[jimworcs]

The idea that a company can put in it's terms and conditions that it reserves the right to extort money out of the customer at the last minute is utterly incomprehensible. It is Delta admittedly, but this is a charter for fraud. I could set up a company, offer flights at a ridiculously low price to entice in customers, then after all the compeititors low fares have been sold out, change the schedule and demand more money or I would cancel all their plans. It is so outrageous, even for Delta, that I am almost speechless. (ALMOST!!) It amounts to extortion. Please report them to the DOT.

As the flight is from LA to Guadalajara, I am guessing the codeshare partner is Aeromexico. However, how is this relevant? I don't agree with Bob that as it was another carriers schedule change, Delta are not responsible. The OP created a contract with Delta, booked it through Delta.com and should reasonably expect Delta to deliver on it. Delta are the retailer. If I buy a TV from Target and it is faulty, I take it back to Target. Delta can form marketing partnerships with whoever they like.. but they must still meet their obligations to the customers that they sell tickets to. This is what I think happened.

Delta sold the ticket. Aeromexico changed their schedule. They notified Delta of the schedule change, but Delta failed to change the customers booking onto another flight and failed to notify the passenger. When the passenger (by chance) contacts Delta, they try (for over 30 minutes) to book the passenger onto another flight. They find that they cannot book them onto the flight as the seats are now significantly more expensive than the original bookings (which were probably cancelled when the schedule changed). Delta's incompetence is now in danger of costing them money... as they would have to pay the higher price but would only have the lower sum they sold the tickets for originally. So the alternative these Delta gangsters come up with is to tell the customer that "unfortunately" the customer will have to pay for "policy" reasons. Hopefully, the DOT will put them right, but sadly they get away with this kind of one sided extortion every day.