Delta's new “basic” fares for business class and other premium cabins just went from bad to worse – especially if your plans change.
Losing out on free cancellation has been one of the hallmarks of basic economy for years: Delta has charged a flat $99 fee for domestic flights and trips to Mexico or the Caribbean, or $199 for long-haul international trips. As Award Wallet first spotted, the Atlanta airline just levied some brutal cancellation fees on first class, Delta Premium Select, and basic business class tickets … of as much as $500.
To cancel for a Delta eCredit, you'll now forfeit:
- $99 for basic economy and Comfort tickets domestically (or within Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America)
- $199 on a basic economy and Comfort tickets flying long-haul internationally
- $300 on all basic Delta First fares
- $400 on all basic Premium Select fares
- And a flat $500 on basic business class tickets
We're unsure whether this is truly an increase or if Delta has quietly been charging these fees for weeks. Either way, they're absolutely brutal: Another reason to remember that the “basic” fare treatment is not a lower price but a price hike in disguise … and another reason to avoid them if you can.
After years of laying the groundwork, Delta officially launched these stingy fares at the front of the cabin earlier this month. On top of steep cancellation fees, you can't select a seat for free or get into Delta One Lounges or even Delta Sky Clubs with a basic business class fare – at least not without a pricey credit card that gets you in the door.
Delta is currently charging a flat $400 more roundtrip to avoid these stingy fares in business class.
If there's one silver lining, it's that these basic business class fares are still quite limited in scope – aside from a handful of routes to and from Italy, we're not seeing basic premium cabin fares much at all. They're expected to continue rolling out to more markets, both at home and abroad, in the coming months and years.
And Delta has said they're not selling basic business class on award tickets using SkyMiles … for now. But the writing is on the wall: It's only a matter of time before Delta will do so – and force travelers trying to change their business class awards to fork over 50,000-some SkyMiles.
Bottom Line
Delta is now charging as much as $500 in change and cancellation fees on its basic fares in premium cabins.
Unexpected? Hardly. Bad? Absolutely.
