I had an upcoming flight booked, and from the time I booked the flight dropped its price about 4 times. I guess I am not too good at timing when to book flights haha. Thankfully, Delta generally makes it quite easy to get an eCredit of the difference between the price paid and the new price.

If I notice a price drop, I normally go to “Change Flight” on the app, look up the same flight and it will show the new price. Once I click through, I get to a payment screen that will say something along the lines of “Remaining eCredit Amount Due to Passenger”. Click confirm, and you should get a new eCredit that you can use for your future flight!

Issue:

On my last change, I went through the normal prompts and clicked confirm. I got a confirmation email showing the amount applied to be higher than the ticket price, but noticed that at the bottom of the email, there was no eCredit issued. Odd.

Normally when I do these types of changes, I will see this message towards the bottom of the email. This will show that an eCredit has been issued.

Check for this on your changed reservation confirmation email!

I also went to check in my Wallet on my SkyMiles account and did not see any new eCredit. Something was wrong.

Contacting Support:

I first tried via iMessage, but the agent couldn’t see anything and told me to contact support over the phone. I was on hold for about 20 minutes, then spoke with an agent who wasn’t helpful at all. After explaining the situation, she seemed unenthused and said she would transfer me to a supervisor.

After a brief wait, thankfully the supervisor was very friendly and helpful. She did some digging and was confused like myself on why I wasn’t issued a credit for the fare difference. Then, she called ticketing and they issued me the fare difference on an eCredit and it popped up in my account.

The supervisor didn’t really have an explanation for what went wrong, so perhaps it was just a tech glitch.

The Verdict:

I was happy that the supervisor was able to help me get the eCredit, but it did take up time with a phone call. The moral of the story is to make sure if you make any changes due to your Delta fare dropping in price, to check if your Delta eCredit was actually issued! I’m not sure if it was a one-off situation, but it was definitely odd that the system didn’t issue the eCredit.

Have you had tech issues when changing a Delta flight and obtaining an eCredit? Share your experience below!

Cheers,

Ty

The strangest bag check-in:

There was a bit of an inconvenience when I tried to check my bag. I had landed in Toronto the previous night, collected my bag from the carousel, spent the night in a hotel and then arrived at the airport in the morning for my flight. I couldn’t check my bag on the self check terminal and so called over a representative to help me. He checked in the system and said to me “The system says your bag is still in the airport in transit to Dallas”. I said ” That is silly as here it is” pointing to said bag. It got weirder as he said the system will not allow me to check the bag as it is in the system on my name already.

and a bit stranger still:

After a bit of muddling in the system and not being able to sort it out I eventually had to check it on my wife’s ticket. Now that complicates the story even more as my wife was not checking in to the flight. Seeing as I had had to stay overnight we had booked her another ticket to fly on to Dallas the previous night. I still had her ticket so I took it out and used it to check my bag. There didn’t seem to be any other way to get my bag on the flight seeing as the agent had said it was proving impossible to put it on my ticket.

Toronto airport has a full customs area to check all passengers flying into the United States. Once you are through you are technically in the United States already as once you land in Dallas you just walk off the plane into the terminal with no checks.  

At the gate I was concerned that if my wife didn’t board there might be complications with my bag so I explained to the agent that my wife was not going to make the flight. I asked if she could move the bag to my ticket and she said sure, and one minute later gave me a new baggage tag with the suitcase on my ticket. Strange but true. 

The flight had been announced as full and I saw later in the flight that they had sold my wife’s ticket as there was a lady who sat next to me in her seat. So it ended up being a win-win for me and them.

On board:

https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home//onboard/fleet.html#/

The flight is around 4 hours but we are in an Embraer E175 which is a smaller design and has a seating plan of 2+2.

Embraer E175 2×2 seating

There is a sweet looking overhead unit that has the light, air vent, button for calling the attendant, a speaker and seat belt sign.

