Lew Davis, a middle school
Lew Davis, a middle school administrator in New York, says Delta tried to bump him from a $138 nonstop round trip to Denver at Christmas 2007 to a multi-stop itinerary on Delta's regional affiliates. After many phone calls and e-mails — he accused the airline of bait-and-switch sales tactics — Delta put him back on the nonstop, he says.
Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott calls Davis' case an anomaly. She says the airline typically offers displaced customers a better flight, such as a nonstop instead of a one-stop, or a credit for future travel. Or they can get a full refund if the new arrival time is leisure chairs more than 90 minutes later than the original one.
Here's what other airlines say:
Continental will work with a customer to find a satisfactory new flight, or the customer can request a refund, says spokeswoman Mary Clark.
American and United say they also offer full cultured pearl jewelry refunds if the new flight will arrive more than 90 minutes later than the customer had planned.
American spokesman Tim Wagner says if customers instead want to pick another flight, they can apply the full amount they paid toward a new ticket.
“You would essentially be getting a voucher bread pearl for future travel — with no change fee,” Wagner says. Others say they also waive change fees.