Delta Customer Commitment
In response to the tremendous growth of air travel and the demanding need
for excellence in customer service, Delta has joined other U.S. airlines
and the Air Transport Association (ATA) in an effort to provide passengers
with a clear understanding of our industry's commitment to meet essential
performance objectives.
We have outlined our responsibilities and how we will fulfill them below
in 12-key points. We intend to ensure that your air travel experience will
encompass, to the best of our abilities, the most comprehensive customer
service possible. To emphasize the importance of meeting these essential
performance objectives, Delta officially adopted the Customer Commitment
as part of its Contract
of Carriage.
Note: Delta Customer Commitment applies to domestic travel
only.
Before You Fly
1. We will offer on our telephone reservation system, airport
ticket counters, and city ticket offices the lowest published fare for which
you are eligible for the date, flight, and class of service requested.
- Our representatives will identify money-saving alternative itineraries
if your travel schedule is flexible.
- A recording on our telephone reservation line will alert you
that lower fares may be available on delta.com.
- Our representatives will provide, upon request, on-time performance
information for any Delta or Delta Connection flight during the
reservation process.
2. We will give you time to compare our fares with those of other
airlines.
- You may cancel and refund your ticket in full until midnight,
one day after the reservation is made. For example, a ticket purchased
anytime on Monday can be cancelled and refunded until midnight
on Tuesday. If the reservation is made on the date of travel, you
may cancel and refund your paid ticket in full until midnight that
day.
- Once the cancellation period for the ticket has expired, your
travel plans will be considered firm.
3. We will issue refunds for eligible domestic tickets within
seven business days for credit card purchases and 20 business days for purchases
made by cash or check.
For refund assistance:
- Go to Applying
for a Refund for online refund information.
- Requests for refunds may be submitted to any Delta ticketing
location or your travel agent.
- Refunds for electronic tickets may be requested by calling Reservations
Sales at 800-221-1212.
- Call 800-847-0578 if you need additional assistance with a refund.
4. We will inform you, upon your request, if the flight on which
you are ticketed is overbooked. We also will provide information at airports
about our policies and procedures for handling situations when all ticketed
customers cannot be accommodated on a flight.
Our policies and procedures include:
- Notifying you of required check-in times through our reservations
phone line and at Traveling & Check-in.
- Letting you know, upon your request, if your flight is overbooked
through Reservations Sales or our airport customer service representatives.
- Offering a transportation credit if you voluntarily give up
your seat. These transportation credits can be used toward the
purchase of another Delta ticket to the destination of your choice.
- Providing notice explaining our obligations and the compensation
you will receive if you are involuntarily
denied boarding.
- Rebooking you on the first available Delta flight to your ticketed
destination if you are involuntarily denied boarding. (If a Delta
flight is not available, we will strive to provide comparable accommodations
on another airline that we have a ticketing agreement with.)
- Providing meal allowances and hotel accommodations at Delta-contracted
facilities, if you are away from your home or at your destination
and are involuntarily bumped from a flight and we are unable to
accommodate you on an alternative flight on the same travel day.
If hotel accommodations are unavailable, we will compensate you
with a voucher commensurate in value with the contracted hotel
rate.
5. We will provide you with timely and complete information about
policies and procedures that affect your travel, including:
- Changing aircraft on a flight that has a single flight number.
- We will inform you of this change before you book your
reservation on the telephone or online, and in writing
with your ticket receipt.
- Canceling the remainder of your itinerary, if you cannot fly
each segment of your trip.
- We will provide information on our cancellation policies
at Ticket
Changes and Refunds, and through our reservation and
airport agents.
- Providing frequent flyer details.
- We will make all important rules, restrictions, and
redemption information available at Membership
Guide & Program Rules, in our Securities and Exchange
Commission 10K report, in our SkyMiles membership guide
and program rules booklet, and in the information kits
provided to new SkyMiles members.
- Providing aircraft configuration, including seat size and pitch.
- We will provide aircraft configuration and seat width
and pitch ranges at Aircraft
Types and Layout, and through our reservation and airport
agents.
6. We will ensure our Delta Connection partners commit to providing
comparable consumer plans and policies. Our partners are regional
airlines that connect small and medium-sized markets with Delta's
network. We will
provide service differences due to aircraft configuration or
operational infrastructure at
Flight
Partners.
At the Airport
7. We will provide you with information about our policies and
procedures for accommodating disabled and special needs customers, and unaccompanied
minors.
Disabled and Special Needs Customers
We currently offer:
- Transportation to and from gates either by wheelchair or, in
several locations, electric cart.
- Boarding assistance.
- Assistance with vision, hearing, or mobility difficulties while
in the airport and on the plane.
- Accommodation for certain medical requirements, such as onboard
oxygen service or dietary needs, with proper notice by calling
800-221-1212. Additional information may be found at Services
for Travelers with Disabilities.
Note: Supplemental oxygen is not available on Delta Shuttle® or
Delta Connection® flights.
In ensuring the high quality of these services, we have:
- Designated in each airport an employee who is responsible for
ensuring disabilities policies and procedures are properly implemented.
- Enhanced our disabilities training program for employees and
expanded it to include contract personnel.
