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Code Warriors
ChrisCrossings · June 10, 1999

Q: I hold a paid-for codesharing ticket with Delta Air Lines for travel on Korean Air to Seoul. Delta broke off its codeshare agreement and Delta cannot tell me what the status of my itinerary is. What is Delta legally required to do?

- William D'Alessandro

A: To get you to Seoul. A change in schedule -- whether it's because of a codesharing arrangement gone bad or just because Delta didn't think the route was profitable or safe enough for it -- is no excuse for leaving you high and dry. (A note for those of you are mystified by the term "codesharing": think of it as two airlines sharing one plane.)

According to Delta's rules, also known as its "conditions of carriage," it must book you on another flight, even if it's not on Delta, without charging you a penny. Or, if you're not happy with that arrangement, you get your money back, no questions asked. For a more detailed discussion of the conditions, check out the Incognitraveler.

Delta wanted to return your money in this case. But what then?

Fortunately, you were able to call on your travel agent for help. She went to war with Delta's unyielding and inappropriately named customer service department and finally managed to rebook you on the Korean Air flight you wanted.

I think this is one of those rare times when using an agent worked to your advantage. Consider the booking fee she charged as an insurance policy of sorts that protected you from an unscrupulous carrier. Now that's not meant as an endorsement of the agency system -- I still think most retailers are parasitic middlemen that are care more about commissions than their customers -- but even with its deep flaws, I can't ignore this fringe benefit.

If you buy your travel through an agent, make sure it's accredited by the likes of the American Society of Travel Agents, because a lot of agents -- er, scratch that, most agents, are middle-aged, shrimp-eating con artists. Finding a good one is like striking gold. After my travel agent went on maternity leave and left her agency, I stopped using an agent altogether. I couldn't find anyone in my area that I trusted.

Sorry about the tirade, William, but I can't figure out which of the two are more evil -- the airline or the agent. In your case, the agent turned out to be the good guy (or the good gal) but that's not always true. Sometimes the retailer is the one misleading you. But that's a subject for another column.

What your agent did, and what you would have had to do if you didn't book the ticket through her, is to hold Delta's feet to the fire by citing its own rule. It's easy. You walk up to the ticket counter and say, "excuse me, may I take a look at your conditions of carriage?" If the employee says no, he or she is in violation of federal law. You could really get her into trouble if you wanted to, by reporting her lapse to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Take a few minutes to read through the fine print, then draw a well-reasoned conclusion and ask the service agent to review your record. In this particular instance, Delta was clearly obligated to rebook you on the Korean flight if you wanted. It obviously didn't want to follow its own rule, which in this day and age of unchecked airline greed should come as no surprise.

The only question now is, do you really want to go? After all, Delta's stated reason for icing its pact with the Korean carrier because of its abysmal safety record. More than 700 people have been killed in the last two decades on the airline. Talk about a flying coffin.

Think it over, William.

Christopher Elliott can be reached at christopher@elliott.org. Or visit his home page at http://www.elliott.org.