As the travel industry grapples with a completely different world order and constantly shifting customer demands, welcome permanent changes seem to have made their way into company guidelines. Case in point: Delta's and United's decision to forever eliminate change fees on international flights.
Both airlines had temporarily suspended the charges throughout the past few months to account for travelers' changing schedules and COVID-19-related requirements. Now, although doing so permanently only on international trips, both airlines have revised their policies lastingly.
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Specifically, Delta will no longer charge $200 when changing flights departing from within the United States or between the country and Mexico and/or the Caribbean. The company will still charge $75 for same-day standby but will waive all change fees on domestic trips through, at least, March 30, 2021.
"No year has better demonstrated the value of flexibility than this one," said ED Bastian, the CEO of Delta, in an official statement announcing the news. "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."
United Airlines will follow a similar pattern: it will get rid of added fees on modified domestic flights through, at least, March 31, 2021, and it will do so permanently on international flights.
This pandemic has been horrible and heartbreaking. Here's to hoping things will soon get better.
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