[chengrob]

I have close to 1/2 million miles and they have screwed me for the last time. Here's my story.


http://chengrob.com/blog/2009/09/del...es-never-more/

[Gromit801]

That's a pretty nasty shock, and quite a large fee. I am curious though, as your blog states you're quite the well travelled flyer. Having other kids, how did you not know about the two year old age limit for lap children? I don't have kids, and I know about that one.

[chengrob]

I guess the reason is that because they accepted payment and they knew the birthday and passport number of my oldest. So I figured it was OK.

[jimworcs]

I am shocked that this is your first serious service issue with Delta. Delta are terrible... although Delta to US Airways might be jumping from the frying pan to the fire..

Delta are beyond redemption, dump them ...!

[azstar]

Not only is it a safety issue to travel with a child who is older than 2 in your lap, it's an FAA violation. Airlines are subject to a huge fine if they allow a child over 24 months to travel as a lap child. You must purchase a seat for the child. Now, it's your contention that the child (who will be occupying a seat on the aircraft) should not have to pay more than $230.00 for a 10 hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to USA. That seems unresaonable to me.

[Gromit801]

Originally Posted by chengrob

I guess the reason is that because they accepted payment and they knew the birthday and passport number of my oldest. So I figured it was OK.

I can understand your thinking. By the same logic, you certainly knew your child's age, and how old your child would be on the return trip. Now that being said, were you hoping the airline would overlook an FAA regulation?

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

I am shocked that this is your first serious service issue with Delta. Delta are terrible... although Delta to US Airways might be jumping from the frying pan to the fire..

Delta are beyond redemption, dump them ...!

Why is it so hard to believe that this is the OP's first major issue with Delta? They, like other airlines, carry thousands of passengers a day without incident.

Originally Posted by chengrob

I guess the reason is that because they accepted payment and they knew the birthday and passport number of my oldest. So I figured it was OK.

I think you have a good case for a refund of the lap ticket. You should have known, however, that a child over two requires a regular ticket. Unfortunately one-way international tickets are pricey, especially when purchased last-minute. I just priced out a one-way ticket from Myrtle Beach to Rio de Janeiro for tomorrow and it was $ 2,205 which is consistent with your story. It matters not if the passenger is 2 or 20 years old the price is the same.

[jimworcs]

The point is surely that the customer told the airline what the age of the child was and asked them for a price for the child. The airline then offered to sell the ticket to the passenger for a low price. The customer accepted the deal. If the airline made a mistake, it should be incumbant upon them to take the hit, not the customer. Why should the customer know the FAA regulation. THAT is the airlines job. The customer met their obligation by letting the airline know the child's age. I think they should go to small claims.

It is ridiculous to put the burden on the customer in this case. If the customer had attempted to deceive the airline and fudge the fact that the child was under 2, then fair enough. But that is not what happened here...

[chengrob]

You won't believe it but Delta has responded. Not only will they not help me but they explain that we are not customers but guests on Delta's airplanes. I kid you not.

http://chengrob.com/blog/2010/07/are...n-deltas-home/

[jimworcs]

Delta's nasty, hostile attitude to paying passengers is a a disgrace. Their biggest failing is their instinctive, gut reaction to never accept they got it wrong. They simply try to justify themselves with standard letters and refuse to look at the individual circumstances.

Your complaint is one of the worst examples. Here we have a customer who asks the airline how much it will cost for a return ticket for their child. All the information was given to Delta and they provided a quote. The customer accepted the quote. The airline refused to honour the quote and blackmailed them into paying a gouging price.

If this doesn't call for regulation and legal action in small claims, I don't know what does.

[idahovandals1986]

I read your blog and Delta was in the right. Sorry to spell it out to you like that but they were. The reals of infant in lap is they can do it only until the age of 2 yrs old. If your child was 2 yrs old and 2 months they were too old. Meaning you did have to purchase a one way ticket. Problem is one way tickets on day of depature are extremely expensive. So Delta did nothing wrong you did. You should have know your child's birthday and should have checked into infant in lap further before traveling. Delta can not hold your hand everytime you fly. Also every airline would have done the exact same thing.

