Delta rolls out new basic business, premium economy tickets

For a couple of years now, Delta Air Lines has dropped not-so-subtle hints about a future “basic” version of its business- and first-class tickets.

Now, it’s here.

The Atlanta-based airline on Wednesday announced the launch of three new “basic” fares that will expand the no-frills basic economy concept to its high-end cabins:

Delta First Basic — a slimmed-down version of its domestic first-class tickets
Premium Select Basic — a basic premium economy fare
Basic Business — a skinny version of its luxe Delta One tickets

Delta’s basic business restrictions

Just like with basic economy, flyers who book a basic premium fare will pay less money but face new restrictions.

A big one? Passengers who book Delta’s new basic business-class fares won’t be able to enter its swanky Delta One Lounges. And, despite spending (oftentimes) thousands of dollars for their flight, they won’t be eligible to pick which lie-flat suite they’ll fly in.

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Similar to basic coach fares, passengers who book discounted premium tickets will lose flexibility and face cancellation fees if their plans change. Plus, they’ll earn fewer SkyMiles for their flight.

In a statement announcing the news, the airline framed the move as a way to give customers more choice:

“This expansion is about giving price-sensitive travelers a new entry point into the premium cabins, not changing anything for customers who book Classic or Extra,” the carrier said.

At the same time, customers will rightly wonder whether — on some flights, at least — they’ll end up spending the same amount of money for a ticket that now has fewer perks than it did before.

A long time coming

Delta has been talking about introducing basic versions of its premium fares for about two years. The move builds on the airline’s expansion of basic economy over the past 14 years, a fare class originally introduced to help major airlines compete with low-cost carriers.

The carrier had already started selling basic versions of its extra legroom Comfort seats last fall.

It’s not the first U.S. carrier to launch basic business and premium economy fares, either. United Airlines this spring started selling basic Polaris business-class and Premium Plus tickets on long-haul flights.

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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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