Delta just rolled out “Basic” fares for Business, Premium Select, and First Class … and it’s as bad as it sounds. Plus, Chase reshuffled its Sapphire Reserve dining list, and LifeMiles just made Star Alliance business class awards a lot cheaper. For now.
😡 “Basic Business” is Here: Delta Guts Premium Cabin Fares
We knew it would happen, but that doesn’t make it sting any less: Delta has introduced a “Basic” version of Delta One, Delta Premium Select, and Delta First Class fares.
And before we get into the nuts and bolts of the changes, let’s not mince words:
This change is terrible news for Delta flyers. Basic fares are about charging more and giving travelers less, period.
This is not, as Delta positions it, about offering flyers more “choice” in their travels. It’s only about getting you to pay more for perks you used to have included in the lowest Delta One fare.
🤮 Here’s what Delta flyers are losing with these gross “Basic” fares:
- 💺 No free seat assignment (available after check-in only)
- 📉 Reduced miles earning
- 🧳 Fewer free checked bags (One fewer than is included on the “Classic” fare)
- 🛋️ No included Delta One or Sky Club® access (still allowed for cardholders)
- 🚙 No Delta One Check-In access
- ❌ Change and cancellation fees will apply
- 🙅 No complimentary or paid upgrades
- 🗓️ These new fares went on sale yesterday, July 8, but they’re not widespread yet.
These new fares won’t begin flying until September, and Basic Business fares will still include Delta One check-in and lounges through Jan. 18, 2027.
Check out our full breakdown of these changes
– Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst, and host of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast
🎙️ Our Latest Podcast Just Dropped!
🏆 Top 10 Flight Deals of 2026 (So Far)
🥇 We’re halfway through 2026, so Gunnar ranked the 10 best flight deals (and three best hotel deals) of the year so far … and Kyle got to air out all of his gripes and grievances about Gunnar’s list. Plus, we help a listener with their “phantom” space problem, and Gunnar revisits the Taco Bell Cantina at DEN … again …
Tune in now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
🤝 Deal of the Day: Europe from $385 Roundtrip!
Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥
Why we love it: Icelandair is offering more than half-off what the major airlines are on flights to Europe this fall with this sale.
Flying all over Northern Europe and even down to Italy, this Icelandair sale has dozens of fares under $499 roundtrip with best availability this fall.
Sign up now to get all the details on this deal & don’t miss the next flight deal alert.
Already a member? Log in to see all your deals. (Not seeing it? Remove your airport filters to see every deal.)
– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst
⭐ Act Fast: LifeMiles Rates Just Dropped … But For How Long?
One of the best ways to book Star Alliance (i.e. United, SWISS, and more) business class flights just got even better as LifeMiles just lowered rates on several routes.
Our Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal analysts spotted this price reduction this week, but we’re skeptical that it will last long. After all, LifeMiles raised rates in 2024 and early 2025 … only to lower them three months later … and then raise them again after that.
So, when it comes to LifeMiles, don’t get comfortable. If you want to book one of these discounted routes in the next year, act now!
Here’s a sample of some of the routes that are cheaper:
Let’s look at some of the most interesting cheaper routes, starting with United Polaris Business Class:
- 💂 Denver (DEN) to London (LHR): 78,500 each way (was 92,400)
- 💂 Newark (EWR) to LHR: 76,900 each way (was 92,400)
- 🇪🇸 EWR to Madrid (MAD): 78,500 each way (was 92,400)
- 🇮🇹 EWR to Naples (NAP): 78,500 each way (was 92,400)
- 🇵🇹 EWR to Porto (OPO): 78,500 each way (was 92,400)
Besides Polaris, there was some solid movement on SWISS Business Class and Tap Air Portugal Business Class awards to Zurich (ZRH) and Lisbon (LIS), respectively, too.
- 🇨🇭 Boston (BOS) to Zurich (ZRH): Now 59,500 each way in business class (was 69,000)
- 🇨🇭 New York (JFK) to ZRH: Now 54,000 each way in business class (was 63,500)
- 🇵🇹 Montreal (YUL) to Lisbon (LIS): 59,500 each way in business class (was 63,000)
Austrian, Brussels, LOT Polish, and EVA Air also saw business class (and some economy) award decreases as part of this, too.
Check out our full breakdown to see the full list of lower rates
– Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst & travel reporter
🍽️ Chase Just Quietly Overhauled Its Sapphire Reserve Dining Credit
Chase added 91 new restaurants to the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables Collection on OpenTable this week, pushing the list of restaurants eligible for your up to $150 dining credit you get semi-annually on the *chase sapphire reserve* past 400 restaurants nationwide.
What Chase didn’t mention is that it also cut 64 restaurants – a net gain of just 27.
Most of the cuts came from Las Vegas, which is now down to a single restaurant on the list.
Where I live in Minneapolis, Chase dropped a local institution in Manny’s Steakhouse and swapped in Porzana, a newer Argentinian steakhouse.
If you’ve been using a specific restaurant to burn through your up to $150 semiannual credit, it’s worth double-checking it’s still on the list before you try to use it.
Chase also added a new Priority Notify feature for Reserve cardholders, which alerts you when hard-to-get reservations open up anywhere on OpenTable – not just restaurants in the Exclusive Tables Collection. That’s a nice add-on, but it doesn’t fix the core problem.
Even at 400-plus restaurants, Chase is nowhere close to Amex’s Resy network, which already covers more than 10,000 restaurants in over 1,600 cities … and is set to expand past 25,000 venues later this summer once Amex folds Tock into Resy.
All this to say: If you’re comparing the Sapphire Reserve’s dining credit to the Resy credit on the *amex platinum* or the *amex gold*, it’s not a fair fight.
– Nick Serati, co-founder
✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
- 🪟 A judge rejected United’s bid to toss a class action lawsuit from passengers who paid extra for window seats on certain planes – only to end up staring at a wall. The judge ruled United’s own booking flow promises a window, so the breach-of-contract claims can move forward. (Reuters)
- 🏨 Alila Napa Valley and the soon-to-open Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman have both been added to Hyatt’s growing list of hotels that won’t let you redeem a free suite upgrade certificate. (The Points Guy)
- ✈️ American Airlines is offering 25,000 AAdvantage miles to new AAdvantage Business enrollees who use promo code JOINA7 by July 31. You’ll normally need at least five active travelers and $5,000 in program spend within a calendar year to unlock the miles, but those requirements are waived for holders of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Business World Elite Mastercard®, who get the bonus instantly. (Frequent Miler)
- 🛋️ Amex just tightened Centurion Lounge access rules. Guests can now only enter Centurion Lounges if they’re flying on the same reservation as the eligible cardmember. (Upgraded Points)
- 🎁 Book a qualifying stay at a Wyndham hotel through Sept. 3 and complete it by Sept. 30, and Wyndham will award up to 15,000 bonus points – enough for two future free nights. (Wyndham)