[jimworcs]

You are completely missing the point. The customer told Delta the age of their child, including their date of birth. Delta then provided a quote for the cost of transporting the baby. Delta knew the child was not the right age, but mis-sold them a ticket.

If you called Delta and asked them for a round trip ticket to New York. You provided all the information and on the basis of that information they sold you a ticket for $500. How would you feel if on the return portion, they demanded another $2,000 for the return because they had sold you a cheaper ticket by mistake?

Delta, at the most, should have offered to sell the customer a ticket for the correct price at the time of booking. This is the date at which the buyer made an offer to buy and Delta made an offer to sell. The fact that Delta made an offer to sell that was incorrect, does not entitle them to gouge the customer at a later date. It is simply outrageous.

This is the key to this story:

When I purchased Teddy’s lap ticket in Feb 2009, I showed them Teddy’s passport and birth date. Apparently, Delta should have never sold me this ticket but they have no responsibility to tell me that fact. If Delta is in error, then I just have to pay more. Worse yet, Delta could not refund the lap ticket that I had purchased previously.

If the customer had bought the ticket online, and there was a generic statement which read "please ensure that you have read all the terms and conditions of each ticket before purchasing, as we are not responsible if you purchase the wrong ticket"... perhaps Delta would have a case. This is not what happened. In this case, the passenger showed the passport and birth date to the airline. This is a clear case of mis-selling. Any reasonable agent or customer service rep, looking at that passport, would see that the child was close to 2. That should have triggered them to check the childs eligibility for the whole trip.

I would strongly urge this poster to take this case to small claims court. The airline have acted unreasonably, and unless they can show that the terms of the ticket were drawn to their attention at the time, I think the customer would have a very good chance of prevailing.

[idahovandals1986]

I am not saying that this isn't a terrible situation to be in. However when did it become the airline reps job to do math? All they were looking at on the passport is if the infant was under 2 when purchasing the ticket. Not many in this world can do math in a moments notice. Something else we don't know is how long the trip was. What if he was gone for 5 months. So putting it shortly when traveling even on an airplane you should probably research all information and not expect them to hold your hand.

[jimworcs]

That is the most feeble defence I have ever heard. It is a FAA obligation of the airline to "do the math". Could a barman sell someone under age a drink because it is not his obligation to "do the math"? That is a ridiculous argument. This customer declared the age of the child to the airline and then asked them to quote a price for the child to travel. The airline gave them a price and accepted their money. At that point, a contract had been formed.

If the airline had made a mistake, which they clearly had, their obligation is, minimally, to put the customer in the position they would have been in if the airline had not made the error. This is not what they did. They chose instead to gouge the customer for over $2,000 and, to rub salt into the wound, refused to refund the amount charged in error. I do not believe any small claims court will find in favour of the airline in these circumstances. I would definitely sue... their conduct is outrageous.

[idahovandals1986]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

That is the most feeble defence I have ever heard. It is a FAA obligation of the airline to "do the math". Could a barman sell someone under age a drink because it is not his obligation to "do the math"? That is a ridiculous argument.

No but the bartendar did the same thing the ticket agent did. Looked at the birthday. It was under two, great you can fly. A Bartendar looks at the birthdate, over 21 awesome you can drink. They don't have to look forward in time and try to figure out when they turn 2 if wether or not they need a return ticket. Either way this customer would have had to buy a one-way ticket or a two-way ticket. It also would have been expensive regardless.

[jimworcs]

You are twisting in the wind trying to justify their actions. It would not have cost more than a standard adult return, which is certainly less than the $2,800 the customer ended up paying because Delta agents are stupid and "can't do the math".

[idahovandals1986]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

You are twisting in the wind trying to justify their actions. It would not have cost more than a standard adult return, which is certainly less than the $2,800 the customer ended up paying because Delta agents are stupid and "can't do the math".

Who is to say how much it costs back when they booked. He could have bought the last two seats in his seating class. Regardless he didn't ask the right questions and research his trip out well enough, and because of this he had to pay. So sad...