I just went to look for flights for a family visit. It appears Delta has followed the way of the discount airlines…except the prices haven’t followed. Their less expensive fares now do not include seat assignments, AND they won’t let you board until the last zone. Unlike SW, where no one has a seat assignment, this means no matter how early you plan or book, you’re probably ending up with the hated middle seat, and potentially no room for your roller bag.
All this when oil prices continue to drop.
I’d boycott Delta if I could, but they’re often the only player in my areas.
A Delta employee once encouraged me to complain about their “bait and switch” tactics (Many times I’ve booked a non-stop with Delta only to have them change the flights to connecting ones closer to flight dates) by posting on social media. They said that gets their attention much more than writing the company direct. I don’t have twitter, and rarely visit Facebook, so have no clue how to do that. Any guidance?
The seat thing just worked out well for me. When I went to check-in, it showed me one seat in economy. There were several business class (extra legroom seats) available, so I did not finish checking in. I went back later in the day and was able to get the business class seats at no extra charge.
@kjofkw is probably referencing Delta E-fares, which are only offered on routes where they compete with Spirit Air or similar. OP is correct, these deeply discounted fares do not allow you to reserve a seat, cannot be upgraded, and you board last. Essentially they allow Delta to match the Spirit or other cut-rate carrier by ensuring that you will be just as miserable on Delta as you would have been on Spirit.
The solution is to just pay a slightly higher fare in order to get a higher standard of service and the right to advance seat selection. E-fares are offered for those who just have to travel cheaply and are willing to suffer a bit to do so.
Well…I would NEVER NEVER fly Spirit Airlines…so,if that is the model Delta is using, they would not get my business either on those routes. I would rather fly to a different airport and drive than endure th crap Spirit airlines tosses at its passengers.
“The seat thing just worked out well for me. When I went to check-in, it showed me one seat in economy. There were several business class (extra legroom seats) available, so I did not finish checking in. I went back later in the day and was able to get the business class seats at no extra charge.”
That couldn’t have been business class. Business class is the same as First class, on Delta. The only way you could get business class without paying extra would have been to have an elite status, and gotten an upgrade…or some odd situation. The Delta Comfort (I think that’s what they call it), with the little bit more leg room and free drinks must be what you’re referring to.
I’ve bought some super cheap tickets on Delta lately, but even they weren’t E-fares. Those must be really cheap. I would imagine you could still get a good seat if you had either an elite status on Delta, or a partner airline, like Bunsen did. I would do whatever it took to get an elite status, if I could. If you can’t fly Delta enough, see if you can get a status match based on another carrier’s elite status that you hold, if you have that.
It sounds like you need to know what you’re getting into if you buy the E-fares with Delta. They are cheap, but apparently no advance seat assignment, and late boarding. So, you’re getting what you’re paying for, I suppose. I don’t think that makes them compare to Spirit, in any way, it is a completely different airline. If those conditions are unacceptable, then don’t book the E-fare class.
Delta only has Business Class on international routes and on some domestic red eye routes. And Delta was (maybe they’ve already completed) converting all its business class cabins to ‘Business Elite’, meaning lay-flat beds. So the “extra legroom” you scored was probably domestic First Class which is a far cry from a layflat bed.
@thumper1 Delta will gladly sell you a ticket at a slightly higher price that is superior in every way to what you would get on Sprit Airlines. The purpose of the E-fare is to get the customer who cares only for price and nothing else to fly Delta instead of Spirit (or other cheapo airline).
If they were to give the E-fare customer all the things they gave their regular customers, then nobody would ever pay the higher fare and the airline would quickly go broke.
I’m curious what pair of airports you booked. Delta is a hub-n-spoke carrier, so most of its domestic nonstop routes are going to include one of its hub airports at ATL, DTW, MSP, JFK, SEA, LAX, SLC, CVG, or PDX.
Delta is piloting the new fare structure, so it doesn’t show up on all routes. Eventually, they are going to sell 3 tiers, economy( random seat), basic and first class. And yes it stinks because the economy fares are no cheaper than the current fares where you got to pick your seat.
The middle seat on a 2 hour flight is not a big deal. It starts to be an issue at the 6 hour mark when you have to wake up the aisle passenger so you can go pee, or if you’re seated next to an obese passenger. I just did 12 hours last week in the middle seat from Amsterdam to Asia-- now that’s worth griping about!
Delta doesn’t board the middle seat last. It uses a modified WMA “Wilma”-- that’s why it boards by zone number rather than by row number. That means aisle seats in the front of economy class board last (with the exception of the bulkhead seats which have no under seat storage); therefore, your statement about your wheelie bag doesn’t hold.
“Delta only has Business Class on international routes and on some domestic red eye routes. And Delta was (maybe they’ve already completed) converting all its business class cabins to ‘Business Elite’, meaning lay-flat beds. So the “extra legroom” you scored was probably domestic First Class which is a far cry from a layflat bed.”
Not to nitnoid, but I’m pretty positive you can’t just go into the system and get yourself a free upgrade to first or business class, unless it’s an elite upgrade. Probably just talking about the Economy comfort, or Delta comfort seats, with 4 inches more legroom or so
@GMTplus7 I often find myself agreeing with you, but not here. I detest the middle seat, and for me it’s a big deal on a 30-second flight. I really hate being touched by a stranger, and in a aisle or window I can usually shrink away and avoid contact. If I’m stuck in a middle and flying by myself, that means two strangers are touching on me for an extended period of time. This is unacceptable! I don’t hesitate to pay extra for premium aisle or window seats, as you might guess.
I’m with thumper1 on the no-Spirit thing. I had a business trip in December, and I got a bit of grief from my boss because I could have flown on Spirit for $100 less. Sorry, but no. The $100 didn’t break my employer, but it was important to me … I had a very intense training week, and I wasn’t up for the whole Spirit experience.
Spirit doesn’t even fly from the airport I was considering, so Delta is not competing with them. For the considered route there were (3) ticket levels: “basic economy”, “main cabin”, and “first class”. The “basic economy” level was the one with no assigned seats and last boarding. Prices even at the “basic economy” level are higher than the economy level was last year ( and dates were not holidays, or special events), so it seems just another way to increase fares, while lowering services yet again. Guess I just get tired of airline games, and price increases, especially when oil prices are falling. Nothing new, just another step in the wrong direction that was a surprise.