Wichitans who hold tickets on soon-to-be-canceled Delta Air Lines flights will have to wait until the weekend to start rescheduling their trips, a Delta spokeswoman said Tuesday.
In the meantime, Delta's customer service agents are insisting that the flights have not been canceled, according to several frustrated local travelers who have called the airline.
Chris Kelly, a Delta spokeswoman, said the mix-up was due to delays in updating flight schedules in the computer.
"We apologize for any confusion" that the mix-up may be causing, she said.
Devin Hansen, co-owner of Sunflower Travel in Wichita, said that about 65 people have reservations on canceled flights through his agency.
"It's really creating a lot of havoc for people," he said.
Even passengers who did not purchase tickets through Sunflower have been calling to ask for advice, Hansen said.
"We're all in the same boat," he said.
Delta plans to begin calling people Saturday to help them make new travel plans, Kelly said.
The airline has not yet announced which four of its six daily Delta flights to Atlanta will remain on the schedule.
Travelers will find out Saturday which departing times it will no longer offer, Kelly said, when Delta enters its new schedule into its computer system.
Delta confirmed Thursday that it will discontinue seven of its daily flights from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport beginning July 1. Those flights include three to Salt Lake City, two to Cincinnati and two to Atlanta.
The move means Delta will no longer fly directly to Salt Lake City and Cincinnati from Wichita after July 1, airport director Tom Nolan said.
Since then, Delta officials have told Wichitan Kristie Landon that her July 2 flight to Salt Lake City is still on as scheduled.
In mid-May, she purchased three tickets on the flight, she said.
Landon said she has lost her patience with airline and isn't happy that it does not have its story straight.
"I'm still disappointed. I just hope it doesn't ruin our vacation," said Landon, who plans to visit relatives with her husband and daughter.
Wichitan Jacki Getchell said Delta officials have told her repeatedly that her July 21 flight to Salt Lake City has not been canceled.
Kelly said that passengers should not worry and that the airline would do its best to accommodate people.
