Questions and Answers

Lucky and the Community,

I’m looking for some help with this situation:

I booked a DL Vacations trip from Atlanta to Nice a couple of weeks ago. Last Saturday, I got on DL 412 from JFK-NCE. About an hour into the flight, the 76W was diverted back to JFK due to a mechanical failure. After about 30 minutes on the ground, we were informed that the flight would be cancelled and rescheduled to the next day.

As a swarm formed around the Delta help desk, an agent took my information, gave me a taxi voucher, and told me that she would call me when she had a hotel for me. In the meantime, I called DL, inquired if they could move my hotel and flight back a day so I wouldn’t miss a day in Nice. The agent moved my flight for free, assured me that DL Vacations would move my hotel as well. Perfect.
At about 1am the DL agent said that all the hotels were out and we were on our own. Strangely enough we found a room at the Marriott Laguardia for $300 a night – the same hotel that delta was booking people into but was apparently “full.”

The next day, I called DL Vacations a few hours before my flight to NCE and she again assured me that she would get the hotel booked for us, but to call the next day while in NCE, as the reservation desk for the hotel was closed Sunday.

Fine. I got to NCE the next morning on the rescheduled flight – with a fantastic NYC-based crew- and called Delta Vacations at 11am local when the hotel’s reservation desk opened. This is when their story totally changed. First, the agent told me that since we had “checked in” early (before 3pm) at the hotel we would be charged anyway for the night that we weren’t in Nice, and that we would have to pay $600+ for the extra night.

First, I hadn’t checked into the hotel early. I had spoken with the front desk, who said our room wasn’t ready yet and that we would be able to get our key at 2-3pm. I told her that and she changed her story, saying that the hotel will not pay for the extra night.

I contacted Delta Reservations who gave me Delta Customer Care’s number. I called and for some reason the phone line wouldn’t connect me to a rep. Hmm. So I contacted DL Twitter, which said the same thing as DL Vacations, but adding that I should have bought the trip insurance (really? For a mechanical delay?). So now I’m out 300 for the hotel in NYC (which I’m sure they’ll reimburse) and $600 for the hotel in NCE.

Am I in the wrong here? I would understand their issue adjusting my stay if I misconnected on my fault or a force majuere event – but a mechanical fault on a 20 year old 76W? That’s all in Delta’s control. And saying that I should have gotten trip insurance? Come on now, Delta.

Let me know if I’m wrong here – or if I’m not – how I should proceed.

Thanks guys.