Overhead unit

The plane has such small overhead baggage bins that most normal sized hand luggage had to be checked at the gate as they won’t fit. 

Small luggage bins

Air Canada has a fun safety message video that takes staff to many different regions in Canada, they interact with local people and then demonstrate the safety procedures with local and airline equipment. On a mountain or on a snow covered field, it is quite a fun video. 

Air Canada safety video

As you can see the Embraer E175 has a really nice entertainment system with a good sized screen. There was a nice choice of newer films but I delved into the past and caught up on one of the Twilight series of movies that I hadn’t seen. 

Safety and food card:

The safety card was well past its prime but was still informative. Exit procedures for water and land and a sweet pictogram of how to put a safety jacket onto a baby.

Safety card with water evacuation

and the land evacuation

Meals, snacks and drinks list

Meal combinations

On board facilities:

So I toured the toilet in the interests of a complete review. Small and everything you would expect of an on board loo. Many no smoking signs, paper tissues, seat covers, toilet rolls. A clever jacket hook on the door. 

Basin and hand soap

All the paper you will need

No smoking on either side of the door.

View from the window:

There was a pleasant view of a fellow Air Canada plane taxiing past.

View from the window

I ended up purchasing a fruit and cheese board which was rather tasty, had a cup of hot tea and overall had a really nice flight. On arrival in Dallas there it was. After an interesting journey my bag was ready for collection on the carousel. 

And that is the end of my trip and the story of how I got my bag on the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dallas.

They make the day a little brighter on a good day, a lot lighter on a long day.

To celebrate the first Friday of May, I thought I’d share a small collection and light commentaries of 5 clips/videos that made me laugh.

1. Cat Watching a Horror Movie (listen with sounds):

The cat is the star of the movie.  So expressive.  I don’t think I even watch movies with such intensity, haha.

2. “Peaches” from Super Mario Brothers movie 

Peaches is a song from the Super Mario Brothers movie, which had done very well in the box office.

Skip this section if you don’t want a spoiler.  I think the song was supposed to be silly and hilarious.  But something about it just works in the movie.  Maybe it’s the earnestness of the character.  Or the passion and the melo-dramatic vibe. Maybe it’s so fragile coming from an character you don’t expect.  Or the fact that the element of love/pain is expressed in such a raw simple way.

Whatever it is, this song is super catchy and it makes me happy.

3. Skiing Flop

Maybe this first one isn’t harmless for those involved.  I shouldn’t laugh, after all, I even have an embarrassing memory of the first time I went on a T-Bar lift and they had to stop for me.  But this one takes the cake.

I don’t have an embed link:  Short Clip (opens in  new window) – play it with sounds!

4.  Toddler with Wonderful Timing and Energy

I don’t have an embed link on this one, but I love the energy!  Made me smile:  Short Clip (opens in new window)

5.  British Accent Comedy Reel

Given that there is a historic event with the coronation of King Charles III tomorrow, I thought I’d wrap with this amusing classic comedy reel:

No embed link on this one either:  Short Clip (opens in a new window)

And that’s a wrap for this week’s.

Spread love and …laughter.

ATR 72-600 turboprop plane

https://www.atr-aircraft.com/our-aircraft/atr-72-600/

We had landed at Bangkok Airport after a long flight from the USA, had a very pleasant experience with the Coral Executive lounge in the domestic terminal and were ready for the flight to Koh Samui.

Coral Executive Lounge in the domestic terminal

Flight boarding:

There is a downstairs area of 3 or 4 gates that are used for passengers that have to be taken out to their planes by bus. Group one (rows 1-10) was called and went through, boarded the bus and were taken to the plane. Then Group 2 (rows 11-20) was called and the same happened with us. 

I always enjoy being taken out to a plane by bus. It means we pass close by some really big planes that I would not normally see from up close.

ATR 72-600

The Bangkok Airways planes look older as there are a lot of oil stains on the wings, looks like they haven’t been washed in a while.

