Basic Economy Fare Class E finally answered??
Mar 20, 2012, 5:57 pm
#76
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Oh for the love of!@#@#%.
This is a HUGE problem for me. The E fares show up in my online travel portal as the available coach fare. I have no ability to ticket in any other coach class on work travel. [I can specify fully refundable in the search engine, but that is not within our policy to buy].
So I will have to avoid DL whenever it wants to book me into E.
Arg!
This is a HUGE problem for me. The E fares show up in my online travel portal as the available coach fare. I have no ability to ticket in any other coach class on work travel. [I can specify fully refundable in the search engine, but that is not within our policy to buy].
So I will have to avoid DL whenever it wants to book me into E.
Arg!
Mar 20, 2012, 6:04 pm
#77
Join Date: Sep 2011
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Commuter flights. When I take JFK - BOS for 90 - 120, a $15 to $20 difference makes a difference for me. No seat assignment wouldn't peeve me as there is always a seat available most of the time I fly this route.
Mar 20, 2012, 6:07 pm
#78
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Of course you would bet that....you haven't wrote much positive or optimistic on the DL board for quite some time. As has been posted, E class earns 100% RDMs and MQMs and is only available in DTW-MCO/RSW/TPA/FLL to start. My guess would be they are trying to compete with "no frills" carrier Spirit. I'm sure DL has established some threshold at which a fare will be an E fare. For example looking at flights that are $257 RT DTW-MCO they are E fares. Maybe they decided anything less than $130 one-way will be an E fare. I'm sure if it is successful it will expand.....likely to more Spirit markets (like the new MSP-LAS and MSP-CHI routes).
Mar 20, 2012, 6:59 pm
#79
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 417
Exchanged emails with the corp travel dept...
Long and short of it, and this is a direct quote from the manager of our travel department:
"I would probably book away from Delta."
(Context being that if Delta loads it into GDS as a Y fare there is nothing we can do about it)
As one of the few firms that has been growing and doing well these past years, ~3k people, of which at least half fly 4 or more times a year for work, and ~500 are road warriors, this is bad juju!
Hopefully they will modify corporate contracts to treat E as L or something...
Long and short of it, and this is a direct quote from the manager of our travel department:
"I would probably book away from Delta."
(Context being that if Delta loads it into GDS as a Y fare there is nothing we can do about it)
As one of the few firms that has been growing and doing well these past years, ~3k people, of which at least half fly 4 or more times a year for work, and ~500 are road warriors, this is bad juju!
Hopefully they will modify corporate contracts to treat E as L or something...
Your business case:
Looking at the fares currently filed on the route in question:
E fare (10 day adv. purch, no value if changed) = $258
L/T (10 day adv. purch, $150 to change) = $270
Code:
E fare L/T fare Ticket Buy-up $12 1 $258 $270 2 $258 $270 3 $258 $270 4 $258 $270 5 $258 $270 6 $258 $270 7 $258 $270 8 $258 $270 9 $258 $270 10 $258 $270 Total $2,580 $2,700 Change fee ($258) ($150) Credit remaining $0 $120 New Fare $X $X Cost less Credit $X $X - $120 Total ticket spend $2580 + X $2700 + $X - $120 = $2580 + X Incremental vs. E fare $0
Therefore, given this pricing, if you change more often than one ticket in ten, or if the buy up is $12 or less, you come out ahead. For the converse situation (buy up >$12 or change less than one in ten), DL comes out ahead.
Mar 20, 2012, 9:02 pm
#81
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Of course you would bet that....you haven't wrote much positive or optimistic on the DL board for quite some time. As has been posted, E class earns 100% RDMs and MQMs and is only available in DTW-MCO/RSW/TPA/FLL to start. My guess would be they are trying to compete with "no frills" carrier Spirit. I'm sure DL has established some threshold at which a fare will be an E fare. For example looking at flights that are $257 RT DTW-MCO they are E fares. Maybe they decided anything less than $130 one-way will be an E fare. I'm sure if it is successful it will expand.....likely to more Spirit markets (like the new MSP-LAS and MSP-CHI routes).
