Delta Airlines investigation: Here's what to do if you have a flight booked

What should you do if you’re scheduled to travel on Delta Airlines in the coming days? 

The Department of Transportation announced today it is investigating how Delta Airlines is treating passengers affected by canceled and delayed flights as the airline struggles to recover from last week’s global Crowdstrike IT outage.

The Atlanta-based airline is on its fifth day of flight cancelations and delays and has canceled more flights than any of its competitors.

Delta typically gets high marks when it comes to customer service and on-time performance, which shows that no airline is really safe from avoiding an unexpected situation like this.

If you are holding a Delta ticket for upcoming travel, you may want to move on to Plan B since there’s no telling how long these disruptions will linger.

“If you're traveling in the near future on Delta, you know, maybe later today or even tomorrow, it might be worth taking advantage of the fact that most ticket types don't have change fees and making alternate plans,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.com.  “There was a waiver in place for Delta passengers, and that might be worth calling the airline to see if you can still take advantage of that.  Meaning that you do not have to pay any additional fees, change fees, fare differences, none of that to be able to make alternate arrangements for different day.”

If you have been impacted by the Delta cancellations, the first thing you should know is that you are entitled to a cash refund if your flight was canceled or significantly delayed.

“If the airline is offering you a travel credit, you are entitled to request a cash refund,” says Nastro.  “You don't have to just, you know, throw up your hands and take that credit. You know, under federal law, you are entitled to request a cash refund or get rebooked on a new flight…an airline is only responsible to refund you for the ticket that you had contractually with them. They are not responsible to then refund you for expenses due to the fact that you rebooked with another carrier.”

You also want to hold onto all of your receipts for expenses incurred by the airline disruption and check with the credit card you paid for your travel with; Many credit card companies reimburse for expenses that stem from cancellations, including lost luggage, and food and lodging.  

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on X that passengers should try to resolve their issues directly with the airline first.  If that doesn’t work, you’re encouraged to file a complaint with USDOT.  They want to hear from people who believe that Delta has not complied with passenger protection requirements.  

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. https://t.co/Noj5A5hE8w

— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) July 23, 2024

You can do that on the USDOT website.

Travel experts say if you want to avoid delays, there are two things that you can always do when you book flights to up your odds of having a good experience.   Book the early morning flights and make sure they’re non-stop flights.

You can also check out the DOT’s Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard, which lays out the commitments made by major US airlines in the event of flight disruptions.