On Thursday, Delta Airlines debuted an overhauled fare structure that will change the way travelers book flights, earn miles and qualify for free upgrades. In total, Delta fliers will see as many as 11 fare options to choose between on some flights.
The changes include rebranding of existing fares you’re already familiar with. A “Main Cabin” ticket will now be dubbed a “Delta Main” ticket. But the airline has also added a new “experience” structure that changes what you get with each ticket.
So when you’re flying Delta First, formerly known as first class, the perks you get with a Delta First “classic” experience won’t be the same as those you’d get with a Delta First “extra” experience.
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The complicated new fare system went into effect on May 15. But it currently only applies to flights departing on or after October 1, so you’ve still got some time to wrap your head around what these changes mean and how you’ll have to adapt your award miles strategy to the new system.
For those who already booked flights before the change, your fares will automatically be converted to their new equivalent. Fliers with a “basic economy” ticket, for example, now have a “Delta Main Basic” ticket. Here’s what we know about Delta’s fare changes so far.
How to book a flight after Delta’s new fare changes take effect
If you’re booking a flight that will take off on or after October 1, the first thing you’ll do is choose your seat product. Depending on the route you’re flying, you’ll have up to five to choose from:
- Delta Main (formerly known as main cabin)
- Delta Comfort (formerly known as Delta Comfort+)
- Delta First (formerly known as first class)
- Delta Premium Select
- Delta One
In terms of comfort and amenities, each of these seat products is the same as it was. They’re just getting rebranded. Where it gets complicated is with the newly introduced “experiences.”
This is really just a marketing term for ticket types, as they don’t really change anything about your onboard experience. Instead, the differences are in features like whether or not you can cancel the flight, what kind of refund you can get and how many Skymiles you earn for booking it.
If you’re booking a Delta Main seat, you’ll choose between basic, classic and extra experiences. For all other seat products, you’ll only be able to choose between classic and extra. The differences between each ticket type is about the same regardless of whether you’re booking Delta Main or Delta One.
Here’s a rundown of the key features each experience includes:
- Basic: (available on Delta Main only) is pretty much replacing basic economy tickets. You can’t change your flight on most routes and if you cancel, you’ll be charged a fee typically around $99 or $199. You also can only get the refund for that cancelled flight as a Delta eCredit. And, if you booked the flight with miles, you’ll be charged a “redeposit fee” of 9,900 to 19,900 miles for cancelling. Lastly, you’ll be in Zone 8 boarding group.
- Classic: (available in all cabins) is more or less the standard “experience” that you’re probably used to if you’ve flown Delta before. You can change or cancel your flight for a full refund, even if you booked with miles. However, flights booked with cash can only be refunded as a Delta eCredit. And Skymiles members board with Zone 6 while non-members board with Zone 7.
- Extra: (available in all cabins) comes with the most flexibility. You can change or cancel your flight for a full refund, including a refund to your original payment method. In Delta Main, you’ll board with Zone 5. For all other seat products, you’ll board with the same zone you normally would. Note that if you’re booking with miles, you won’t be able to book an Extra ticket.
How Delta’s fare changes affect your Skymiles
Some of the biggest changes that come with the new experiences are in how you earn miles. Here’s what your mile-earnings will look like under the new system:
- Basic: Like the ticket formerly known as “basic economy,” the new basic experience means you won’t earn any Skymiles or Medallion Qualification Dollars.
- Classic: With a classic experience, you earn the miles you would have earned otherwise. The earning rate starts at five miles per dollar for Skymiles members without Medallion status.
- Extra: The extra experience earns you extra miles, starting at seven miles per dollar for general Skymiles members. For those with Medallion status, you’ll earn your base rate plus two miles. For example, a Silver Medallion member who normally earns seven miles per dollar would earn nine miles per dollar on an Extra experience.
How your upgrade eligibility changes with the new Delta fares
Another important change for Skymiles members is your priority ranking for free seat upgrades.
Essentially, between travelers with the same Medallion status sitting in the same cabin, the one with an “Extra” ticket gets higher priority than the one with the “Classic” ticket. Meanwhile, travelers with “Basic” tickets aren’t eligible for seat upgrades, paid or otherwise.
What about Delta Sky Club access?
For the most part, Delta’s fare changes won’t impact your Delta lounge access. If you have lounge privileges already based on your credit card, airline status or a Sky Club membership, you can still kick back in the lounge with a Classic or Extra ticket.
However, Delta’s Sky Club rule changes last year banned travelers with basic economy tickets from entering its airport lounges, even if they were a Delta Sky Club member or otherwise eligible for lounge access. The airline is keeping that ban in place for fliers with the new Delta Main Basic tickets.
Tips for booking on Delta with the new fare structure
Aside from weighing the cost and value of each seat class and experience level, travelers need to be a little more careful before confirming a booking. Once you’ve booked, you’ll be able to upgrade your seat, but you won’t be able to change the experience you picked.
So if you decide later to upgrade from Delta Main to Delta Comfort, you can do so but you can’t change your ticket from, say, Delta Main Classic to Delta Comfort Extra.
Moreover, given the inflexibility and restrictions around the new “basic” experience, it’s worth considering buying travel insurance that includes trip cancellation coverage. That way, you can still get your money back if your plans change.
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