Delta Eliminates Change Fees On International Travel

Delta Air Lines today announced that it would eliminate change fees on international itineraries originating from North America.

American Airlines eliminated these last month but also included South America on its waiver.

You can access Delta here.

Couple of things to note:

• No change fees don’t mean that you don’t have to pay extra for the new ticket as the fare difference still applies.
• No change fees only apply for itineraries originating from North America. Ticket issues elsewhere still carry these fees.

Here’s the announcement from Delta:

• Permanent elimination of change fees for Delta tickets when flying from North America to anywhere in the world.
• Extending existing waiver of no change fees for all tickets purchased through March 30, 2021, for travel at any time to anywhere.

As customers consider travel in 2021 and beyond, they can look forward to more choice and control over managing their plans as Delta is expanding on its customer-first flexibility promise.

“No year has better demonstrated the value of flexibility than this one,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “Our approach has always been to put people first, which is why we’re extending our current change fee waiver and making lasting changes to our practices, so customers have the trust and confidence they need long after the pandemic ends.”

Delta is extending among the most flexible waivers of any airline. We are waiving change fees for all U.S. domestic and international tickets purchased through March 30, 2021, making it easier for customers to book next year’s spring break or summer vacation with the confidence of knowing they can change their plans at any time, regardless of the type of ticket they booked or where they are flying.

Delta’s commitment to providing customers peace of mind complements our existing commitment to giving greater reassurance of more space by blocking middle seats and limiting onboard capacity on all flights through March 30. ​

Delta’s Flexibility Promise: No Change Fees

Simplifying the travel experience with no change fees and more flexibility is a permanent pledge Delta is delivering to customers. ​

Going beyond our waiver extension, Delta is permanently eliminating change fees for international travel originating from North America, effective immediately. Customers can expect the following:

• No change fees on Delta tickets for travel originating from North America to anywhere in the world (including flights operated by joint venture and codeshare partners).
• Basic Economy fares are excluded.

Conclusion

I wish that American and Delta would have the same policy in place for travel originating everywhere on their network and not just North America, and would include the cheapest tickets too (Basic Economy is now excluded).