Customer service is dead
 

I have already changed my flight once and paid a change fee. I got off work early, drove over 100 miles to the airport to find out I can't fly standby. The counter told me I had to call customer service and change my flight, so after about an hour on the phone I find out it's going to be $250 to change my flight and that's with the $200 change fee being "waived".

I'm flying out of Bismarck, ND (not a major airport), I know there's seats available and Delta won't assign me a new ticket unless I pay another $250 on top of the $320 I've already paid. It seems completely unreasonable to me and if I have a choice I won't be flying delta in the future.

I wouldn't either. In fact, when you go to the news people, tell them that it was ridiculous they waived a 200 dollar fee and they should have broke all the rules of the ticket to accommodate you. Absolutely asinine of the airline not to waive everything!!!

I agree that there are rules and fees and they were attempting to help me a little bit. However, a new ticket on a different airline was only about $150 so as you can imagine a $250 change fee which was down from a $450 change fee was a bit of a shock.

I've been flying Southwest for years who doesn't charge for bags, snacks or flying standby so I guess I've been spoiled by good customer service and all the fees were a shock.

The really stupid thing with airlines is that the people on the phone tell you you have to change tickets, get boarding passes, etc. at the airport, and then when you get to the airport, the agent tells you you have to call the airlines to get things changed.

This is such a crock of B.S.

Not entirely true. It's true they don't charge a change fee but you can only standby for earlier or later flights on the same day if you purchased an unrestricted (business select or anytime) fare. If you purchased a lower fare you have to pay the fare difference, which can be substantial. UA, for example, charges a flat 75.00 fee for a confirmed seat on a different flight the same day, but most of their employees don't even know that so they will usually let you standby for free. You have to go to the airport. Telephone agents will tell you that they don't allow standby at all.