We flew on Bangkok Airways HS-PZE. Just looking at the flight plans for the past week this plane has flown between Bangkok and Koh Samui, Phuket, Rayong, Sukhothai, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap and Lampang at up to 8 flights a day.  

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/hs-pze

We had to check one piece of our hand luggage as this plane has quite narrow luggage racks on board and the thicker suitcases will not fit. We boarded through the entrance at the back of the plane and took our seat in row 18. This plane has 2+2 seating so I had the window and my wife had the aisle. 

Inside the ATR 72-600

I love flying but for some reason I have always been a bit tentative about flying commercially in a propellor plane. In the past I flew between 3 different islands in the Caribbean by smaller propellor plane with no problems so I have no real grounds for my tentativeness. The engines sounded wonderful as they started up, there is such a reassuring growl sound to the propellors as they get up to speed. 

We flew quite low, around 20,000 feet but because the whole flight is over the sea there was nothing to look at but the wide, gloriously blue Bay of Thailand.

On board Service:

Bangkok Airways advertises themselves as Asia’s Boutique Airline and that is why they have the service provided.

Asia’s Boutique Airline

The flight is less than and hour and a half but you are still served a breakfast meal and drinks service. 

Breakfast meal

Cut fruit – papaya, dragon fruit and pineapple

Omelette and potatoes

The meal was really tasty. It was an omelette with potatoes and sauce, some cut fruit (papaya, dragon fruit and pineapple) and a packet of dried banana crisps which I loved. The spice used on the banana chips is intriguing. There is a really tasty tamarind orange drink that comes with breakfast which I also loved. You are supplied with a small bottle of water with your meal and then there is tea and coffee available too. 

Water, orange juice and tea

 It was a very pleasant unexpected meal on a shortish flight. 

ATR 72-600 safety card:

Safety card symbols

Being out over the water meant the safety card was quite important. It is fun looking at a card in a language with a different alphabet to your own. The card had English, Thai and Chinese words. This plane has no rafts on exiting so your life jacket will be extra important. 

Safety card front page

Land evacuation instructions

Water evacuation instructions

The safety card looked really well used but all the information was very clear. 

In-Flight Variety booklet

There is also an In-Flight Variety booklet with in flight shopping available. Some useful holiday items like sunglasses and hats were available. A nice touch for flights out to the islands and holiday resorts. 

Exiting the ATR 72-600

Landing at Koh Samui:

It was an uneventful trip. We landed and then taxied to a parking area on the tarmac. We exited from the rear again and got on small open air carts for transportation to the luggage area. It was a fun way to arrive in the sun at Koh Samui airport.

Koh Samui airport sign

There is only 1 baggage carousel that I saw and the bags were out within 10 minutes. 

Baggage area

As you walk out of the baggage hall there is a road where some buses for different hotels are waiting. It is not initially apparent but there is another pickup area ‘upstairs’ off to the left and up an escalator. That was where we were meeting our ride. 

Our Bangkok Airways flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui on the ATR 72-600 turboprop plane was great. It made a pleasant start to our island vacation. 

Bangkok Airways advertise themselves as Asia’s Boutique Airline and they provide a very enjoyable experience.

On my recent visit to Europe, I purchased a new Rimowa luggage as it was cheaper in Europe than in the United States. It is due to the currency exchange rate, as well as the Global Blue tax refund you can get.

My Purchase:

I got my luggage in Amsterdam and the Rimowa Store is also partnered with Global Blue to receive your tax back. The Netherlands has a 21% VAT rate, and with my purchase, I was told that I would end up getting 75 EUR back on my credit card on a 685 EUR purchase, which is a little less than an 11% refund. Transaction costs and fees from Global Blue eat up a lot of the refund.

