#KeepClimbing: Delta Reimburses Select Out-of-Pocket Expenses for Certain Disrupted Trips!

You may be eligible for out-of-pocket expense reimbursements if your Delta Air Lines trip is disrupted. (Wow, that sounded like a sales pitch on some law firm commercial, didn’t it?

TPG’s Zach Griff posted these two tweets:

Hey @SouthwestAir, you should probably take note…

— Zach Griff (@_ZachGriff) December 27, 2022

(That dig at Southwest, tho! 😉 )

Mr. Griff points out that “a refund isn’t compensation.” This sounds like SkyMiles or vouchers (which I’m guessing are the compensation) are above and beyond any applicable refunds. (If your Delta travel was disrupted and you received this message, would you please let us know how everything ended up?)

But here’s something worth noting: the screenshot includes the sentence, “Costs may be reimbursable under Section 12 of Delta’s Customer Commitment.”

I visited Section 12 of Delta’s Customer Commitment. Here’s what it says:

• When a delay, misconnect, or cancellation is within Delta’s control, we will:
  • Provide complimentary hotel accommodations at Delta-contracted facilities, based on availability, as well as complimentary ground transportation to and from the hotel, if you are inconvenienced overnight while away from your home or destination. If a Delta-contracted hotel accommodation is unavailable and you book your own accommodations while inconvenienced overnight away from your home or destination, Delta will reimburse reasonable costs for your hotel room and ground transportation to and from the hotel. If accommodations are unavailable, we will compensate you with a credit commensurate in value with the Delta-contracted hotel rate.
  • Provide a meal or meal vouchers, if a cancellation or delay results in waiting 3 or more hours beyond the scheduled departure time.

(No, the feds don’t require airlines to provide these reimbursements.)

I think the “(w)hen a delay, misconnect, or cancellation is within Delta’s control” part is something to keep in mind.

In other words, a problem must be Delta’s fault for your out-of-pocket purchases to be reimbursed. Weather, for example, can’t be controlled by Delta. (For what it’s worth, here’s “Rule 20” in Delta’s Contract of Carriage. That covers such issues.)

Now, you have to hope Delta considers your disruption their problem. One of my family members missed a connection; one Delta rep admitted the problem was a staffing issue and Delta’s fault. A different rep said it was due to weather. Too bad, so sad. Pound sand.

So, keep an eye on those inboxes.

(A Delta spokesperson told me, “Emails, texts, and the Fly Delta App are some of the ways Delta communicates with and updates customers. The App is also a good way for customers to make any changes (quickly, if needed) to their travel plans.”)

As a backup, it’s a good idea to have travel insurance (I have an annual plan through Allianz) and/or pay for your trip with a credit card that features good coverage (such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.)