Basic economy fares stink, plain and simple – and airlines know it. They exist for one reason: to lure you in with a cheaper price, then hit you with a bunch of restrictions designed to upsell you to normal economy fare. Delta is now charging travelers heading over to Europe more than ever to avoid it.
What was once a $120 upcharge to avoid basic economy flying overseas has swelled over just the last few years to $150, $170, and then $200 on all the major U.S. airlines and their foreign partners. But Delta is now typically charging a flat $220 more for a standard economy fare on each and every roundtrip ticket to Europe.
That's what you'll see on a quick nonstop flight from Boston (BOS) to London-Heathrow (LHR) this fall …
or the nonstops from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Amsterdam (AMS) later this summer…
… and sometimes even more, like this $230 upcharge on this flight with a connection from Fargo (FAR) to Reykjavik (KEF) in late August.
Those aren't cherry-picked examples: This is the standard flying Delta overseas now. You might occasionally see a slightly cheaper, $210 difference between Delta basic and standard economy … or slightly more, like the $230 example above. But $220 is now clearly the norm to avoid Delta basic economy across the Atlantic.
The same holds true for Delta's European partner carriers like Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic: They work in tandem on these transatlantic trips. So Air France is also charging an extra $220 to avoid its own version of basic economy – dubbed “Economy Light” – flying from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG).
Meanwhile, both American and United are still charging a flat $200 to bump out of their cheapest basic fares flying overseas. But with Delta making a move to charge more, it's likely only a matter of time before its competitors match.
Airlines are constantly playing with prices and squeezing more out of travelers anxious to avoid basic economy – making up for what they gave up when ditching change fees in the early stages of the pandemic. One of Delta's top executives once wondered aloud “What are people willing to pay” to do so.
And that number just keeps going up and up, with Delta regularly leading the charge. They're doing it again with transatlantic flights.
These fares are painful by design – a way to compete with budget carriers on price, then use restrictions like no seat selection, cancellation fees, and hefty baggage charges in order to convince flyers to opt up to a pricier fare.
Delta's basic fares have only gotten worse over time … and more confusing, too. The airline recently rebranded them as “Main Basic” tickets. Booking one of those basic fares over to Europe with Delta, you can expect the following restrictions:
- Pay an extra $75 each way to check a bag
- Can't select a seat for free
- Board the plane last
- Don't earn redeemable SkyMiles
- Don't earn credits toward Delta Medallion status
- Can't visit the Delta Sky Club before your flight
- Forfeit $199 when canceling for a Delta eCredit
Bottom Line
Delta is doing it again: Charging travelers more to avoid basic economy.
No matter where you're flying from or where you're heading, you can now expect to pay an extra $220 roundtrip to avoid basic economy on transatlantic routes. It's the latest increase … and just the most recent reminder of how painful these fares can be.
Really need an AE delta gold card to soften the blow, with free 1st baggage and slightly better boarding priority
Once we have full functionality within Google to filter out basic economy we may see a change in this pricing scheme. No longer will people be sucked into even looking at a fare we/I would never use. No more Pavlovian response to a dirt cheap fare only to see its restrictions. But it’s simple supply and demand. If no one flew BE the fares would disappear. Delta is running a great biz and honestly we all would do the same. It’s about maximizing revenue. Some do it better than others. Delta happens to lead the pack.