Ya I am on the phone with Travelocity now and they are telling me that there is nothing that can be done and that they won't give me any compensation even though I paid more for the nonstop flight. ridiculous

It does suck, but usually the line from the airline is "all we guarantee is to get you from point A to point B at approximately the time and date listed, yada, yada..."

Nonstop flights sometimes cost more, but sometimes they don't, so they don't really consider that as a premium.

You can try calling back and hope to get someone more sympathetic.

I had booked award travel to Europe on Delta last year, and they changed my flights to CDG a little, causing me to spend maybe 2 or 3 more hours to get there. I called them and asked if they could help me out, and they booked a nonstop for me instead. So, you may be able to get the airline to do that for you if such a beast (e.g., nonstop) is available.

rooms222 said:For future reference, I believe there is a regulation that requires a refund option if a flight is changed from non-stop to connecting. Even Spirit Airlines gave me a refund when this happened to me........

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Delta-skymiles-pre-worldperks-mer...The rules cited in the flyertalk link are only to Delta's rules, not FAA regulations and I don't think the rules referenced would automatically apply in this situation. The rule (240), has to do with delays and cancellations due to a "force majeure" situation, not a schedule change for Delta operational reasons. The very first paragraph of the rules states:

Flight Schedules are Not Guaranteed
Delta will exercise reasonable efforts to carry you and your baggage according to Delta’s published schedules and the schedule reflected on your ticket, but published schedules, flight times, aircraft type, seat assignments, and similar details reflected in your ticket or Delta’s published schedules are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract. Delta may substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, delay or cancel flights, change seat assignments, and alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket at any time. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Except as stated in this rule and in Delta’s Customer Commitment (Rule 200), Delta will have no liability for making connections, failing to operate any flight according to schedule, changing the schedule for any flight, changing seat assignments or aircraft types, or revising the routings by which we carry you from your origin to destination.

I think any time this happens it is still kind of hit or miss or try another CR, unless there is some serious delay due to the schedule change. It always pays to be persistent

Its good they refunded it.

I've had airlines change in advance times but never add stops. That would suck if they added stops since non stop fares are usually more expensive and I often pay a premium to avoid the extra time and hassle of stops.

Buried in the small print of the general terms & conditions at Travelocity I found :
"Carrier undertakes to use its best efforts to carry the passenger and baggage with reasonable dispatch. Times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract. Carrier may without notice substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, and may alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket in case of necessity. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Carrier assumes no responsibility for making connections."

I'd interpret that to mean they can change the time of the flight and add/remove stops if they need to and there is no guarantee that what you bought as far as time / stops is what you'll get. But thats just the legal guarantee and what the airline (or booking agent like Travelocity) will do to keep customers happy will vary.

Yoyoson said:About 6 or so years ago I had a flight with US Airways (booked through Orbitz) from Pittsburgh to Ft. Lauderdale with a layover in Charlotte. So it was PIT->CLT->FLL. Then out of the blue I get an email telling me that my flights were changed and I now have two layovers. What were they, pray tell?

The new itinerary was sending me from Pittsburgh to La Guardia back to Pittsburgh and then directly to FLL. So it was now PIT->LGA->PIT->FLL. I was highly tempted to simply ignore the "layovers" and then get on my direct flight. But with the way boarding passes are issued, of course I didn't think it would work. Unfortunately when I called to ask if it was possible to just take the direct flight that they'd given me, they said No. I mean, they must've had a seat held for me, right?

Well the rep on the phone told me that I did not in fact win the lotto and that I had to take a layover just because I had originally paid for a trip with a layover. So I ended up connecting through Cincinnati instead. I guess I should count myself lucky that I didn't have an actual net increase in the number of layovers in my trip.

or u could of asked for a supervisor

they fed u a line.. u dont have to take a layover because u paid for a trip with one if u r re-routed..

I agree w/ American Airways. I flew with them once, from the west coast to the east coast. They didn't even serve complimentary water. Water!@ They wanted 2 bills for it!!! Never have I had such poor service...Never will I fly w/ them again.

When a flight gets cancelled, the computer system often automatically does the rebooking according to the airline's preferences, and this usually involves moving people to the least-full flights, etc. It always pays to call and ask what's possible, especially if you've done a bit of homework to see what other options might be available and then suggest those to the airline booking people to make their lives easier. The airlines know there will be some people who just accept what's given to them without any questions, and they know there will be others who balk and ask for something better, and if you do, in fact, want something better, then you have to speak up. In cases like the OP's, there may not always be a more appealing alternative, but it never hurts to ask.