Delta Air Lines has announced that it is making changes to how passengers book tickets on Delta.com or via the FlyDelta app. While the press release is trying to spin this as a positive change, if anything it makes things more confusing and devalues benefits for customers.
Delta Renames Product Categories and Adds Fare Classes
Until now, Delta has had fairly standard, easy to decipher fare classes. Delta One and Delta Premium Select appeared alongside Comfort+ and Main Cabin on international flights while First Class was used for seats at the front of domestic and narrowbody flights.
Now, Delta’s seat products will now be classified into the following categories: Delta Main (formerly Main Cabin), Delta Comfort (formerly Delta Comfort+), Delta First (Formerly First Class), Delta Premium Select, and Delta One.
Delta has also added multiple tiers to each category, further splitting the airline’s offerings and benefits for passengers. While the airline is celebrating this under the guise of customer choice, this ultimately dilutes the overall experience and makes me feel nickel and dimed for a carrier that prides itself on its premium position in the market.
Delta Splits Ticket Categories Into Three Tiers
The greatest change is to the Delta Main tier, which has now combined Basic Economy and Main Cabin into one new group. This tier is split into three different offerings which the airline describes as follows:
- Delta Main Basic (formerly Basic Economy): Our lowest-cost fare is the perfect entry point to travel with Delta. Delta Main Basic offers you the essentials, just as a Basic Economy ticket did before. You’ll enjoy the core Delta experience, with restrictions: seat assigned after check-in, Zone 8 boarding priority, cancellation with a fee for a partial eCredit, no mileage or MQDs earned for your trip, and no entry into Delta Sky Clubs (even with credentials).
- Delta Main Classic: For customers who want a little more – think MQD earn, 5 miles per dollar (excluding taxes), eCredit if you cancel, better boarding priority, same-day standby options, added flexibility to choose your seat – a Delta Main Classic option might be more appealing.
- Delta Main Extra: And customers who want even more – even higher boarding priority, base mileage earn at 7 miles per dollar (excluding taxes/fees), easy refundability back to your form of payment, plus same-day standby, as with Classic – can unlock those benefits with a Delta Main Extra fare.
Delta Main Classic is intended to slit in where the carrier’s current Main Cabin offering sits. Those guests will be able to board with Zone 6. Delta Main Extra comes with the benefits outlined above as well as Zone 5 boarding.
While Delta Main is being split into three categories, all other offerings will have Classic and Extra to choose between. Like with Delta Main, Classic fares will provide similar benefits to what you experience with current offerings while Extra will include things like upgrade priority over Classic fares when everything else is equal.
Delta will have a whopping 11 fare combinations once these changes roll out. From highest to lowest they are as follows:
- Delta One Extra
- Delta One Classic
- Delta First Extra
- Delta First Classic
- Delta Premium Select Extra
- Delta Premium Select Classic
- Delta Comfort Extra
- Delta Comfort Classic
- Delta Main Extra
- Delta Main Classic
- Delta Main Basic
Anyone confused yet?
What’s Delta’s Motivation Here?
While Delta is making these changes under the guise of more choice for passengers, the carrier hasn’t been shy about its desire to unbundle even its most premium fares. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Basic categories added to each fare type, all the way up though Delta One.
We’ve seen other carriers unbundle Business Class and offer a basic experience. This would likely exclude things such as lounge access and seat selection prior to departure.
This is also the airline’s latest effort to get people to buy up to a higher fare bucket. When flying with Delta I almost always upgrade from Economy to Comfort+ as I appreciate the extra legroom and earlier boarding. However, since I don’t have Delta status, the upgrade tiebreaker and boosted earnings on a notoriously weak frequent flyer currency won’t be enticing me to upgrade to an Extra fare. While this may move the needle for some, I see it as a guise to roll out more Basic fares across the board.
Summary
Delta Air Lines has announced changes to its fare buckets that will offer passengers more choices when booking, though it isn’t necessarily for the best. The airline is moving from six unique offerings to eleven and will likely roll out more Basic options in the future. What are your thoughts about the new product offerings?