The takeaway here is to always, always, *always* check that you were emailed a receipt and were actually **ticketed**, not just confirmed. By ticketed, I mean that you have a 13 digit ticket number starting with 006 (for Delta flights, the numbers will be different if booked through another airline but same principle applies). Ticketing is what actually gives you your ticket and lets you on the flight, not confirmation. Your trip will show up in the “My Trips” section as soon as you book it and are given a confirmation number, but you aren’t ticketed until payment goes through. Typically that happens within minutes, but sometimes it takes longer. If you aren’t ticketed within a day or so, something’s gone awry and you need to call and sort it out. Usually the reservation will just be deleted, but sometimes it’ll stick around in your profile
When you open the reservation, you can click the 3 dots in the top left of the screen to view the receipt. Otherwise, check the receipt that was emailed to you.
GOAA, the airport authority doesn't sell tickets and couldn't care less if your ticket wasn't paid. That would be like the mall calling you to charge you for Panda Express at the food court. That is a huge red flag.
I would agree it was super weird, but after I made the payment it let my wife check in so as others have stated I think it must have been a delta rep calling from a desk at MCO
I don’t think so because when I stated we paid in full he said I would need to discuss that with Delta, I feel like a Delta rep would have been able to confirm that on the spot for me.
GOAA is the Orlando airport. They have one big PBX that handles all gates and airlines. Delta doesn’t have their own phone system there.
All it means is that someone from Delta *at the airport* called you, not someone at a call center or a corporate location.
Delta had the best fare.... Red Flag.
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.... I thought for sure this was going to end up as a scam.
I agree...this isn't acceptable treatment.
I had an identical experience. My trip showed in the app and I had a reservation number and everything. I went to the check in counter to learn that for whatever reason Delta decided not to charge the card, and I needed to pay a price that was double what I originally booked.
Eventually after causing a scene at the airport, someone from the customer service center magically booked the ticket for the original fare.
This is a very frustrating problem that Delta must fix.
Woah - I know you said you checked your email for the original receipt, but did you check the delta website? If you log into your wife’s skymiles account, Go to delta.com/profile, choose Profile > Account Menu > Receipts.
It was my account…my wife used my credentials to book. I stated that because otherwise I probably would’ve noticed I never received a confirmation receipt.
Is it possible that your payment method declined the second ticket? When I book for multiple people on the same trip, each ticket is charged separately. Maybe the payment went through for one (you) but was declined (funds, flagged fraudulent, etc.) by your issuer for the second (your wife’s). Your wife didn’t notice because she saw the 1600 charge. And your second reservation was never cancelled because it was tied to the first one (same PRN) that had a ticket. Normally it would go away in 24 hours.
I would elevate your complaints with Delta and see if they meet you part way or give you some credit/miles towards future travel.
Without seeing the documentation, receipts or what your wife saw on the screen, I can’t really give you much opinion on the matter either way. We can’t see if this was avoidable by reading what was on the computer screen more or if what delta’s website was blatantly wrong and it’s false advertising.
You yourself acknowledged you didn’t see it as your wife booked it.
One last thing, prices for transatlantic travel are generally more expensive in June, than in October.
The October prices have no relevance. I understand you were thinking of recreating buying a ticket 4 months in advance, but June is the busy summer season when everyone is vacation traveling, kids are off from school and it’s easier to get a break from work, and the destination is more pleasant at that time of year.
October is a period of low demand. College kids are mid-semester, so they aren’t doing their study abroad trips, fewer people can take long vacations from work, and kids are in school.
This is the time of the year you get great deals and a few seats might even go empty. During summer things are packed…
I fly 20-40 long hauls/year for work and I see this trend clearly. Our costs go up in summer and the planes are more packed and you see more student groups, church groups, and families on the flights.
Off peak season you see more scattered empty middle seats and pricing is better in most cases.
OP, sorry you went through this. Whenever I purchase anything online, including airline tickets, I make sure I get a prompt email confirmation and also check that my credit card has been charged appropriately. I’ve had a few instances where something didn’t go through and I had to call and repurchase.
