Delta put me on standby?

[bumbershoot]

Were you bumped out of first, or were your seats changed? Was there an equipment change?
What did Delta say when you called? (If you gave them a call.)

They moved us around inside of 1st. They found no indication of an equipment change. I think that someone with more status wanted a seat one of us had booked

Ultimately the seating still worked so I didn't ask for anything to change but it was seriously annoying to me (dh and DS didn't care). I put thought into seating choice!

Even in the "check in now" email it showed the original seats, so the hour delay was important in my case.


That flight was full. If we had had an extra day to play with we would have let one of us get bumped bc they were offering $700 (and hotel and a flight the next day) for volunteering. Alas we had a cruise the next day and it was impossible.

 

[DebbieB]

I've had Delta change my seat as I boarded the plane, that annoying slip popped out. One time I was moved back about 5 rows. When I passed my original seat there was an elderly couple sitting there. So likely they wanted to sit together and they saw me as a single flyer and bumped me back. Really not a problem but annoying that you select a seat and then get bumped out last minute. Another time I was in row 2 of coach, the slip popped out and I was moved to the first row of coach (bulkhead). I hate the bulkhead row. I just wish they would call you up and explain rather than have that slip pop out when boarding.

 

[KrazeeK120]

My parents had their seat assignment changed on a flight yesterday with American. It was one of those small planes with 18 rows and no first class. They were supposed to be in the first row and got changed to row 17. They were the last on to the plane...they almost missed the flight because their connection in had been significantly delayed. When they got on, no one was in their seats. They asked the flight attendant about it, and she said they'd been changed for better weight distribution. There was no one in the last 3 rows, so I guess they needed to pull someone out of the front to put there. It was a very short flight, so no big deal, but there are a variety of reasons assigned seats may be changed.

 

[karly05]

You guys are making me nervous. I'm flying Delta for the first time in a couple of weeks. Moving won't be the end of the world - unless they put me in the bulkhead row. I hate the thought of not having access to my purse.

KrazeeK120, sounds like they were on American Eagle ( AA's commuter-jets version) - AmEagle is exactly why I'm flying Delta this year.

 

[Plaid Princess]

I work for an airline, so just a few insights here:

Did it actually say "standby?" You can have a confirmed ticket without having a seat assignment. They hold back anywhere from5 to 20 seats on every plane for assignment at the airport.

I don't work for Delta, but most airlines do lock a set number of seats so that only the agent controlling the flight can assign them (reservations, etc cannot assign them). The boarding pass will say "standby" because that's the way the system sees it, but it doesn't mean that the flight is oversold, just that we have to manually assign you a seat. It gives us some wiggle room to deal with any special issues... kids separated from parents, mobility issues, etc. Dunno if this is the same situation, but it sounds like it from what you describe.

If they actually are overbooked, they have to make lots of offers before they can leave without you. If you hold a confirmed ticket and are involuntarily denied boarding, they have to pay you cash money and put you on the next available flight in whatever seat is available, even if it's first class.

Correct, if you have a "confirmed" seat on a flight, the airline has to pay out big bucks if they deny you a seat, so they will typically try to get volunteers to cover the number of oversold seats. I don't have much personal experience with this, because my airline doesn't oversell, so I only deal with this in an equipment change situation, but it's typically much cheaper to offer a big credit to a volunteer than pay out a denied boarding claim.

She said to check back in 20 minutes and she would be able to start the standby seat assignments (for whatever reason).

She was likely waiting for check-in cutoff. Once the window for check-in has passed, anyone who missed their check in is out of luck, and their seats open up. It just gives the opportunity for better seat options.

They moved us around inside of 1st. They found no indication of an equipment change. I think that someone with more status wanted a seat one of us had booked.

I would guess that you were joined by air marshals.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

A couple of things

1. The gate agent is working off a list. It's driven by a computer. Standing at the desk crying, screaming or pestering won't help. But it could hurt. If you really act out they might just skip you. I have friends who work for AA trust me it happens. (They just note you didn't respond to page)

2. This is a risk on any airline. Airlines oversell, it snows in Boston on April 3rd, a plane breaks etc....

3. They do rearrange on smaller planes for weight.

4. One of the risks of a front row or two is you can get bumped for medical need or Air Marshals. You won't ever know.

 

[Plaid Princess]

A couple of things

1. The gate agent is working off a list. It's driven by a computer. Standing at the desk crying, screaming or pestering won't help. But it could hurt. If you really act out they might just skip you. I have friends who work for AA trust me it happens. (They just note you didn't respond to page)

2. This is a risk on any airline. Airlines oversell, it snows in Boston on April 3rd, a plane breaks etc....

3. They do rearrange on smaller planes for weight.

4. One of the risks of a front row or two is you can get bumped for medical need or Air Marshals. You won't ever know.

Yes to all of this. We definitely work off a list that is populated based on on check in time and a few other factors. Seats aren't assigned randomly.