Policy Changes
Alignment of Baggage Policies and Fees for Canada and Latin American Travel
Posted: September 21, 2009
Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines have made great progress in reviewing
and aligning policies in order to offer our customers a seamless travel experience.
As part of these continued efforts, effective for tickets purchased on/after
September 19, 2009 for travel on/after October 13,
2009, Delta and Northwest
have made further amendments to baggage policies and service fees.
Below are highlights of
the changes, which will apply to customers traveling on Delta, Northwest
and Delta Connection operated and marketed flights to/from
Canada and to/from Latin America (excluding Brazil):
- Canada - moving to the domestic fee structure
- Second baggage fee alignment for travel between Canada and Europe
- Latin America - implementing international 2nd baggage fee (excluding
Brazil)
- Customer Exceptions
Note: DL/NW will remain non-aligned for bag fees between U.S. and Asia, Africa
and intra-Asia until single system.
Canada Moving to the Domestic Fee Structure
In an ongoing effort to
align Delta and Northwest policies, Canada will now be
considered a domestic destination for the purpose of fee collection, along
with the United States, San Juan and U.S. Virgin Islands. Effective for tickets
purchased on/after September 19, 2009 and for travel on/after October 13, 2009,
Canada will move to the domestic fee structure for baggage policies and all
service fees. The new baggage policy and service fee structure for Canada is
as follows:
- Customers in economy class will be charged $15 for the first checked bag and
$25 for the second checked bag (the current policy for domestic).
- There will be a $5 surcharge on each of the first two checked bags when
checking in via the ticket counter, kiosk or curbside. The surcharge
is waived if the
customer prepays online at www.delta.com or www.nwa.com.
- Domestic service
fees for other services such as Unaccompanied Minor fees and Specialty
baggage items are now aligned. For details visit www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/baggage/baggage_allowance/index.jsp
Note: This change aligns Delta with Northwest, which currently considers Canada
a domestic destination for the purpose of fee collection. In addition, until
there is an alignment of systems (one single system) when exiting Canada, Delta
will collect a flat Canadian dollar (CAD) rate. Northwest will continue to
collect a conversion of the USD fee.
Canada
to Europe - Implementing International 2nd Baggage Fee
Effective for tickets purchased
on/after September
19, 2009 and for travel on/after October 13, 2009 customers in economy class
will be charged $50USD/$50CAD (or equivalent currency) each way for the second
checked baggage. This change now aligns the baggage policy for travel between
Canada
and Europe with the policy for travel between the United States and Europe.
Latin America (excluding Brazil) - Implementing International 2nd Baggage
Fee
As further alignment
between Delta and Northwest continues, effective for tickets purchased on/after
September 19, 2009 and for travel on/after October 13, 2009, Delta will be
implementing an international second baggage fee for travel between the U.S.,
Canada, San Juan, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Mexico, the Caribbean
and Central/South America (excluding Brazil).
- Customers in economy class will continue to receive the first bag free of
charge; however, a $25 fee will be charged for checking a second bag.
- There will be a $5 surcharge if the customer checks in via the ticket
counter, kiosk or curbside. The surcharge is waived if the customer
prepays online at
www.delta.com or www.nwa.com.
Customer Exceptions
The following customers are exempt from the domestic first and second bag
fees and the international second bag fee:
- First and Business Class customers
- SkyMiles and WorldPerks Elite members (Platinum, Gold and Silver) and
their traveling companions when booked in the same PNR
- U.S. active duty military personnel traveling on orders with a valid
military I.D.
- Customers who purchased tickets prior to September 19, 2009
- Customers who are
confirmed on a Full Y class economy ticket
Return to top
Delta to Implement 2nd Bag Fee
Effective
May 5, 2008, 12:01am
ET
Due to rising fuel costs
and business decisions reflecting today’s competitive landscape, Delta
and Delta Connection-operated flights will begin charging $25 for a second
checked bag for Domestic passengers traveling on or after May 5,
2008. Domestic travel applies to all U.S. territories, which includes
the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii. Passengers traveling to/from Canada are
excluded.
Note: New
charges will be applied based on the travel date, regardless of when reservations
were booked or ticketed.
Example: A passenger, with
two checked bags, has a ticket purchased on March 15, 2008 for round-trip
travel ATL-LGA. Travel begins in Atlanta on April 28, 2008. Passenger returns
from New York-LaGuardia to Atlanta on May 5, 2008. No 2nd bag fee will be
charged on April 28, but will be charged on May 5, 2008.
SkyMiles Elite (EP/PM/GM/FO)
and First/Business Class passengers will:
- Be exempt from this
fee.
- Continue to be allowed
to check up to 3 bags at no additional charge.
All fixed rate specialty
bags, such as antlers and various sporting equipment, will be charged the
fixed rate instead of the $25 2nd bag fee when exceeding the 1 bag-free-allowance.