Global Blue Form that I got from Rimowa

I was fine with that, but I noticed on my credit card that I only received $73 USD back? How could that be? Currently, the Euro is stronger than the dollar. Since it seemed fishy, I asked Global Blue to clarify.

They essentially pointed me to their website which states:

If you want to receive your refund to Visa, MasterCard, and Diners, your credit card account will be credited in the billing currency of your credit card. In case of UnionPay card and Amex, it will be credited in US Dollars (USD).

So the terms and conditions essentially force you to receive the refund in your billing currency, which in my case is in US Dollars. I do not need them to refund me in US Dollars, as I have a no-foreign transaction fee card. I rather them refund me in Euros and have my credit card company do the conversion.

Alternatively, it would be totally fine if they refund me in US Dollars with a favorable exchange rate conversion, but no. Here is what their terms say.

In case the billing currency of your credit card differs from the original purchase currency, a currency conversion takes place.

In such situation an amount up to EUR 1.00 will be deducted from the tax refund per each Tax Free Form due to the scheme fee applied on Visa or Mastercard transactions.

Additionally, a currency conversion fee of 3% to 5% of the refund amount in original currency will be deducted in case your currency differs from the currency of the purchase.

Yikes. Fees galore. So this is how my 75 EUR refund was turned into just 73 USD.

Original refund amount: 75 EUR
Scheme fee: 1 EUR
Currency conversion fee applied: 5 %
Currency conversion fee applied: 3.75 EUR
Amount to convert (excluding the fees): 70.25 EUR
Daily conversion rate: 1.043 (EUR to USD)
Payment amount: 70.25 * 1.043 = 73.28 USD

If they had just refunded the 75 EUR to my credit card, I would have probably seen closer to 80 USD at the time of the refund, as their daily conversion rate was also worse than my credit card. So, being $7 USD short makes the overall refund about 1% less as a whole.

Considering anyone buying tax-free goods probably has a different billing currency from the original purchase currency, a conversion is practically always going to be taking place…thus Global Blue makes more money.

The Verdict:

Overall, this is an annoying business practice. On top of the large commissions they already charge, now forcing a tax refund to be in my home currency and charging extra fees on top of it eats away at the tax savings when shopping abroad.

Have you used Global Blue for your tax refund purchases when abroad? Have you experienced a similar situation? Share your experience below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

My friend and I wanted to rent a car for the day after the completion of my cruise so I could go around the city before my nighttime JetBlue flight. I rented from National Car Rental as my AMEX Platinum Card grants me National Executive Status. You can also gain up to Executive Elite status via a status match program utilizing your hotel status.

As an Executive or Executive Elite, you get Executive Area Access where you can choose any car (Fullsize and above) in the Executive Area as long as you book a mid-size (in the US and Canada). I wrote about being under 25 and not being allowed to rent from the Executive Aisle, but now that I am 25, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. One perk of getting older, I suppose!

National Car Rental Fort Lauderdale:

Once you arrive at the Car Rental Center in Fort Lauderdale, Emerald Club members can proceed straight to the lot and they do not need to check in with a representative. Emerald Club members can proceed to choose a car from the Emerald Aisle, while Executive and Executive Elite members can choose a car from the Executive Area. We arrived around 10am on a Monday morning.

National Car Rental Executive Area:

On my last rental at Newark (EWR), the Executive Area wasn’t anything special, with mostly just large trucks and full-sized vehicles.

But at Fort Lauderdale (FLL), there was actually quite a nice selection. We first passed by a Mustang.

Fort Lauderdale Executive Area: Mustang

Then there was a large assortment of Full Sized SUVs, as well as Minivans. There was a Cadillac which was tempting. Additionally, I spotted an Alfa Romeo Stelvio, but someone had already snagged it. I really wanted to try out that car!

Fort Lauderdale Executive Area

As I was searching, an attendant was pulling up to park a luxury midsize SUV, the BMW X3. Keys were in the car, so we quickly snatched that, and off we went to the exit!

