Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers have been stranded by Delta flight cancellations, and many have to wait for hours to get assistance from the airline.
Here’s what travelers should be aware of if their Delta flight is canceled.
Your right to a refund
If the airline cancels or significantly delays your flight, you are entitled to a prompt refund if you don’t want to be rebooked on another flight, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed and you don’t want to be rebooked and you instead want a refund, you can go to delta.com/refund to apply for a refund.
Delta also said last week that customers who decided to cancel their trips on Delta-operated flights that were booked for July 19-28 could request a refund — whether or not their flights were canceled or significantly delayed, subject to certain conditions.
Problems getting rebooked
Delta said it is “notifying customers about delays and cancellations in their itinerary via the Fly Delta app and text message, and offering rebooking options that can be managed online.”
But it also acknowledged that its Fly Delta app and Delta’s website have had spotty service, being overwhelmed by the hundreds of thousands of customers trying to get help. That’s making it difficult for customers to get information about their flights or rebooking.
“Delta teams are working to stabilize those tools,” the airline said.
“Also note that our ability to respond to service messages on social media platforms such as X are limited.”
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Compensation for passengers affected
Delta said it will cover “eligible expenses” resulting from the flight disruption. The airline said it is “providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations where available and ground transportation” — but many passengers say they were not offered vouchers or hotels.
Another way for stranded passengers to get compensation for their extra expenses is to file for reimbursement from Delta.
On Wednesday, Delta also said it customers could also apply for reimbursement of costs for alternate transportation.
“We know many customers have incurred unplanned travel expenses, including purchasing tickets on other airlines, rental cars, train tickets and more,” the company said in its update. “Delta will cover reasonable costs for additional categories of expenses incurred during the duration of the travel waiver (which currently applies for flights between July 19 and July 28).
However, Delta said it “does not reimburse prepaid expenses, including but not limited to hotel reservations at the customer’s destination, vacation experiences, lost wages, concerts or other tickets.”
Delta said it is also issuing SkyMiles or a travel voucher, with the amount based on how much the passenger was affected during that time.
During its mass cancellations, Delta also waived certain checked bag fees through July 28 and said it was automatically refunding checked bag fees since July 19 and refunding payments for upgrades or preferred seats for customers who did not get the seats they paid for.
Avoid the mess if you can
Some travel experts have advised travelers to avoid flying Delta while the airline’s operation remains dysfunctional and beleaguered with a backlog of thousands of stranded passengers trying to get home or to their destinations.
Delta encouraged this by issuing a travel waiver allowing people with flights booked for a certain period starting Friday, July 19, to change their travel plans without paying a higher fare, with certain conditions.
The waiver was extended to last through Sunday, July 28 — an indication of the lasting impact of the disruptions.
In a video message to employees last week, Delta CEO Ed Bastian signaled that he expected a full recovery to still take some time.
“It’s going to take another couple of days before we’re in a position to say, ‘The worst is clearly behind us,’” Bastian said. Monday “will be a better day than yesterday, and hopefully Tuesday and Wednesday will be that much better again.”
Federal enforcement authority
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating Delta over the meltdown and its treatment of passengers.
On Tuesday, Buttigieg posted on social media platform X: “While you should first try to resolve issues directly with the airline, we want to hear from passengers who believe that Delta has not complied with USDOT-enforced passenger protection requirements during the recent travel disruptions. We will follow up.”
He directed travelers to the DOT’s online air travel service complaint form.
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