In January, Delta goes head-to-head with Spirit by startling nonstop service SAN-LAS. Silly me; I thought this was going to be good news.
A week or so ago, SAN-(LAX)-LAS rt was available as low as $163 until the end of the year on Delta, and the same for the nonstop beginning in January.
Now, the price is the same, but it books into "Basic Economy" (an E fare). The lowest Delta fare is now an E fare even if the underlying fare basis is higher than V, like an X for example. On the Delta app, you can select among First, Comfort Plus, Main Cabin, and Basic Economy on this route.
Meanwhile, Spirit's lowest fare is $98 rt. Delta is greedy or out of touch with the market. A price-sensitive consumer is going to go with Spirit instead of paying $65 more for an E fare on Delta. A Delta frequent flier is just going to be annoyed with having to pay more for the benefits that used to be included in the $163 price point.