BMW X3

The BMW X3:

I’m quite familiar with the car as a family member has it, but this one was a new model with only 1,500 miles on it which was nice. Certainly, a nice car to cruise around the city with for a day! And, a nice substantial upgrade from booking a mid-size car. The only thing that I could nitpick on is that it would have been nice if the outside of the car was cleaner.

The Verdict:

Overall, National Car Rental Executive Aisle at Fort Lauderdale (FLL) had a good selection. We had a great time with the new BMW X3, and hopefully next time I can try out that Alfa Romeo!

Have you rented from the National Car Rental Executive Area before? What car did you get? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

Back in September of 2022, I wrote about booking Delta One Suites with Virgin Atlantic Points from New York to Amsterdam roundtrip. I was quite excited to be flying on the Delta One Suites both ways on the A330-900neo.

Delta currently offers 2 flights in each direction from New York (JFK) to Amsterdam (AMS). One flight is served by the A330-300 with the older seats, and the other flight is served by the A330-900neo with Delta One Suites.

Delta Removed Me From Delta One Suites in January:

Then at the beginning of January, I received an email from Virgin Atlantic about a flight change regarding my inbound leg from Amsterdam to New York. My original flight was DL49, and it was scheduled to depart Amsterdam at 11am. This flight was moved to depart one hour later at 12pm, so somehow Delta decided to take me off DL49 and put me on DL47 departing an hour earlier than my original flight at 10am. And so, Delta removed me from Delta One Suites! This meant that I would be flying on the old non-suite plane.

Old Delta One on the A330-300

I really didn’t mind leaving an hour later, I honestly rather would prefer it to leaving an hour earlier. So, I first tried calling Delta to see if I could stay on my original DL49 flight. The first person I talked to told me to call Virgin, and so I called Virgin but they said that since there was no award space open, they couldn’t do anything. Hmm. I decided to call Delta again, and this person essentially told me to call back when it was closer to the flight (a week or two) because they couldn’t do anything about it right now.

To make matters even more interesting, I found out that my outbound flight from New York to Amsterdam wasn’t changed with regards to the schedule, but the equipment was swapped from Delta One Suites (A330-900neo) to the old non-suites plane (A330-300). Sigh. We started with two suites flights, and now we ended up with zero (for now).

Calling Delta A Week Before:

About a week and a half before my flight, I decided to call Delta again. This time, a very helpful agent tried her best to get me back on my original flight. While I was on the phone for about an hour, she was able to connect to a special team to get me re-ticketed to my original flight. Yay!

All I had to do after was call Virgin Atlantic to reissue my ticket. I got a new ticket within a day, and we were all good to go. At least I would get to try Delta One Suites on my flight home!

Delta One Suites on the A330-900neo

A Mini-Panic:

Two days before I was supposed to fly from Amsterdam to New York in Delta One Suites, I noticed on the App that my seat was changed, and it went from the “Delta One Suites” to just “Delta One”. Oh no, another equipment swap!

I called to confirm, and the agent said that they did do an equipment swap. I was bummed, but then the next day I noticed something very odd. On the app, it said our inbound plane was an A330-900neo with Delta One Suites. Could it be true? At this point, Delta locked the seat map and it still displayed the old plane “A330-300” as the aircraft serving the flight. What’s even odder was that I had to check-in with KLM at the online check-in. On the KLM site though, it showed the A330-900neo with Delta One Suites, so thankfully Delta switched back!

Delta One Suites Large IFE Screen and Mood Lighting

The Verdict:

While it was annoying that Delta removed me from Delta One Suites for both my legs, I’m happy that they at least were able to put me back in Delta One Suites for my inbound flight home. The Delta One Suites product on the A330-900neo is much nicer than the old non-suites product on the A330-300. I’m not sure if all airlines are switching out planes and schedules as much as it seems like Delta is, but I’d be curious to know.