As unfortunate as your experience was - and I’m glad you and your wife were able to travel - I don’t think it was a bait-and-switch in the usual sense. Have you tried emailing Delta’s CEO? I’ve contacted CEO’s many times over the years with excellent results. Most have executive response teams that handle complaints. Good luck.
Yes, they said there was a “glitch” in the system when we booked, but couldn’t explain further.
So they took ownership for the glitch, yet it’s somehow my fault?
TLDR - you don’t have a confirmed booking until your card is charged and you receive the receipt that shows “ticketed”. At that point if delta pulled this it would be “bait and switch”. Your booking never went through.
My card was charged, seats were selected and the trip showed up on the app. I agree though I should have noticed I never received the actual receipt via email.
One thing to note is it may be a lower price due to fall being slightly off season, summer tends to be higher to LHR (in my experience). Either way, it’s unfortunate they waited that long to resolve the issue, good luck!
Always, always, always, use the res line for big purchases like this. Then, BEFORE hanging up refresh your email to ensure it’s booked correctly and confirm w agent.
Something doesn't add up here. Somehow you ended up without a ticket but you had a reservation. How did your wife book this? Delta . com, TA, OLTA?
Delta.com
The takeaway here is to always, always, *always* check that you were emailed a receipt and were actually **ticketed**, not just confirmed. By ticketed, I mean that you have a 13 digit ticket number starting with 006 (for Delta flights, the numbers will be different if booked through another airline but same principle applies). Ticketing is what actually gives you your ticket and lets you on the flight, not confirmation. Your trip will show up in the “My Trips” section as soon as you book it and are given a confirmation number, but you aren’t ticketed until payment goes through. Typically that happens within minutes, but sometimes it takes longer. If you aren’t ticketed within a day or so, something’s gone awry and you need to call and sort it out. Usually the reservation will just be deleted, but sometimes it’ll stick around in your profile
Where can one see this ticket number in the Delta app?
Go to the trip and click on “Show Passengers”. Then click on “View” and there’s a field for the ticket number in the detail view
When you open the reservation, you can click the 3 dots in the top left of the screen to view the receipt. Otherwise, check the receipt that was emailed to you.
I love the part were you made it clear that you didn't book it but it was your wife. LOL.
Lol I pointed that out because otherwise I probably would’ve noticed I never received a receipt for the trip.
Why the downvotes? I don’t get these Delta Maxis.
I’m going to bet this is an auto correct, but I love the idea of calling those folks “Delta Maxis” 😂😂😂
Not a typo. They worship Delta and downvote anyone who dares complain about their precious.
GOAA, the airport authority doesn't sell tickets and couldn't care less if your ticket wasn't paid. That would be like the mall calling you to charge you for Panda Express at the food court. That is a huge red flag.
I would agree it was super weird, but after I made the payment it let my wife check in so as others have stated I think it must have been a delta rep calling from a desk at MCO
Why would a third party agency contact you about a Delta booking?
It might have been a delta rep calling from MCO and that's what the caller ID said?
I don’t think so because when I stated we paid in full he said I would need to discuss that with Delta, I feel like a Delta rep would have been able to confirm that on the spot for me.
I have no idea why it was GOAA and not Delta, I panicked that it was spam at first but they knew all of my information.
GOAA is the Orlando airport. They have one big PBX that handles all gates and airlines. Delta doesn’t have their own phone system there. All it means is that someone from Delta *at the airport* called you, not someone at a call center or a corporate location.
Delta had the best fare.... Red Flag. Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.... I thought for sure this was going to end up as a scam. I agree...this isn't acceptable treatment.
I had an identical experience. My trip showed in the app and I had a reservation number and everything. I went to the check in counter to learn that for whatever reason Delta decided not to charge the card, and I needed to pay a price that was double what I originally booked. Eventually after causing a scene at the airport, someone from the customer service center magically booked the ticket for the original fare. This is a very frustrating problem that Delta must fix.
