If your flight changes and you are rebooked on something you don’t like, you are allowed to be rebooked at no charge(ONE time) or given a refund. This won’t work if you want to move your dates by a week but most EMPOWERED agents are happy to adjust your routing on the same days due to an undesirable rebooking by the system. Sometimes, even if it means overbooking the class of service(but not the plane), there must be available seats on the plane. You might have to escalate or off the bat ask for reissues.

American’s contract includes the following passage:

American will endeavor to carry you and your baggage with reasonable dispatch, but times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract. American may, without notice, substitute alternate carriers or aircraft and, if necessary, may alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket. Schedules are subject to change without notice. American is not responsible for or liable for failure to make connections, or to operate any flight according to schedule, or for a change to the schedule of any flight. Under no circumstances shall American be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages arising from the foregoing.

Delta has a similar clause in their contract:

Delta will use its best efforts to carry the passenger and baggage with reasonable dispatch. Times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract. Delta may without notice substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, and may alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket in case of necessity. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Delta is not responsible or liable for making connections, or for failing to operate any flight according to schedule, or for changing the schedule or any flight.

My emphasis added, in both cases.

I don’t know for certain that this is the passage that the airlines are relying on to justify any changes. But it seems to be the only real passage that relates even remotely to the case at hand.

But there are still two problems:
1) The “schedule” doesn’t refer to a specific ticket, but to the operations of the airline as a whole — to their timetable, and their operations. Those didn’t change; just the one ticket did.
2) Was this change to the tickets a case of “necessity”? I think not. After all, the original flights are still on the schedule.

Bottom line, by my reading, the airlines violated their contracts. Fight for your rights.

Sue the bastards!

The reason people are now compensated when airlines overbooked and are bumped from a flight is because they did it to Ralph Nader about 30-some odd years ago. He was bumped, missed a meeting, and sued. The rest is history. While Americans are certainly litigious, there are times when cheats should be put in their place. Sue Delta — call Nader, maybe he will do it for them.

FYI, the part about Ralph Nader is true. From a Scott McCartney column from 2006:

The answer dates back to 1967, when the Civil Aeronautics Board, which then regulated the airline industry, decided to allow airlines to overbook to cover no-shows. The board figured that extra revenue allowed airlines to offer lower fares, and that overbooking benefitted people who otherwise couldn’t buy a ticket, only to have the flight leave with empty seats.

The rules got tested in court 30 years ago when Allegheny Airlines, now US Airways, bumped consumer crusader Ralph Nader, and Nader sued. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that the federal government could allow airline bumping, but airlines had to offer compensation to volunteers first, essentially setting up an auction system. That’s why you hear gate agents asking for volunteers to give up seats in exchange for free tickets or travel vouchers.

“It was a spectacular success,” says Nader, who hasn’t been bumped off a flight since.