Delta (Air not variant) Cancelled My Flight

[SRF]

On 8/9/2021 at 2:44 PM, BecciBoo said:

What do you all think of PreCheck, is that worth the 85 bucks?

 

It depends on the airport.  Sometimes it doesn't gain you much.  Other times it helps a LOT.

 

But I do Global Entry for $100 per 5 years, and includes Pre-Check.  

 

Global Entry for international air travel is WELL worth the price, IMO.

[Sea Dog]

It's getting to the point where booking airfare is more agonizing than any other arrangements. So many variables, limited windows of times and of course the dreaded fare. I have faith that you will figure something out. I wish I had a good answer for you.

[TytalusWarden]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

It depends on the airport.  Sometimes it doesn't gain you much.  Other times it helps a LOT.

 

But I do Global Entry for $100 per 5 years, and includes Pre-Check.  

 

Global Entry for international air travel is WELL worth the price, IMO.

 

I was able to get Pre-Check for free through my work American Express card, which was nice.  I went to go look at Global Entry earlier this year and I ran into two issues:

 

1) I'd have to pay the full price, which is sorta' a bummer; and

2) The nearest place I can do the interview and fingerprints is a 3-hour drive away

 

I personally would go all out for Global Entry if you are an avid traveler who will leave the U.S. a few times over the next 5 years.  I wouldn't bother with the hassle and go just Pre-Check to get a KTN and call that good enough if you will be flying around, but might not leave the U.S. much on an airplane.

[zitsky]

Fyi.  United is the only airline making all employees get vaccinated. 

[BecciBoo]

9 hours ago, TytalusWarden said:

 

I was able to get Pre-Check for free through my work American Express card

Just wow, we drove 2 hrs to a Staples TSA center to purchase ours for $85 yesterday!  We have a business AMEX card!  Where did you find this info...no wait its too late, we got our emails from TSA already, doubt they'd refund us.  But good to know for the next 5 yr renewal.

[long4acruise]

We've had Global Entry since it's first introduction and it's a must since we've usually had 2-3 international flights yearly. It only took one experience returning to the US on a flight from Stockholm into JFK and it appeared that every international flight must have arrived at the same time as the lines were horrendous and the agents didn't appear to be in any hurry!  It took us over an hour and the Customs agent barely looked at our documents.

My Chase United card reimburses me for the $100 GE fee. I live in the DC metro area; thus access to many appts at varied locations including the main CBP headquarters office.  Renewed during the pandemic and the offices offered extended evening & Sat hours for those who'd been approved and either had not been able to schedule an appt or those with prior appts that had been canceled during office closures etc. When my husband renewed, they automatically sent his new card in the mail with no in-petson appt. It appears they used a photo from one of his GE kiosk visits.

Well worth the money in my opinion for our travels!  I just recently breezed thru Customs in Nassau as I returned from my B2B Adventure cruises.

Edited August 11, 2021 by long4acruise

[TytalusWarden]

2 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Just wow, we drove 2 hrs to a Staples TSA center to purchase ours for $85 yesterday!  We have a business AMEX card!  Where did you find this info...no wait its too late, we got our emails from TSA already, doubt they'd refund us.  But good to know for the next 5 yr renewal.

 

Sad to hear you won't get it this time around, but here's the details:  https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/benefits/travel/expedite-your-travel/ 

 

If you could charge the TSA fee to the AmEx (if they can swap the payment method at Staples) then you would likely receive the benefit.  I'm not sure what AmEx specifically looks for in the payment that triggers the automatic reimbursement (i.e. if it says $85 purchase at Staples with no other info then it might not qualify?)

 

With a business card you should also get some Marriott status, and I think Hilton Honors status for free?  It isn't anything fancy, but it's better than nothing and takes maybe 3-5 minutes on the phone with a rep to have those perks applied.

[SRF]

My former boss resisted GE for many years, despite several international work trips per year.

 

One trip together, the customs line (when they did them separately) at Dulles was all the way along the back wall, the side wall and about half of the glass wall from immigration.  

 

We got our bags as the same time, I was out in under 5 minutes.  He was over an hour.

 

Next day at work, he calls me into his office and says, "Help me apply for GE." 😄

 

 

[travelplus]

Try First Clas

[bobmacliberty]

On 8/10/2021 at 3:30 AM, texkat said:

I think you can make it work.  Since you’re in a suite, the concierge will happily arrange for you to “first off” at 7:30, no need to schlep your own bags.  There won’t be any significant lines for baggage or customs in the terminal yet. Grab a porter to help with your bags and hustle you out for a taxi.  FLL  is 10 minutes away and you’ll be there before the crowds from the ships show up.