2nd Bag Fee Structure:
| Class
of Service |
Prior
to 5/5/08
|
Effective
5/5/08
|
Area
of Travel
|
| Non-Elite and Economy
(Coach) Class |
2
Bags free
|
1
Bag - Free
2nd Bag – $25
|
Domestic
Only
|
| SkyMiles Elite and
First/Business Class |
3
Bags free
|
3
Bags free
|
Systemwide
|
New
and Increased Fees and Charges
Posted:
April 1, 2008
Effective April
1, 2008, Delta will implement a $3 curbside administrative fee.
In addition, customers who gate check a stroller or car seat may purchase
a plastic bag for $5 each to protect it against inclement weather. These
changes, which will be effective for travel beginning April 1, 2008 and
regardless of when the ticket was issued, are due to record fuel costs
and business decisions reflecting today’s economic landscape.
Select the new or changed
fee/charge below for more details:
*The curbside
check-in fee is an administrative fee. Passengers are still free to tip
Skycaps.
**For tickets issued prior to April 1, 2008, the Administrative Service Charge
is $75.
Please read applicable
tariff rules for complete details of the above policy changes.
Thank you for your continued
support of Delta Air Lines.
Excess
Baggage Pieces and Weight Charges
On February
26, 2008 baggage fee structures for excess baggage pieces and excess weight
charges changed for domestic and international travel. These changes were
effective immediately, regardless of ticketing date; however, if a customer
began travel prior to February 26, 2008, then the previous fee applied.
Highlight of new changes:
Baggage
Maximum Excess Weight (Domestic & International):
- Bags weighing 51-70
lbs (23kg-32kg): $80 USD / $96 CAD
- Bags weighing 71-100
lbs (33kg-45kg): $150 USD / $180 CAD
- Bags weighing over 100
pounds: not permitted
Excess
Baggage (Domestic):
- Bag 1-2 (3 if Elite
SkyMiles or First/Business Class Passenger): FREE Allowance
- Bag 3-5: $80 USD
- Bag 6-8: $110 USD
- Bag 9-10: $180 USD
Excess
Baggage (International):
- Bag 1-2 (3 if Elite
SkyMiles or First/Business Class Passenger): FREE Allowance
- Bag 3-5: *$150 USD
/ $180 CAD
- Bag 6-8: *$300 USD
/ $360 CAD
- Bag 9-10: *$600 USD
/ $720 CAD
*International
travel applies to travel outside the United States, San Juan, Puerto Rico,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Please read applicable
tariff rules for complete details on changes to excess baggage pieces and
weight charges.
For more information on
baggage allowances on flights please visit Baggage
Allowance.
International
Excess Baggage and Unaccompanied Minor Fee Changes
Delta increased service charges on November 6, 2007 for international excess
baggage and transporting unaccompanied
minors on connecting flights.
New charges:
- Excess
baggage charge for an extra piece (international travel*): $125 USD/$148
CAD
- Unaccompanied
minor service charge on connecting flights (systemwide): $100 USD/$118
CAD
*International
travel applies to travel outside the United States, San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Highlights of the fee changes:
- New fees
are effective immediately, and are applicable to all passengers regardless
of when the reservations were booked or ticketed.
- New charges
apply to passengers whose travel originates on or after November 6, 2007.
For passengers whose travel originated before November 6, 2007, the old
fees will apply.
Please
read applicable tariff rules for complete details.
Excess
Baggage and Pet Service Fee Changes
Delta increased service
charges on September 5, 2007 for excess
baggage and transporting
pets. We also updated our acceptance policy for ski/snowboard equipment
and golf bags to align with the excess baggage weight policy.
New charges:
- Bags weighing 51-70
lbs: $50 USD / $60*+CAD (systemwide)
- Excess baggage charge
for an extra piece: $75 USD/$90*+CAD (domestic**)
- Transporting a pet
in the passenger cabin: $75 USD/$90*+CAD (systemwide)
- Transporting a pet
as checked baggage: $150 USD/$178*+CAD (systemwide)
Highlights of the policy
changes:
- Free baggage allowance
for golfing equipment is no longer based on the number of clubs, golf balls,
and shoes, but rather on the total weight of one golf bag, not to exceed
50 lbs.
- Combined weight of all
ski/snowboard equipment cannot exceed 50 lbs for the free weight allowance.
- Golf, ski, and snowboarding
equipment will continue to be exempt from the maximum size limit of 80
inches (based on the item’s exterior dimensions: length + width +
height).
Other important details:
- New fees are effective
immediately, and are applicable to all passengers regardless of when the
reservations were booked or ticketed.
- New charges apply to
passengers whose travel originates on or after September 5, 2007. For passengers
whose travel originated before September 5, 2007, the old fees will apply.
Please read applicable
tariff rules for complete details.
* Subject to Canadian Tariff
change approval effective November 4, 2007
+ Subject to Japanese Tariff change approval effective October 1, 2007
** Domestic travel only applies to travel within the United States, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Increased
Service Fees
Delta has
increased several service fees for tickets issued August 1, 2007 and after.
