Delta’s actually eliminating a fee! (Photo: AP Gouge Photography)
Remember back when everyone used to use the telephone to make airline reservations? That’s no longer the case, but sometimes it can still be extremely helpful to talk to a human being – like when an online search won’t turn up the fare or award flight you want because not all available inventory is shown there.
That’s why airlines’ imposition of phone reservation fees in recent years has been such an annoyance. But now there’s good news, from Delta Air Lines at least.
The airline said it has eliminated its fees for bookings made over the phone or in person at the airport or other ticketing locations. Delta’s 11-year-old Direct Ticketing Charges were $25 for phone calls and $35 for face-to-face purchases. (Note: The fees did not apply for Medallion Golds, Platinums and Diamonds.)
Sometimes you just need to interact with a human being, right? (Image: Delta)
In its 2015 survey on the most hated travel fees, MileCards.com found that 49 percent of travelers considered airlines’ telephone booking charges to be unreasonable. (The same number called change and cancellation fees unreasonable.)
“United and American also charge $25 phone booking fees, while Southwest Airlines does not. Sensible cost cutting and lower fuel prices are letting airlines give back in some places that are pain points for fliers,” said MileCards.com analyst Brian Karimzad. “A phone fee does nothing to enhance the revenue potential of a flight, like a change or cancellation fee could, and with most people doing basic tasks online, phone fees feel like an unreasonable penalty.”
Now we’ll have to see if Delta’s competitors come to the same conclusion.
When was the last time you called Delta for help with a reservation? Did it work? Please leave your comments below.
.
NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights
Do you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!
Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!
A step in the right direction.
People are getting sick and tired of fees and not being able to get a proper fare through the website.
This $25 fee was like a “convenience fee” which did little to the consumer but put a boat load of money into the airlines coffers.
What bother me the most of this fee is that it’s the business of the airline to find the right deal for people, not have people struggle on a website. We want to get humans to help and we don’t want to have to pay a premium for that so I applaud Delta for doing the right thing for the consumer and the passenger.
I’ve called Delta in the past when the Web site wasn’t working correctly, and I told them up front I was expecting the charge to be waived. It alway was, and I wasn’t Gold or better at the time.
Really?
How do you get an upgrade on it?
How have you booked a partner upgrade on it?
Except for unusual situations like canceling a flight two hours before its scheduled departure time, I have not spoken to a human reservation agent since the late 1990s. I don’t believe I have ever called Delta a single time in my life. This may be more a tribute to Delta’s splendid web site, which I find so elegant and easy to use that I really have no reason to talk to a human.