 

You’ll need to be organized, but I would give it a shot- especially since there aren’t any decent alternatives.

 

good luck! 

 

@RCCL Fan - If you haven't already cancelled and switched airlines, I'd agree with the above.  You should have no problem getting to the airport at least 2 hours before your flight leaves.  As always, I'd have a Plan B ready should you have problems.

[BecciBoo]

21 hours ago, TytalusWarden said:

 

 

 

If you could charge the TSA fee to the AmEx (if they can swap the payment method at Staples) then you would likely receive the benefit. 

We did use the AMEX, calling them today to see if we can get credited!  THX!

[BecciBoo]

We just got the reimbursement for one precheck , they give it once every 4.5 years but hey $85 back is better than 0 back!  Once again, thanks to my Cruise Critic community.

[cured]

On 8/9/2021 at 8:04 PM, emeraldcity said:

All it takes is that one time that security is jammed to make you realize that 85 bucks is well worth the cost. I arrived at the Cleveland airport two hours before my flight ... and have never had a problem before getting through security with ample time to have a leisurely breakfast before heading down the concourse to my gate.

 

But that time, it took over an hour to get through security. If that lady with the handicap cart hadn't given me a ride to my gate at the far end of the concourse, I'd have missed my flight. They closed the door before I got to my seat on the plane. I made it a priority to get Global Entry before I took another trip.

We added CLEAR to our pre-check. That took care of any lines to get to pre-check.  Well, well worth the money.

 

If you only travel once or twice a year, it is always good to check out CLEAR first because they are always offering 2 or 3 month free specials to try it out. You can get it for your vacation and then cancel right after. CLEAR for no cost. Even if you don't have pre-check, it still puts you at the front of the line of any security and saves lots of time.

 

CLEAR has now also added the opportunity to upload your vaccine records to our pre-check information in case it is ever needed. The user doesn't upload anything so no chance of uploading fake documents. I had to give permission for a one time check into the state vaccine database for CLEAR to look at our records.   

Edited August 12, 2021 by cured

[TytalusWarden]

37 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

We just got the reimbursement for one precheck , they give it once every 4.5 years but hey $85 back is better than 0 back!  Once again, thanks to my Cruise Critic community.

 

Congrats!  As you noted I think it's only one reimbursement per card, per year.  If you had paid with separate cards (i.e. you and your partner each have a separate card) then you might've gotten both reimbursed.

 

In any event it's totally worth it!  I think they also reimburse for Global Entry, and that gets reimbursed every 4 years?  I don't recall, you'd have to read up on it, but for now TSA Precheck is more than sufficient for most cruise traveler needs.  😄 

[OnTheJourney]

On 8/9/2021 at 1:36 PM, BecciBoo said:

THere's never a fee to change flights with Delta if THEY changed the schedule on you.

This just happened to me - not in conjunction with a cruise, but rather a fly/drive trip coming up in fall (IF we even go). Delta assigned us a horrible itinerary - 2 stops instead of one, and leaving PHL at 6:30 a.m. instead of 8:00 (too early to begin with given that we're 2 hours away). Luckily I had booked the flights through expedia and not directly on the Delta website. While still researching flights I tried to call Delta and was on hold for 5 hours - never did get to talk to anyone. Got through to expedia after waiting about 15 minutes - the agent was terrific. Changed our flights and no charge to us since Delta made the changes. I anticipate it might happen again. Schedules are crazy right now. 

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

This just happened to me - not in conjunction with a cruise, but rather a fly/drive trip coming up in fall (IF we even go). Delta assigned us a horrible itinerary - 2 stops instead of one, and leaving PHL at 6:30 a.m. instead of 8:00 (too early to begin with given that we're 2 hours away). Luckily I had booked the flights through expedia and not directly on the Delta website. While still researching flights I tried to call Delta and was on hold for 5 hours - never did get to talk to anyone. Got through to expedia after waiting about 15 minutes - the agent was terrific. Changed our flights and no charge to us since Delta made the changes. I anticipate it might happen again. Schedules are crazy right now. 

 

Glad to hear about your Expedia experience.  Wondering how many times you have used them?

[OnTheJourney]

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

Wondering how many times you have used them?

