Delta Air Lines and United Airlines Eliminate Change Fees

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have made a significant announcement regarding travel flexibility by permanently eliminating change fees for flights across the globe.

Delta will waive its $200 international change fee for any flight originating in the U.S., as well as for flights between the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean going forward. This includes codeshare flights, although basic economy fares are excluded from this policy.

This new policy follows Delta’s recent decision to eliminate change fees for most ticket categories on flights within U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

According to Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian, “No year has better demonstrated the value of flexibility than this one. 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.”

While Delta will still charge $75 for same-day standby, the airline has extended its COVID-19 waiver, removing change fees for all domestic and international tickets purchased through March 30, 2021.

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In a statement shared with iBestTravel, United Airlines has also announced the elimination of change fees for international flights. For domestic flights, these fees will be eliminated until March 31, 2021. This decision was made “recognizing that flexibility is more important to our customers than ever,” wrote the airline.

United initiated the no-change fee trend in August when it abolished change fees on all its domestic flights, and several airlines followed suit in the days that followed.

Last month, American Airlines went further by becoming the first U.S. carrier to eliminate change fees for all long-haul international flights from North or South America for all ticket fares except basic economy. Furthermore, the airline has also removed the fee for domestic same-day standby flights.

American’s Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja stated, “We are committed to making travel easier for our customers who fly on American. By eliminating change fees, we’re giving customers more flexibility no matter when or where they plan to travel.”

This shift in policy among major airlines demonstrates a significant trend toward increased customer flexibility in travel planning, aligning with evolving traveler expectations.