delta.com

...in the fare, so using delta.com I booked the ticket.

==The Website==

Delta's website is reasonably user friendly. You can search for several types of tickets, including multi-city, a feature that most, but not all, online flight reservation centres have.

Once you enter your travel requirements in the search engine, Delta will tell you what flights are available and the price. If you enter a UK departure airport ...
...no need for a local website for bookings from Brits.

I always have a habit of requesting non-stop and so-called "direct" flights on websites as this way you have more choice. Of course sometimes the "direct" flights involve lengthy layovers at several airports, so it's useful to see Delta do tell you the total flying time of these "direct" flights.

Also, when all available flights come up you ... more

In April this year I made the decision that I was going to take a sentimental journey back to the US next year with my daughter.

Living in Edinburgh, I wanted to try and find a relatively straightforward way of getting to the West Coast, without complicated connections in countries I had no desire to visit.

After much searching online, I found that the best deals to be had flying from Edinburgh to Las Vegas in February next year were on Delta's own website, www.delta.com.

Noticing I would have to fly from Edinburgh to New York JFK, I decided I would plan my trip involving a stopover in the Big Apple, as I haven't been there since 2004 and hankered after a return. Even better, this didn't involve any increase in the fare, so using delta.com I booked the ticket.

The Website

Delta's website is reasonably user friendly. You can search for several types of tickets, including multi-city, a feature that most, but not all, online flight reservation centres have.

Once you enter your travel requirements in the search engine, Delta will tell you what flights are available and the price. If you enter a UK departure airport the price will immediately default to GBP meaning there is no need for a local website for bookings from Brits.

I always have a habit of requesting non-stop and so-called "direct" flights on websites as this way you have more choice. Of course sometimes the "direct" flights involve lengthy layovers at several airports, so it's useful to see Delta do tell you the total flying time of these "direct" flights.

Also, when all available flights come up you can click on "View Seats" to see what seats are available, which is useful given the fact there may well only be one seat available which is located beside the toilet and doesn't recline. Giving you the opportunity to see this and then decide if you want to book is a nice touch.

Delta have recently acquired Northwest Airlines but clearly they haven't managed to link up reservation systems because while Northwest flights will show on Delta's website, seating choices will not. This leads me to believe if you want to fly Northwest, you should head to the Northwest Airlines website for now.

Once you have chosen your flights you need to enter passenger information for everyone travelling and give Delta your e-mail address and a contact telephone number, and then payment details. Delta accept all major credit cards and unlike so many carriers don't add on extras you weren't expecting - including credit card fees. On the final page you can select the seats you would like for the flights you have booked.

Most of Delta's ticketing is done electronically, so once your booking is confirmed, you will receive your tickets in your e-mail inbox, along with a confirmation e-mail showing your itinerary and flight confirmation number.

You can access your booking on the website by clicking "Itineraries and Check-In". Delta will ask for the flight confirmation number and your name and once these details are entered, your itinerary will come up. You can change seats, request special meals and change your schedule using this.

After Booking

I was really pleased at how smooth it was to book the flights and I filed the paperwork away and dared to look forward to my trip across the pond.

All was well until two months later when my sister phoned me one evening. She travels a lot with her work and receives lots of e-mails from travel agents and travel websites. She had received one stating that Delta planned to discontinue the Edinburgh to New York flight with effect from September 2009, totally scuppering my plans.

I decided to telephone Delta to find out what was going on, and this is when my experience with the website faltered.

When I called up the booking on the website I couldn't change it - the itinerary still showed the direct flights I had planned to use to New York as valid so I obviously asked the staff, who were in the US, what I should do.

They were quite non-commital - they were aware the flight was being discontinued but said not to worry as there would be another alternative itinerary drawn up for me. Excellent, I said - so what is this alternative itinerary? This question was met with a brief silence and I was informed I would have to call Delta's UK office on the same number after 9.00 am the next day. Their call centre is staffed for much of the day but you have to wait till 9.00 am to speak to someone in this country.

I did this and was given an itinerary which completely disproves the theory that it's better to travel than to arrive. Firstly we would fly from Edinburgh to Paris. Then we would fly to New York. Alternatively I could fly from Edinburgh to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to New York. Hm, I thought - not bad. The original flight a few days later to Las Vegas would remain the same. I was nearly sold.

Then, however, the return itinerary was read out to me - Las Vegas to Cincinatti, Cincinatti to New York, New York to Paris and Paris to Edinburgh. Alternatively, I could fly from Las Vegas to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Edinburgh.

Wait, I said - you fly from New York to Manchester and London - couldn't I connect there? No was the reply - because SkyTeam do not have an airline in their alliance that could then transport me back to Edinburgh.

Had I been travelling on my own I may have just opted for one of the alternative schedules offered, however mindful of the fact I would have to do three or four flights with my daughter just to get home from Vegas, I realised I couldn't feasibly accept this so I asked for a refund.

To be fair to Delta, this was given without any quibble, however the manner in which it was done wasn't particularly efficient.

Perhaps I am naïve, however I had expected an e-mail to be sent to me confirming cancellation - however this failed to materialise. I thought the status would show if I were to check online using my flight confirmation number but when I entered my details into the website I realised the entire booking had been wiped from their system.

Delta had been very vague about how long it would take for the refund to show back on my credit card - one operator even suggesting it could take "28 working days". When I challenged her about how ridiculous this was she back tracked and suggested no longer than 2 weeks.

Well I waited a week and phoned again, only to be told if I wanted written confirmation of my refund I would have to go back to the website and use their "Contact Us" link to send an e-mail requesting it. Quite why an operator in their call centre couldn't send an e-mail remains a mystery.

Finally, after nearly 2 weeks the refund did appear, just as I had managed to make an alternative booking flying with Continental Airlines.

Overall

I found the Delta online experience to be excellent when I was booking the flights, however I felt the whole system's inadequacies became evident when Delta decided to pull out of the Edinburgh-New York route.

I also feel quite angry that they didn't send me an e-mail or phone me to inform me of this - if it hadn't have been for my sister I would have been blissfully unaware, which is a pretty sorry state of affairs, particularly when the website insists you give them contact information when you book.

As it was I still ended up having to pay more for the flights when I re-scheduled with Continental - although had I left it longer no doubt the price would have gone up even more.

So overall Delta's website is easy to use and you can find a bargain on it when booking transatlantic flights but be aware if something goes wrong or Delta decide to change something major, the website will be of little or no use.

**this review has previously been published by me on dooyoo under the same user name** 

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