Unfortunately, their management provides too many distractions. If only the management provided a less "target-rich" environment.
And, by the way, my prediction was for the future state. Based upon what you have seen DL management to be capable of, do you truly believe that the current mileage allowance for the E fare will be sustained?
Let's see... what follows after "Once burned, twice shy"? Are there similar expressions for twice and thrice burned? What adjective comes after "thrice"?
Mar 20, 2012, 9:14 pm
#82
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Mar 20, 2012, 9:26 pm
#83
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Mar 20, 2012, 11:35 pm
#84
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And we all know what that means...
Yes, and it's not cynical to call Delta's enhancements simply BS. Especially when they go unannounced.
No info on UG's yet. But introducing something like this with exceptions is bound to induce screwups in IT and thus CS nightmares.
+1. How many unknowing folks are going to be hit with buying cheap fares and finding out later it was an E. Then finding out what the heck E means.
Apparently E is the new T.
I wonder about SDC...
+1. How many unknowing folks are going to be hit with buying cheap fares and finding out later it was an E. Then finding out what the heck E means.
Apparently E is the new T.I wonder about SDC...
Mar 21, 2012, 12:52 am
#85
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Mar 21, 2012, 7:26 am
#86
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Seat Assignment
This is the feedback I received from DL customer service (via email) regarding seat assignment on E fares:
Your seat will be auto-assigned when you check in for a flight via delta.com or any Delta airport kiosk. You may check in via delta.com or a Delta airport kiosk 24 hours in advance to the flight's scheduled departure time. In addition, at check in you may purchase any available Preferred Seat. SkyMiles Bonus and MQMs will accrue and complimentary Medallion upgrades are eligible where applicable.
Mar 21, 2012, 8:32 am
#87
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I didn't say that it "wouldn't it be able to be sustained."
My point was that I don't expect that DL management will want to sustain it.
After they have gotten people accustomed to the E fare, I anticipate there is a good chance that they will reduce the mileage awarded for E fares.
E fares will become DL management's Ryanair class.
Simple as that.
My point was that I don't expect that DL management will want to sustain it.
After they have gotten people accustomed to the E fare, I anticipate there is a good chance that they will reduce the mileage awarded for E fares.
E fares will become DL management's Ryanair class.
Simple as that.
Mar 21, 2012, 8:44 am
#88
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Mar 21, 2012, 8:52 am
#89
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I didn't say that it "wouldn't it be able to be sustained."
My point was that I don't expect that DL management will want to sustain it.
After they have gotten people accustomed to the E fare, I anticipate there is a good chance that they will reduce the mileage awarded for E fares.
E fares will become DL management's Ryanair class.
Simple as that.
My point was that I don't expect that DL management will want to sustain it.
After they have gotten people accustomed to the E fare, I anticipate there is a good chance that they will reduce the mileage awarded for E fares.
E fares will become DL management's Ryanair class.
Simple as that.
Mar 21, 2012, 9:14 am
#90
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...
It would be helpful if you clearly indicated when you were making assumptions about how you believed Delta management may behave in the future. Attempting to position your assumptions as facts only serves to unnecessarily inflame the discussion. Of course, that's probably your intention.
It would be helpful if you clearly indicated when you were making assumptions about how you believed Delta management may behave in the future. Attempting to position your assumptions as facts only serves to unnecessarily inflame the discussion. Of course, that's probably your intention.
In what way was was I "Attempting to position [my] assumptions as facts"?
Those of your ilk who can only sustain their position in a debate by falsely attributing statements to others are becoming so tiresome.
But, please... I'd like to hear your response. More often than not, when caught in a contradiction like this, you folks just tend to fade away, and move to another topic.