Schedule changes can be annoying as they can even sometimes result in an equipment swap. I recommend making sure to keep track of any emails or texts regarding your flights, as it is better to try to fix any issues that arise earlier than later. Especially in other cases that are more severe, such as when Delta downgraded me from paid Delta One to the Main Cabin, attempting to fix an issue earlier may allow you a better chance to fix it.

Have you had an experience similar to this before? Were you able to fix it? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I needed to get from Amsterdam Airport to Cologne to meet a friend for a visit. There are direct trains from Amsterdam, but they are very few and were either too early before I landed in Amsterdam, or way in the evening. So, I had to research some with connections, and the seemingly most comfortable and cost-efficient would be to book in advance on the high-speed trains with Thalys. One leg from Amsterdam Airport to Brussels, and the second leg from Brussels to Cologne. I booked Thalys Standard and Premium Class tickets and got to try out each for one leg.

First Leg: Standard (2nd Class)

I booked a standard (2nd Class) ticket from Amsterdam Schipol Airport to Brussels which was EUR 19 for the cheapest standard “Youth” fare, which is for those under 26. I purchased this ticket about a month in advance. Tickets can go up to EUR 89 on the day of departure, so if your travel schedule permits, it can be helpful to book ahead. The standard cheapest ticket is exchangeable and refundable without a fee until 7 days before the departure. The ticket is exchangeable with a EUR 15 fee until the departure time and refundable without a fee until 7 days before the departure.

Thalys Train

Someone was in my seat when I got on the train so I just went to another empty row. Unfortunately at the next stop, someone was assigned to the seat I took so I just bounced around again.

The seats are cushioned in red cloth, and contain Type C power plugs (make sure to bring an adapter if you use different power plugs). If you have the normal seats, there will be a tray table you can pull down to work on your laptop, or there are also seats that face each other with a table in between. When I booked my tickets on the Thalys website, they didn’t really let me choose my seats, but rather they assigned me a seat. Seats are comfortable and in a 2-2 configuration.

Thalys Standard Class (Seats that face each other)

Thalys Standard Class Seats

There was also Wi-Fi onboard and it was fairly easy to connect to and the internet worked throughout the ride.

Overall, a quick and easy way to get from Amsterdam to Brussels. No complaints here, and it was essentially the same experience I had when I took Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris back in 2019.

Second Leg: Premium (First Class)

The youth fare for premium (1st class) had a solid special for first class, and it was EUR 57. It was only EUR 12 more than the lowest Standard (second class) ticket at the time. The refundable Premium (first class) ticket can be changed or refunded until 1 hour after the train’s departure. There is another class, in between Standard and Premium called Comfort. Essentially, Comfort is a cabin that provides the Premium Class seat but no lounge access or food included. I wouldn’t mind Comfort, but for some reason, it was more expensive than Premium when I was booking.

Thalys Lounge at Brussels Midi:

I had about an hour to spare with my connection, and in Brussels, there is a Thalys Lounge. It’s right across the alley/street from the actual station.

Thalys Lounge Brussels

Outside of Thalys Brussels Lounge

It’s a very basic lounge, but much nicer than waiting at the station itself. Tea, coffee and water are available. The tea bags were provided by Palais Des Thés, which surprised me as that is a tea brand served at luxury hotels. There are also clean restrooms in the lounge which is a major plus. The lounge was quite empty during my noon visit on a Wednesday.

The Premium Seats are in a 1-2 configuration and offer more legroom than the standard seats. There are normal seats with a tray table that folds out from the seat behind you and those that face each other with a table.

Seats also recline and have power plugs.

Thalys Premium Class Seat

Premium Class Seating

After boarding, a meal service commenced which was a nice touch with Premium. The train from Brussels to Cologne is only 1 hour and 50 minutes but on Thalys, any international journey over 50 minutes has a meal service included.