I have no idea - probably 50-60 times or so over the years. Used it for both domestic and international. The website is not quite as user-friendly as it used to be from the standpoint of no longer being able to simply 'save' an itinerary. Unless I've not found a way to do it. LIke anything, website design has kept changing periodically. You can, however, access past trips. 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

I have no idea - probably 50-60 times or so over the years. Used it for both domestic and international. The website is not quite as user-friendly as it used to be from the standpoint of no longer being able to simply 'save' an itinerary. Unless I've not found a way to do it. LIke anything, website design has kept changing periodically. You can, however, access past trips. 

 

Do you get better prices than from a TA or booking direct? 

[RCCL Fan]

The resolution:

 

Not ideal, but acceptable.

 

 

I was learning toward a refund and taking an AA flight direct to DFW and having my niece connect in DFW and fly alone to ATL.  But having to buy a second ticket AND the $150 unaccompanied minor fee, led me to see what I could work out with DL.

 

 

Basically I had two options....  stay on the 10am and hope RCI can get me off the ship in time since we're in a suite.

 

or

 

Take a 3:25pm flight out of FLL.  

 

There was a lot of debate on this one.

 

My wife HATES being rushed/stressed when traveling. She's one of those check in 2 hours before a flight, take her time kinda people.   I pride myself on getting to the airport last minute an being the absolute last person to walk on the plane.

 

(When I lived in a smaller city, and flew weekly,  i had the cell number of 3 of the gate agents who worked the morning shift,  I'd text them my location as I bolted through the airport and they'd slow boarding just a tad to help me out.... lol    Always stepped onboard and got that door closed behind me,  love it)

 

My wife would threaten to take different flights if I didn't chill lol

 

Opposites attract  what can i say?

 

So with my wife along, and three young girls, I figure, I'll take the stress out of it and choose the 3:25pm

 

If Royal adopt the process that Adventure had this summer, there are no common lounges to wait in on departure day,  you wait in your room.  We'll have a large room so this will be good.

 

I figure we'll sleep in, hang out in our cabin,  until final call.  Schlep over to the airport around 11ish , check in, do lunch at the airport, and then have a short wait before boarding.

 

I'l have plenty of time to "drop off" my niece in Atlanta to her mom, and hop our flight home to Dallas and arrive at a decent hour.

 

Agent was amazing, now I just have to hope if there are anymore flight changes they will involve that 3:25pm flight moving up to 2:25pm 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

 

Do you get better prices than from a TA or booking direct? 

Other than group rates and perks, TA prices should be the same as RCI. 

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

Do you get better prices than from a TA or booking direct? 

Quite honestly most of the time I never even bothered looking too much at airline prices on their websites. I did this time due to the more bizarre nature of planning for this trip. The flights are all 3-3 seating configurations. I hate that to begin with so shopped around more than usual for the cheapest first class option. Overall, though, to answer your question, I'd say expedia is generally comparable to airline prices. You pay a small fee for them to book it, but in this case it was sure worth it to be able to easily make the changes. I've done very little with having a TA book flights. I like to handle my own arrangements as much as possible. Even at the conclusion of the Viking cruise, their people were a disaster with booking flights for passengers. I took my wife's iphone and went off to a quiet area of the ship and got our homeward bound flights directly with SAS. 

[OnTheJourney]

49 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Other than group rates and perks, TA prices should be the same as RCI. 

Zitsky was referring to expedia prices in comparison to other booking agencies. 

[Booking It]

1 hour ago, RCCL Fan said:

My wife HATES being rushed/stressed when traveling. She's one of those check in 2 hours before a flight, take her time kinda people.   I pride myself on getting to the airport last minute an being the absolute last person to walk on the plane.

Oh my gosh, you just described us... except I'm more of a 3 hours early person. 🙂 He waits until the last minute for everything. On our Adventure cruise, we flew first class, and had a connection each way (thanks for cancelling my direct flights, American!). We missed out on boarding in Group 1 three times because he decided that he HAD to go to the bathroom right as boarding started, despite being at the gate for several hours. Yeah, I could have boarded without him, but he would have lost his boarding pass at least one of those times. It drives me absolutely mad. He will be late to his own funeral. 

[Biker19]

30 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Maybe so.  Do you know where that is documented?  I just tried to find a policy statement but couldn't find it.  I'd like to see the official CC FAQ.

From the guidelines:

 

Travel Agent Recommendations

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in content) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts may result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

From the guidelines:

 

 

Travel Agent Recommendations

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in content) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts may result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Do you mind telling me where/how you found this?