Delta Air Lines Clarifies Schedule Change Policy for Travel Agencies

Delta Air Lines has provided more detail on its new policy requiring travel agencies to enter a new OSI message in the Passenger Name Record (PNR) after a significant schedule change, in order to confirm the customer’s acceptance instead of a refund.

According to a statement from Delta to TMR, entering the OSI message OSI DL ACCEPT DUE TO DL INVOL ensures that “customers have been advised of their refund eligibility and have accepted the schedule change instead of receiving a refund for the unused portion of the ticket.” Delta says this step protects impacted flyers from having their trips canceled and auto-refunded, while also allowing the agency to continue to service the booking.

Delta also shared the exact language defining what constitutes a “significant schedule change:”

• A flight cancellation;
• An earlier departure of three hours or more for domestic flights (six hours for international flights for tickets issued on/after Oct. 28, 2024);
• A later arrival of three hours or more for domestic flights (six hours for international flights for tickets issued on/after Oct. 28, 2024);
• A change in departure or arrival airport;
• A downgrade in cabin class;
• A change in routing that adds one or more stops;
• A flight number or operating carrier change;
• Any change that causes a misconnect.

For impacted customers, agencies may also rebook in the same cabin or issue a refund for the unused portion of the ticket, if the customer prefers not to travel. If customers do not accept the reaccommodation and no-show, Delta says all remaining flight segments will be canceled and automatically refunded.

Delta emphasized that the agency must enter the OSI message prior to canceling the itinerary, and refunds must be processed using the customer’s original form of payment.

Delta also reiterated the importance of including customer contact information in the PNR and properly advising customers of their rights.