Cheap Flights From Kansas City, Missouri To Portland, Maine

“No pilot, delayed flight, refused to refund my $150 fee to change flight”

by mainetravel on September 9, 2010

Flight from Kansas City to Portland

Airline:

Delta

RT/OW

Round Trip

Number of Stops:

1 stop in Detroit, Michigan

Date of Flight:

September 2010

Seat Class:

economy

I paid Delta the $150 charge to change my flight to a 1:35 p.m. flight from KC to Portland, ME, with about an hour connecting time in Detroit. Everything was fine when I checked in my bag. Soon afterward, however, the flight was delayed by about an hour. I went to the original baggage check in counter and the woman there was extremely helpful. She found that Delta had not scheduled staff well for the weekend so the flight did not have a pilot assigned to it. A pilot was finally assigned, coming in off another flight. Since the plane was already there, it could be prepped and she assured me that I would be able to make my connection. However, the flight was delayed longer. At the gate, they started calling people up who would miss their flight. Since they didn't call me, I went up and asked. They then informed me that I wouldn't be allowed on the flight since I would not make the connection. I asked about the reimbursement for the $150 charge since I wasn't getting onto the flight. They gave me a number to call. I didn't get into Portland until 4 hours later than scheduled (just before midnight) and was unable to make the 3-hour drive home that night. When I called about the refund, they refused. Since I have family in Kansas, I fly in and out of MCI a couple times a year and very, very frequently have difficulty with overbooked or delayed flights or other problems at that airport. It's TSA security set up is convenient, though.