In rare instances, it may be necessary to temporarily suspend your travel plans. We are committed at Delta to minimize any inconvenience associated with these flight disruptions. In addition, we will work to make sure that you have complete and timely information to help you understand your options. The following are some frequently asked questions about our policies and procedures for accommodating passengers who have had their travel plans temporarily interrupted.
Every major airline accepts more reservations for flights than it has seats available.
This practice is known as overbooking. This means they change their travel plans but do not cancel their reservations. If airlines only booked reservations according to the number of seats on a plane, then potential customers would be denied their travel preference and a number of flights would leave with empty seats. To avoid this situation, the airline industry monitors no-show trends and books reservations to meet the expected passenger load. But there are flights, even with the best forecasting techniques, in which more customers appear than expected.