Depending on the length of your ride, you are offered a bit different choices. The guy in front of me joined over an hour earlier from Paris and had larger plates to choose from. Those from Brussels, got smaller plates to choose from. Our choices were a broccoli pesto sandwich or a sweet pear pastry. These came with tea, juice and a soft drink. I opted for the broccoli pesto sandwich and it was actually pretty decent. I was also kind of hungry at the time, so most snacks would have been good for me to be honest.

Premium Class Meal Service (Brussels to Cologne)

Overall, I thought the meal service, plus 1-2 configuration with larger seats could definitely be worth it on crowded trains and if the upgrade fee is minimal. I’m happy I paid the extra 12 EUR.

The Verdict:

Thalys Standard and Premium Class were both comfortable ways to travel from Amsterdam, Brussels and Cologne. I would not hesitate to take them again for my future travels.

Have you been on the trains with Thalys Standard and Premium Class before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

I booked a cash fare on Delta One from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) for flights during the past holiday season.  Five hours before my flight, I got a text from Delta saying that my seat was changed due to an equipment swap. And not just that, but Delta downgraded me to the Main Cabin. 

Downgrade Text

Why Did Delta Downgrade Me?

Even though both planes were 767-300’s, they have different configurations. The new plane assigned (76K as Delta calls it) only has 26 Delta One Business Class seats. Versus, the original plane I was originally assigned on (76L) has 36 seats in Delta One. Meaning, they ended up 10 seats short. It seems that my original plane was delayed from Europe, so they swapped the plane to make sure our flight was on time.

Delta One on 767-300 (76K)

What About Premium Select?

Interestingly, I saw that the new plane that would be operating our flight had a “Premium Select” with 18 seats. Why weren’t the people downgraded accommodated into that cabin? The lady sitting next to me, and a couple two rows behind us were all part of the 10 who got downgraded and we all ended up together in the Main Cabin. I think Delta just didn’t try hard enough to accommodate and put us wherever they could. Downgrading to Premium Select would definitely have made the experience feel better and as if they put an effort given the circumstances.

Premium Select Cabin on 767-300 (76K)

On the plus side, even though my ticket was showing “Main Cabin”, it was actually a Comfort Plus seat with a bit more legroom, but they sell it as a standard Main Cabin seat on domestic flights. The couple who was 2 rows behind me ended up in a standard Main Cabin seat, and I heard two other people grumbling down the aisle complaining about being downgraded and in row 50. I got lucky, to say the least.

The lady who sat next to me was quite friendly and joked that it would be nice if we got the meals that we both pre-ordered in Delta One. I told her that would be very surprising if it came true. As predicted, we did not receive our pre-orders- who would have thought!

Main Cabin (Domestic) Comfort Plus (International) on 767-300 (76K)

Any Rebooking Options?

So, after I got the text informing me of the change, I immediately called Delta. They said all flights in Delta One were sold out for the day due to the holidays and upcoming weather. Thus, there were no other options. They did add me to the standby for an earlier flight, but there were no seats available. I also checked with an agent at the JFK Delta Sky Club when I arrived at the airport. Sadly, nothing new popped up. She did tell me to reach out via phone/email after I completed my flight and that I would get a refund of the difference between the Main Cabin to Delta One plus something for the inconvenience. Love how I have to reach out, can’t they proactively do it? 🙂

Refunds Timeline

I submitted a refund request complaint online the day after I completed my flight. The automated email said current response times may exceed 30 days in some instances. About 14 days later, a day or so after completing the final leg of my roundtrip, I finally received an email that seemed partially automated. It was from a Refunds Solutions Specialist that refunded the difference between the Delta One fare to the Main Cabin. I’m unsure how they would calculate the price on that, but with the refund it made the Main Cabin ticket end up costing me $160 one way which seemed to be fair. Oddly, the case number it referenced wasn’t the same as my refund request complaint, so I figured they hadn’t fully addressed it yet.

