[JJHLH]

I made Delta flight reservations 4 months in advance to visit friends for a long weekend over the summer. The night before I was notified by e-mail that my flight had been cancelled. I was given a phone number to call and rebook. The Delta representative I spoke with had limited english and I had great difficulty understanding her. I explained that since the flight was cancelled I also needed to change my car rental and asked if I could speak to a supervisor. I was placed on hold for 20 minutes and eventually hung up. I tentatively rebooked the flight online for the same time the following day. I then called Budget Rental car and explained my situation; that instead of needing an economy car for 4 days I would now only be needing it for 3 days (the car return date and time were unchanged). They said if I did that my car rental cost would increase from $171 to $322! I then called Delta back and was placed on hold again. Eventually I spoke to someone (with limited english) who said she could not help me with my car rental problem, even though that problem only arose because Delta cancelled my original flight.

The following morning I called Delta again and spoke with a supervisor. She also told me she could not help me with the rental car, but agreed to refund the cost of the airfare.

I don't think a customer should be penalized and have to pay more for a trip if an airline cancels a flight. The very least Delta should have done was offer to make up the difference in the car rental or given me a travel voucher. Also, Delta should have contacted me directly by phone with a human representative who could have handled the situation from the beginning, instead of me having to call and be placed on hold. I am very disappointed in the customer service that I received from Delta (or failed to receive) and that I was not able to take a trip I had been looking forward to for months.

I also filed a complaint with the Atlanta Better Business Bureau and with the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection Division.