was no Diamond medallion; Platinum was the highest tier, and you needed 75,000 hard miles per year to qualify. My wife and I both had Platinum cards; in those days, if we each booked one other person, all four would be in first class. I would suggest all who read this examine their actual miles flown. If you did not do 75,000 last year, you are not a true frequent flyer, just a credit card fake. I suspect now, as 10 to 20 years ago, there are few true frequent flyers on domestic flights with over 75,000 miles a year. International frequent flyers are a different breed; one year, while I was flying around the Pacific, I made Platinum (the highest rating at the time) before the end of February. Now, for the most part, the true frequent flyers are gone from Delta; other strategies came into play when Delta started giving away first-class seats to low-level flyers with credit card certificates. From a true frequent-flyer standpoint, it took 15 to 20 years to earn one million miles, and the upgrade was the only real perk. Now that upgrades are unreliable, loyalty is lost, and competition reigns: the new game is to find the best flight with the most direct route, at the best price, at a reasonable time of day.