When flying Delta Airlines, how do you find the best Delta deals? Delta offers excellent discounts on a daily basis. With a little effort, you can find these deals and save some money.
Book Early and Book Online
Travel agents are nice, but they make money by volume. The more people they can book into a package deal the better. Finding the right deal for you is possible when using a travel agent, but the only true way to control how much money you spend is by doing it yourself. Going directly to the Delta Airlines website immediately eliminates direct ticketing charges and booking fees. Go to Delta's website, put in your dates of travel and see what the availability is. The trick is to try to book your flight on days and times that most people aren't traveling, like the middle of the day, week or weekend. The more flexible you are, the better deal you'll probably find. As with any airline, booking early will almost always guarantee a rate discount. Do keep in mind that when you book in advance there can be penalties if you cancel or change your itinerary, so be sure and ask what those are.
Sign up
Signing up on the Delta website with your email also allows Delta to keep you updated on discount airfares and last minute reductions on specific routes. If you have time before your departure, this can be an excellent tool as it gives you specific choices and some additional ideas if you want to change your destination. Booking your Delta flight with an all-inclusive package is another way to score a Delta deal. Delta has an excellent vacation planner to help you put together your own travel planner.
Look around
Scouring other travel websites and searching under Delta airlines can bring up all sorts of discounts. Some sites will even email you when these changes occur. Popular search sites include Expedia, Orbit and Travelocity. Sometimes going 'Old School' and opening up your local newspaper will surprise you with the advertised travel deals by major airlines, including Delta.
Miles and Miles
Go to Delta's skymile section on its website and check out the huge list of travel mile partners. Chances are, using your credit card, debit card or gas card with a simple click of the mouse can start earning you miles. There's also a huge list of retailers offering skymiles, such as 1-800-Flowers, which gives you ten miles for every dollar spent when you mention the code displayed on Delta's site under 'Dining, Retail & Specialty'. Other sponsors are Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Harry and David and many rental car companies.
There are many airline partners that will accept Delta miles for tickets on their routes. Some of these include Aeromexico, Alitalia and Korean Air. There's also something called 'Medallion Qualification,' which are miles earned through flight activity based on purchased fare class and traveled distance. This program can put you into an elite status, offering you upgrades into different class seating or special Delta Airlines club entrance. For example, a discounted coach or economy seat can earn you 500 Medallion Qualification Miles.