Delta Fares

Do I have the right to cancel and refund flights to New York?

My brother and I bought flights to New York in February, departing in October. We specifically went with Delta air as they were direct flights and we made it clear to our travel agents that we did not want any stops. Today (June 20th) the travel agent phoned to tell us that our flight to New York is now leaving earlier than scheduled and there will be a 2 hour stop in Paris and that we will now be travelling for 13 hours instead of 7. Im obviously angry about this. I have tried to look at the terms and conditions and the only thing I see is that cancellations are only acceptable if something serious happens...i.e somebody dies. What are my rights?? I just want to cancel with a refund...I did purchase it on my credit card. any opinions?? xx

Public Comments

1. Technically the airline is allowed to change their schedule – their responsibility then is to get you to your destination as close to the original scheduled time as possible. If the delay is significant (usually more than an hour) you can reasonably ask to be put on another flight that might arrive sooner, or on a flight with another airline. In airline jargon, protecting you on another flight due to a delay when flying domestically is known as ‘rule240’; if flying overseas, this is known as ‘rule 80’. If your flight is not cancelled but there has been a ‘schedule change’ - a change in flight times - you can also ask for your money back even on a non-refundable ticket if you don’t like the schedule change. Speak with the agent; it's their responsibility to take care of this for you. If you don't get satisfaction, deal directly with the airline. Remember to keep your cool and be polite, no matter how angry you are.
2. Talk to your credit card company. Many tickets are not refundable.