Double-check Delta, Northwest tix during merge

Because I planned to use a companion ticket for my wife, Betty, I had to book our Delta round-trip flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago O’Hare, Oct. 14 and 21, 2009, by phone rather than online. I made my reservations on May 31 and was placed on flights actually operated by Northwest and stopping in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) both ways.

I confirmed the schedule and transaction online on the Delta website. My printouts showed the Delta flight numbers along with the Northwest flight numbers, with the notation that Northwest would be operating the flights.

I’ve had some difficulty in the past with this kind of arrangement (booked by one airline but operated by another). I finally was able to find my itinerary on the Northwest site by using the actual ticket numbers and, thus, got my Northwest “locator number” (confirmation number). These numbers are different for each airline.

On the Northwest site I found that they had changed the flight schedule on our first leg, LAX-MSP, which showed both a different flight number and departure time (about 50 minutes earlier). I also was told by Northwest Customer Service that on June 30, 2009, all Northwest ticket counters and flight schedules were to be combined on the Delta side of LAX Airport, moving them from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5.*

I would suggest that anyone similarly booked during the Delta absorption of Northwest do some diligence on both sites to confirm the accuracy of the data for the flights they think they have booked and confirmed via e-mail.

JOHN L. THOMPSON

Yorba Linda, CA

*On the Northwest Airlines website at www.nwa.com/merger/airports, you can find the latest news about the Delta/Northwest merger and where to find Northwest ticket counters in any city where the airline flies. The Delta name and brand will replace those of Northwest.