- Updated our reference materials so that all customer contact
employees and contract personnel are familiar with our policies
and procedures.
Children Traveling Alone
- We provide detailed information to parents with children
between the ages of 5 and 14 who will be traveling alone, including
the child's itinerary and our policies and procedures, at Children
Traveling Alone or by calling 800-221-1212.
- Our policies ensure the safety and well being of children traveling
alone including:
- Taking good care of your child during his or her flight
and not releasing a minor traveling alone to anyone other
than the person you have designated.
- Providing unaccompanied passenger service for children
ages 5 to 14. We are also happy to provide this service
to children ages 15 through 17 traveling alone. (Fees apply
for unaccompanied minor service.)
8. We will provide full and timely information on the status
of delayed and canceled flights including:
- Providing, through our gate agents and flight crews, consistent
timely updates on the status and causes of delayed flights.
- Providing real-time flight status information by calling, 800-325-1999,
or checking Flight
Status & Updates.
- Posting historical flight on-time performance information at Flight
Schedules.
- Providing meal allowances and hotel accommodations at Delta
contracted facilities, based on availability, if you are inconvenienced
overnight while away from your home or destination due to a delay
or cancellation within Delta's control. If accommodations are unavailable,
we will compensate you with a transportation credit commensurate
in value with the contracted hotel rate.
- Contacting you about cancellations when the event is known at
least two hours before departure, averting a frustrating trip to
the airport.
- Installing new flight monitoring technology that will improve
our capability to track delays and help us relay more complete
information.
- Identifying and resolving issues within Delta’s control
that lead to chronically delayed flights or modifying scheduled
block times for each such flight, subject to external conditions,
in an effort to ensure each flight operates consistently with its
schedule.
On-board Delays
9. We will provide full and timely information regarding the status of
a flight if there is an extreme delay after you have boarded or after the
plane has landed, and we will provide for your essential needs such as
food, water, restroom facilities, and access to medical treatment while
on board.
We have a comprehensive plan designed to forecast and adjust to operational
challenges and minimize lengthy delays while passengers are on board the
aircraft. The Operations Control Center (OCC) at our headquarters is responsible
for the daily execution of this plan, while keeping in mind the safety
and well being of our customers and employees.
- Each morning the OCC evaluates the potential for any situation
that may impact our customers, and coordinates with all appropriate
areas to ensure facilities, staffing, and aircraft are available
to support the operation.
- Continuous monitoring of flight operations occurs throughout
the day and adjustments to the number of flights scheduled to operate
will be made if circumstances exist that may create unsafe operating
conditions or excessive on-board delays at a particular location.
- In the event of on-board delays, the OCC will coordinate closely
with flight crews on board the aircraft, local station management,
and airport operations personnel to make decisions for the well
being of all customers.
- The plan establishes set timeframes to elevate any flight experiencing
lengthy on-board ground delays to senior operational leaders in
order to seek expedited resolution – one hour for arriving
flights and two hours for departing flights.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances and challenging operational situations,
extensive ground delays can still occur. If an on-board ground delay is
more than one hour for an arriving flight or two hours for a departing
flight, we will:
- Make timely announcements regarding the flight status on a consistent
basis.
- Allow customers to use cell phones and laptop computers and
move freely about the cabin, in accordance with safety and federal
guidelines.
- Provide snacks and beverages to customers when reasonable and
safe to do so.
- Offer free headsets and activate In-Flight Entertainment (IFE)
systems (on aircraft equipped with an IFE system).
- Make every reasonable effort to ensure the aircraft is properly
serviced and appropriately provisioned based on factors such as
aircraft type and trip length.
- Monitor on-board cabin conditions and notify Delta operational
officials to accelerate actions when necessary.
Every Delta station has developed clear and consistent procedures
to ensure safety and limit inconvenience during extensive on-board delays.
This includes gate and ramp sharing with other airlines and making essential
services available inside the airport. When necessary and operationally safe
to do so, we will deplane customers remotely via stairs and guide them to
the terminal. Also, we will review incidents of lengthy on-board delays to
identify trends and causes and implement solutions to mitigate future similar
events.
After Landing
10. We will strive to return your misplaced baggage within 24
hours, and we will attempt to contact owners of unclaimed baggage when a
name and address or telephone number is available.
Notify a Delta employee at the airport if you cannot locate your baggage.
To check on the progress of your bag search, call 800-325-8224 or go to Delayed,
Damaged, or Lost Baggage.
- We use scanning technology to identify the location of all unclaimed
baggage which assists us in quickly reuniting you with your property.
- Bags unclaimed after five days are sent to our headquarters
in Atlanta, where continued efforts are made to locate bag owners.
11. We support the per passenger domestic baggage liability limitation
of $3,000. Periodic adjustments for inflation will be made.
12. We will respond to written customer complaints within 60 days per
the standard adopted by ATA member airlines.
We have a dedicated, trained Customer Care staff to answer your inquiries.
Express your travel comments by:
- Emailing us.
- Calling us at 800-221-1212 or your usual SkyMiles Member Services
number.
- Mailing them to Delta Air Lines, P.O. Box 20980, Atlanta, GA
30320-2980.