Complaint

Why should the airline discount tickets because someone has an
emergency? That doesn't seem like a very sustainable business
practice to me. Suddenly everyone will have emergencies to get
discounted tickets. The airline know this and this is why they don't
discount.

They did give you a partial discount which seems very generous to me,
they didn't have to do that at all.

I know this sounds harsh but people's personal problems should not
automatically become the problems of the airlines. Discounting
tickets for every person that has a story is labor intensive and I
can't blame the airlines for not wanting to do this. Who would pay
for the increased staff costs that this would require; that would be
higher ticket prices subsidized by all the other customers.

My ticket prices are high enough, I don't want to subsidize changes
that others want to make.

As bad as it is, it's still better than bus or train...

Legally they don't have to offer any sort of a discount.

Who do you think subsidizes your ticket? Customers do! We all have had
some type of event in our lives that demand immediate prescense. You
were given more then enough compensation. Most of the population sucks
it up and says thank god I was able to make it.

Why is it that you expect someone else to pay for your problem?

You were treated amazingly well here.

I think the airline dealt with you more than fairly. What do you
want? Fly for free? When my sister died in Minnesota and we had to
fly there from NY we paid full fare and got a nominal amount off when
we sent them the death certificate. You can thank every lowlife for
the airlines drawing a tough line about compassionate discounts. So
many used the "sick, dying or dead" excuse that they finally drew the
line.

"Because this was an emergency situation and I had to book a ticket
last minute, I think the price of the ticket should have been
lowered."


They lowered both prices for you before you even wrote this letter.
They gave you over 680 OFF. That's over 80% off the original price.


What were they suppose to do, just let you hitch along for free? The
discount wasn't big enough?



And on top of that they gave you 77% off the extension price. But
again ... that wasn't a big enough discount?

You are ONLY paying 1/4 of the TOTAL amount. Delta airlines is
absorbing the remaining 3/4. Why are you not happy with that?

you expected them to charge you nothing. I hate to say, but even at
$169+80, that still beats $857.20+$350.

And as others have said, yes, it was an emergency, but as others here
have pointed out, where do they draw the line at how much they will
bend for a customer?

A nearly 75% reduction in fare seems pretty generous to me!

First off, while I am sorry to hear about your mother, your emergency
is just that, your's. Where do they draw the line at what constitutes
an emergency? And where do they draw the line in regards to how many
times or why a flight needs to be changed? My father fell and broke
his hip while alone in Florida. That was an emergency to us, but it
isn't the airline's place to make a call regarding the severity of the
"emergency" We didn't know how long we would need to be there, so we
booked a one way flight. We never asked for a discount due to the
situation, and it would never occur to me to do so.

You also must remember the airline has no control over taxes and fees.
They must be paid regardless of the discount given. Taxes and fees are
what makes up the bulk of the ticket fare. I can find a flight to
London leaving tomorrow - the base fare is $80 but the taxes are $620.
Even if the airline chose to waive their charge for the ticket - I
would still have to pay $620 - fuel surcharge, airport management tax,
airport improvement fees, airspace charges etc etc etc.

Tracy L

If Delta Airlines gave you a discounted ticket for your emergency,
then they would have to give everyone who had to book airfare for an
emergency a discounted ticket.

Delta Airlines, as well as any other airline, just cannot afford to do
that.

Any airline still has to make money to stay in business no matter what
the circumstances are of the customers booking airfare.

First, I hope for a speedy recovery for your mother. I understand that
you feel like you should be given special consideration because of
your family emergency but stop and think how many of these occur
everyday. The airlines are in business to make money, they are not
charities. Consider yourself thankful that you were given any
consideration at all.

The difference between $857.20 and $169.50 is $687.70. You were
offered a HUGE savings. How was that not a good deal for you?

Tracy L

My boyfriend has friends who work in the airline industry,& he told me
what his friends told him... Regarding emergency situations, $169.50
IS the lowest price an airline can give a customer WITHOUT losing any
money regardless of the circumstances & regardless of how the customer
feels about the lowered price.

I would be grateful they lowered the price of the extention not once
but TWICE. They didn't even have to do that in my opinion.

I completely disagree. Your circumstances should not get you a cheaper
ticket than anyone else is getting on the same day.

Tracy L

Did you call Delta Airlines to book your flight or did you go through
their webiste?

Because this was an emergency situation and I had to book a ticket
last minute, I think the price of the ticket should have been
lowered...

If you called Delta Airlines to book your flight, did you explain to
the booking agent that you were booking a flight for an emergency
situation as well as the fact that you needed to extend your ticket
because your mom was in the hospital having emergency brain surgery?

Did you ask the booking agent if there were any available deals
applicable to your situation?