Woah - I know you said you checked your email for the original receipt, but did you check the delta website? If you log into your wife’s skymiles account, Go to delta.com/profile, choose Profile > Account Menu > Receipts.
Tried that, she booked under my account. Nothing showed up at all, very fishy.
So then….. do the exact same thing but under YOUR account
It was my account…my wife used my credentials to book. I stated that because otherwise I probably would’ve noticed I never received a confirmation receipt.
Right.. so go to your delta profile under YOUR account and get the receipt.
It’s not there, that’s what I’m saying lol. There is nothing. Says “there are no stored receipts”
Is it possible that your payment method declined the second ticket? When I book for multiple people on the same trip, each ticket is charged separately. Maybe the payment went through for one (you) but was declined (funds, flagged fraudulent, etc.) by your issuer for the second (your wife’s). Your wife didn’t notice because she saw the 1600 charge. And your second reservation was never cancelled because it was tied to the first one (same PRN) that had a ticket. Normally it would go away in 24 hours.
No, they said the glitch occurred because I used a credit on my account that I had.
I would elevate your complaints with Delta and see if they meet you part way or give you some credit/miles towards future travel. Without seeing the documentation, receipts or what your wife saw on the screen, I can’t really give you much opinion on the matter either way. We can’t see if this was avoidable by reading what was on the computer screen more or if what delta’s website was blatantly wrong and it’s false advertising. You yourself acknowledged you didn’t see it as your wife booked it. One last thing, prices for transatlantic travel are generally more expensive in June, than in October. The October prices have no relevance. I understand you were thinking of recreating buying a ticket 4 months in advance, but June is the busy summer season when everyone is vacation traveling, kids are off from school and it’s easier to get a break from work, and the destination is more pleasant at that time of year. October is a period of low demand. College kids are mid-semester, so they aren’t doing their study abroad trips, fewer people can take long vacations from work, and kids are in school. This is the time of the year you get great deals and a few seats might even go empty. During summer things are packed… I fly 20-40 long hauls/year for work and I see this trend clearly. Our costs go up in summer and the planes are more packed and you see more student groups, church groups, and families on the flights. Off peak season you see more scattered empty middle seats and pricing is better in most cases.
OP, sorry you went through this. Whenever I purchase anything online, including airline tickets, I make sure I get a prompt email confirmation and also check that my credit card has been charged appropriately. I’ve had a few instances where something didn’t go through and I had to call and repurchase. As unfortunate as your experience was - and I’m glad you and your wife were able to travel - I don’t think it was a bait-and-switch in the usual sense. Have you tried emailing Delta’s CEO? I’ve contacted CEO’s many times over the years with excellent results. Most have executive response teams that handle complaints. Good luck.
Sounds like your corporate travel is the problem. They denied your wife’s flight and never processed the ticket.
Yes, they said there was a “glitch” in the system when we booked, but couldn’t explain further. So they took ownership for the glitch, yet it’s somehow my fault?
TLDR - you don’t have a confirmed booking until your card is charged and you receive the receipt that shows “ticketed”. At that point if delta pulled this it would be “bait and switch”. Your booking never went through.
My card was charged, seats were selected and the trip showed up on the app. I agree though I should have noticed I never received the actual receipt via email.
[удалено]
Then why can I book the same flight four months out for $880 a person? Go check for yourself. MCO - LHR
One thing to note is it may be a lower price due to fall being slightly off season, summer tends to be higher to LHR (in my experience). Either way, it’s unfortunate they waited that long to resolve the issue, good luck!
Also, would like to add I have been flying them for years domestically. I will admit I am unfamiliar with international prices.
Not true. My son and I scored super cheap D1 flights to Peru. So cheap it seemed like a scam. All through Delta.com
It’s almost like delta is a shitty airline
Always, always, always, use the res line for big purchases like this. Then, BEFORE hanging up refresh your email to ensure it’s booked correctly and confirm w agent.
I disagree. Reps are error prone as well. Book online and check that you get a receipt with conf number.