As part of an ongoing effort to make Delta Air Lines “the easiest to do business with” for our Travel Agency partners, Delta has expanded “Group Claim” functionality for all U.S. Point-of-Sale Agencies. This change, effective February 1, 2019, will allow U.S. Point-of-Sale Travel Agencies to claim Delta-created group reservations.

The Group Claim functionality offers travel agencies the ability to claim group reservations in order to (i) add names, (ii) modify seat assignments and (iii) issue tickets.  Any itinerary changes, name changes or reduction of original group block space will need to be requested, and processed, through the Delta Group Desk. 

For any GDS technical questions, travel agencies should contact their GDS help desk.

Previous Policy:

• Agency booked passive segments in their GDS to issue tickets
• Names for individuals within the group required a call to the Delta Group Desk before agency ticketing could take place

Enhanced Policy: 

• U.S. Point-of-Sale Travel Agencies are now able to manage several of the group processes in their GDS: names, seat assignments and ticketing
• Eliminates the need to add passive segments in the GDS for ticketing purposes
• Minimizes agency issues determining GDS segment credit
• The enhanced process will provide the agency with full ownership, permitting the agency to get flown segment credit via their GDS and sold booking incentive via Delta Sales Team (if applicable)

If you have any questions about these changes, please refer to the FAQs below or contact your Delta Sales Account Executive for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions:  

Q. Why is Delta making Group Claim available?

A. The Group Claim enhancement increases internal process synergies and improves productivity for Delta and travel agencies.

Q. How does this enhance the group process for travel agencies?

A.  Group Claim provides travel agencies a more efficient group request process and faster ticketing response time.

Q. Will this change impact name introduction for group reservations?

A. Yes, travel agencies will be able to enter the names directly in their GDS. The following guidelines must be followed:

·         No titles (Mr., Miss, Mrs.…)

·         No customer ID appended to the name

·         No hyphens

·         No partial names

·         Names must be added individually and not in a string entry

·         A total of 58 letters are permitted for a first and last name

·         The last name may be 57 letters if the first name is only 1 letter

·         The first name may only be a maximum of 19 letters

Q.  Will this change affect seat assignments for group reservations?

A.  Yes, group block seat assignments will not transfer with group claim process. Travel agencies will need to request removal of seats assigned as a block before names are introduced for DL flights, so they can make adjustments to the seat assignments if necessary. Please note that seat availability is subject to change. This doesn’t impact AF/KL flights as seats are assigned after name introduction.

Q.  Will this change impact the group split policy?

A.  No, all group records will continue to be split by the Group Desk specialists to files of 15 or less passengers before the file is released for claim.

Q.  Once a group reservation has been claimed by the travel agency and the group requests an itinerary change, can the travel agency make the change?

A.  All itinerary changes for a group reservation must be arranged through Delta’s Group Desk.

Q. Who can I call for more technical assistance with GDS information regarding this enhancement?

A. For technical assistance with GDS processes or formats related to Group Claim, contact your GDS Help desk.