At day 30 I wanted to check the status of my complaint after hearing nothing on email. So, I called in and got connected to customer care. After explaining my situation, in addition to the fare difference I had received, she said I was eligible for $250 eCredit or 10,000 SkyMiles for the trouble, so I took the eCredit. It seems a bit low given how much they have been giving out in eCredits when looking for volunteers on full flights. But, it’s in line with what people on Reddit have shared with similar experiences to mine. Looks like Delta downgrades people quite often…yikes.

The Verdict:

Out of hundreds of flights I’ve been on, this has been a first for me for getting downgraded on a flight. I do feel Delta could have been more proactive with the whole experience including the refund and complaint resolution. Hopefully, those who are reading never have to deal with this.

Have you been downgraded before from Delta One to the Main Cabin? Or on another carrier? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!

Hard Rock assumed operations control of the Mirage Las Vegas on Monday, December 19th. The hotel will continue to operate as The Mirage Hotel & Casino until renovations are completed as it rebrands to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. While on my way to Vegas, I saw a post from Miles to Memories that highlighted a new status match to Unity by Hard Rock at the Mirage, and that it could get you $100 free!

So, I decided to take a visit to Mirage during my trip and see what I could get!

Status Match to the Unity by Hard Rock Program:

With Hard Rock’s acquisition, The Mirage Las Vegas is now part of the Unity by Hard Rock loyalty program, but they used to be part of MGM Rewards. So, they are currently matching MGM Rewards to the new Unity Program. You’ll want to find a Unity desk (there are 2). One is a small desk next to the sports book, and one is the main desk to the right of the Beatles LOVE show.

Unity Players Club

Unity by Hard Rock Status Match

The sign above seems to be incorrect as of now. In fact, MGM Rewards Pearl gets you Legend, Gold gets you ICON. Perhaps it’s an introductory offer?

You can get MGM Rewards Pearl from Hyatt Discoverist, and MGM Rewards Gold from Hyatt Explorist/Globalist. Online, you can easily link your Hyatt to MGM.

My dad and I have MGM Gold from previous status matches, and so we were able to do the match after printing out our current cards again from Bellagio. MGM Rewards Gold gets you ICON, and the main benefit of the match is that you get 10,000 Unity Points. That can be used for $100 at shops or dining, or converted at 175pts:$1 for Free Slot Play (so about $57 in Slot Play).

ICON Card from Matching MGM Gold

Also, Pearl gets you Legend, and you’ll get 5,000 Utility Points, which can be used for $50 at shops or dining, or converted at 180pts:$1 for Free Slot Play (so about $28 in Slot Play). My mom has Hyatt Discoverist from her Hyatt Credit Card, so she was able to get MGM Pearl and then match to Hard Rock Legend!

Perks and Tiers of Unity Program

Where to Use the Credit!

Since the program and matching is so new, there were a few hiccups. First, certain stores said they weren’t taking paying with points (Starbucks, one of the Sundries stores), and one restaurant wasn’t too sure if the system would work. We ended up checking out the Pantry, which is the main casual American restaurant for lunch, and the hostess sounded confident points would work there (which it did).

We used a $100 credit on brunch at the Pantry, and it was quite tasty! I really enjoyed my Cobb Salad, and the chicken wings were quite good.

The Pantry

Click to view slideshow.

My mom got some pastries from the one of the snack shops and was able to use her credit. Since we didn’t know when we would come to Vegas next, and the points expire 6 months after inactivity, we decided to convert the remaining credits to slot play for some fun!

The Verdict:

Overall, it was a fun status match to receive $100 Dining free at Mirage (or about $57 in Free Play) with MGM Gold! Since the match just started and the Hard Rock just gained ownership of the Mirage, the systems are a bit off at the moment, but I think the transition woes should subside soon! All the staff was really friendly; it just took a bit longer to get the match and the credits to work.

Have you gotten the $100 Dining Free at Mirage Las Vegas? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!