What is Delta doing to help its stranded passengers?
As Delta enters the second day of widespread flight cancellations and delays globally, the company is taking measures to make things right with consumers by offering some compensation for thousands of flight delays and cancellations.
Though the company got its computer systems running a few hours after what the airline said was a massive power outage at its Atlanta headquarters on Monday, the disruption spilled over into Tuesday, with the airline聽canceling聽 so far this morning.
These come after about 1,000 flights were canceled on Monday and nearly 3,000 were delayed, stranding frustrated passengers at airports around the world.
鈥淲hen you like the little kids who are stuck overnight at the airport but you're an adult,鈥� a user under the name Miriam Palmer lamented on Twitter.
Making things worse for some passengers Tuesday morning, Delta鈥檚 flight-status updates weren鈥檛 working, as the Associated Press reports. Many passengers only learned about the delays and cancellations when they arrived at the airport.
鈥淏y the time I showed up at the gate the , and it was really difficult to get anybody to speak to me or get any information,鈥� Ashley Roache, whose flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to New York鈥檚 LaGuardia Airport was delayed, told AP. 鈥淭he company could have done a better job of explaining 鈥� what was happening.鈥�
Delta is offering compensation to passengers affected by the outages. Some of what customers are entitled to is not apparent from looking at . Here鈥檚 what passengers should know about their rights:
- 聽While Delta is not required by law to compensate passengers for delays or cancellations, its contract with customers entitles passengers to , according to Traveler鈥檚 United, a consumer advocacy. However, for passengers completing the second leg of their trip (flying home from vacation, for example), 鈥渢hat鈥檚 where things get sticky,鈥� says Charles Leocha, founder of the advocacy organization. In that case, Delta will have to figure out the value of the return ticket only.
- For passengers flying from European Union countries to the United States whose flights were delayed for more than 4 hours or canceled, the that the airline provide 600 euros, or about $660, and get passengers back home. Fewer hours of delay get less in compensation.
Those are the only two reimbursements Delta is legally accountable for. Here鈥檚 what the airline is offering on top of those requirements:
- 聽$200 in vouchers to people whose flights were canceled or delayed at least three hours. Customers who gave their email addresses to Delta will , says the airline. Others should .
- 聽A waive of its fee to change or cancel a flight to passengers on certain routes: $200 for domestic flights and up to $500 for international flights.
- 聽Travelers wanting to rebook Monday鈥檚 or Tuesday鈥檚 canceled flights must do so before Friday, Aug. 12 to avoid penalties. The new trip has to , says Delta. If people need to travel after Friday, they have to pay the difference between the cost of their original ticket and the new fare.
For some, Delta isn't going far enough to remedy the problem. 鈥淭he airline is forcing consumers to dance to Delta鈥檚 tune instead of making passengers whole,鈥� says Mr. Leocha, who criticizes the tight constraints Delta is placing on passengers for booking and changing flights.聽
As the AP points out, Delta is not the first to suffer recent, major computer glitches. Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over four days last month after a computer outage it said resulted from a faulty network router.
United Airlines stranded thousands of passengers after a failed attempt to merge its technology systems with Continental Airlines's during their 2010 merger. And, British Airways's attempt to update its technology has grown lines at some airports, reports the AP.
