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Each weekend I often muse about all things Delta while I ponder over all the schedule changes that have weekly befallen most of my Delta booked flights. While doing so this month I came up with a list of things I really want Delta to fix. Some of them they are paying attention to and making changes while others I am not holding my breath (and doubt they care to fix them anyway).
But that is a post about things the airline really could fix if they wanted to and many of them are simply policy choices not to do with other limitations that may be preventing substantive changes. Today I want to focus on IT or technology changes I wish or would like Delta to make. I have no knowledge if these changes would be simple or hard to do or if they are even possible but either way see what you think of this list!
- Global and Regional Upgrade space online. I mean of all the changes we want / need, this is one that would save me UNBELIEVABLE time of calling the Delta reps on the phone and checking to see if space is open for whatever flight I want to book. This can not be that hard to fix, Delta. Most of us choose this as a choice benefit after all!
- An alert about changes. I am talking about schedule changes that we sometimes get notice about and sometimes not. We never get seat change notice ever. If Award Wallet can tell us about ANY chances surely Delta IT can too?
- Off button Off-line mode in app. I cannot believe Delta has not fixed this yet. It has been months now and this off-line mode just makes me crazy. Please let me turn this stupid thing off – all it would take is a button or maybe I don’t get IT at all.
- See full push notice of gate etc. in app. This is mostly an Android issue I think but when I get a push notice about a gate change or whatever it is partial and then I have to open the app (and then it is often in off-line mode grrrrr). Just push the total notice so I can see it. How hard can this be? Some of us are not all in love with iOS Delta!
- Ability to use MORE than 3x gift cards per ticket. American lets you use unlimited gift cards I think. If Delta can let me use 3 why not 5 or 10 for crying out loud. Just add more drop down boxes to the buy a ticket page. A simple quick fix.
- Fix leg by leg search for both revenue and award tickets. I know Delta REV MGT likes the fact that the award booking page is broken but it would be nice if you would let us do leg by leg booking as we did in the past. Let us be rewarded for doing the work to find a LEVEL 1 award. Oh and if OTA and 3rd party sites can make a ticket (that can be sent over to Delta) and work why can I not build the same itinerary on Delta.com. Fix this and let us always start on Delta.com the way we want to anyway.
- The price has changed at checkout. I will admit Delta is much better at this than in years past – that is, the “bug” that you go to hit purchase and the price jumps up at the last second. Then when you go back and start over the price is lower again. Delta should either honor the price when you start the search or put up a timer that you have “xxx” time to buy before you have to start again. Either way works for me.
- Tracking eGift cards online. I really should have this one WAY up high on the list. Again, how hard can it be to enter in the number and pin into our “My Wallet” and let us track gift cards we have purchased or received as a gift. We can see other vouchers, so why not these (unless Delta is not allowing this on purpose maybe – Hummm?)!
- Estimated earnings summary. When we are buying a ticket we can see the “estimated” MQMs and SkyMiles earned. Now they are estimated as our status may change so the SkyMiles may be different when we fly, but the MQMs should be the same as well as the MQSs and MQDs. How about displaying these numbers when we pull up the reservation? Again, if you can show it when we buy you can show it when, after the fact, looking at the reservation!
- Fare breakdown online and in app. If we are able to see the real fare breakdown and codes in the Fly Delta App why not online at Delta.com. Not just that, how about the complete fare rules and such. Travel agents can see this kind of info so why can’t we when pulling up the reservation. I know Delta hates to give us too much info and keep us too informed but gosh it would be nice.
So there you are. What do you think of my Top10 list. Did I miss any IT bits you really wish Delta would fix? Do you have a good workaround for any of the issues I have on my list (other than getting in iPhone cuz I am not going to do that). Let me / us know in the comments below! – René
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I would like to see booking of rev and non rev on same PNR. I usually book a paid tix and my wife goes non rev. I can’t take advantage of diamond status and book a regular coach tix for fewer miles than a C+.
@Dave – Yes or the ability to combine PNRs maybe?
The VS app is based off the DL one.
For now, all i want the VS Android app to do is allow me to view my boarding pass. For an app that has a big “view boarding pass” button in it, it shouldn’t then say “no apps available”. The iOS version works fine.
I’d like the DL app to have a “view gate and terminal information” button in it so i can see clearly where my plane is, if it’s changed gate/concourse/terminal.
The absurd amount of phantom CZ and MU award space has got to go.
@John – Agree. Shameful!
@Rene: Agree with most of your list. One other thing I’ve noticed with the app is that if you do SDC or standby or with some odd itineraries involving DL tiny CRJs, the app refuses to show the boarding pass for the whole trip, just first segment, or requires re-checkin/reprint at the airport. And ability to correctly SDC using the ‘change your flight’ would be nice, knowing that the correct fare buckets etc. are available (currently it just appears to shows a couple of earlier flights, if at all…..)
The lack of timely and reliable notice of schedule changes is maddening and incomprehensible. For a trip to China coming up later this week, I only discovered accidentally a few days ago that the China Southern connecting codeshare flight from Beijing to Hangzhou had been changed, and I was rebooked onto a flight that left Beijing two and a half hours before I was to arrive there from Detroit! There was no notice whatsoever of that impossible change. Then even at the DM desk, when I called in, the agent simply could not find an alternative connection that would work–and said I needed to call China Southern to arrange it myself! It was crazy and incompetent. Eventually I was able myself to do the search on my own to find a reasonable alternative. Here is hoping that Delta takes your IT recommendations seriously.
@John, what do you mean? I was looking at going MU to PVG.