Policy Changes

Site Map & Search

Site Help

Policy Changes

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