Fee changes include:
- Administrative
Service Charge (ASC) - per ticket fee assessed each time a nonrefundable
or restricted fare ticket is changed
- Direct Ticketing Charge
(DTC) - fee charged to customers who have tickets issued through one of
Delta’s offline distribution channels: Reservation Sales, Airport,
City Ticket Offices, and Delta Direct
- External
Ticket Reissue Charge (ERC) - fee assessed when Delta reissues tickets
for voluntary changes originally purchased through external ticketing
sources
- Same-day
Confirmed fee (SDC) - fee charged that allows customers the convenience
of confirmed same-day booking changes even when they hold a deeply discounted,
restricted fare ticket. Restrictions apply.
The increases are as follows:
- ASC: $75; $81 (CAD)
- DTC: $20; $21 (CAD)
- ETR: $20; $21 (CAD)
- SDC: $50; $61 (CAD)
Policies related to these
fees remain the same.
Delta
Introduces Risk-free Cancellation
Once you've
bought your eTicket, you have a day to cancel it for any reason and receive
a full refund—including any prepaid fees and Direct Ticketing Charges—with
no cancellation fee. Visit Risk-free
Cancellation for more details.
Domestic
Fare Downgrade and Upgrade Policy Change
Posted: August 5, 2004
Effective August 4, 2004,
Delta has implemented some new changes to policies and procedures for downgrades
and upgrades for domestic tickets. These new policies and procedures apply
to all tickets regardless of issue or travel date. The policy will apply
for travel within the 50 United States, to/from the United States, Canada,
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Canada transborder.
Downgrades
Completely
unused published fare tickets may be downgraded to a lower published fare provided
all rules are met. Partially used tickets may not be downgraded and refunds/credits
will not apply for previously flown travel. When a new published fare is introduced
or a current published fare is reduced in a market, ticketed passengers may
downgrade prior to departure of the origination flight under the following
conditions:
- No changes are permitted
to the flight/date/origin/destination or stopover point.
- Existing reservation
must already be confirmed in or rebooked in the appropriate class of service
for the new fare.
- Passenger must re-qualify
for the new/reduced fare by meeting all restrictions, including advance
reservations and ticketing requirements. If the new fare has a ticketing
deadline, the ticket must be reissued by that date. If the original ticket
was nonrefundable and the new ticket is refundable, the nonrefundable provision
and amount of the original ticket must be maintained. Indicate nonrefundable
amount as an endorsement. Example: NONREF/$345US
- Travel agents can downgrade
an agency issued ticket, with a published fare, provided the agency originally
issued the ticket. Agency should issue a nonrefundable MCO valid for future
Delta services. Applicable ASC will apply.
- Travel agency refund
to original form of payment for nonrefundable tickets – not applicable.
- Web fares are eligible
for downgrades. ASC fee applies.
Upgrades
Upgrades
apply for domestic, published fare tickets. The new policy will apply to
all tickets regardless of issue or travel dates. Completely unused tickets
may be upgraded to a higher fare provided all rules are met. Partially
used tickets may not be upgraded. When a passenger requests to change a
nonrefundable fare to a higher published fare (refundable or nonrefundable),
ticketed passengers may upgrade prior to departure of the originating flight
under the following conditions:
- No changes are permitted
to the flight/date/origin/destination or stopover point.
- Passengers’ existing
reservation must be rebooked in the appropriate class of service for the
higher fare.
- Passengers must re-qualify
for the higher published fare by meeting all restrictions, including advance
reservations and ticketing requirements.
- If the new fare has
a ticketing deadline, the ticket must be reissued by that date.
- If the original ticket
is nonrefundable and the new ticket is refundable, the nonrefundable provision
and amount of the original ticket must be maintained. Indicate nonrefundable
amount as an endorsement. Example: NONREF/$345US
- ASC fee will be waived
if a passenger is requesting a change from a published nonrefundable fare
to any higher published fare (refundable or nonrefundable) and all booking
and ticketing rules have been met.
Return to top
Nonrefundable
Tickets
Passengers
holding nonrefundable tickets that allow changes now have one year from the
ticket's original issue date to reschedule their travel without losing the
full value of their ticket. This enhanced policy allows customers to retain
the value of their ticket (less any applicable change fees), even if they do
not cancel their reservation prior to the scheduled departure time of their
original flight.
The policy applies to nonrefundable
tickets that were purchased for travel scheduled on or after August 21, 2003,
within the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Canada,
and for international travel originating from the 50 United States, Puerto
Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. For international travel originating in
Canada, this policy will apply for travel scheduled on or after October 20,
2003, to comply with Canadian government requirements.
The policy applies for
nonrefundable tickets purchased for travel on Delta, Delta Connection, or
Delta Shuttle.
Passengers are responsible
for any fare difference. For domestic travel, tickets must be reissued and
completed, within one year of the date the original ticket was issued. For
international travel, tickets must be reissued to the same or another international
destination, and travel must commence, within one year of the date the original
ticket was issued.
Nonrefundable tickets that
allow changes purchased via Delta Reservations, delta.com, travel agencies
and online channels such as Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity are eligible
under the new rule.
Return to top
|