This new bucket is just another form of drip pricing. A way to display a lower price on a search page that draws a consumer in only to realize it's less than he thought he was bargaining for. But there's an innate bias toward continuing with the transaction once you've started moving through it. It's the same reason why every other business wants to advertise a bargain basement price and the tack on fee after fee during the transaction flow. Delta is now just a fancier Allegiant.

Who remembers the WILMA (window then middle then aisle) boarding order? Under that old system, who would choose a middle seat to board sooner and have a better chance of ovehead bin space? This could be part of a target audience for Comfort Basic. Actually Comfott Basic is better in this regard because the jump up in boarding group is much more than for WILMA.

Yes I did that. Chose a middle seat (on United, no window seats left) to get an earlier boarding group when they used the WILMA system.

Since FC upgrades are now effectively impossible due to WFBC monetization strategy, the obvious next step is applying this model to Comfort or Premium Select cabins.

I stopped expecting any kind of upgrade from Main years ago as I flip-flopped between GM and FO flying mainly domestic U.S. in Main/"Economy Discomfort", although they happened a fair amount of the time. As others mention upstream, it will be effective at getting kettles or infrequent flyers to spend more for what they think is a premium product, thus taking away more free upgrade inventory. Even if that product is an effectively marginal few inches more legroom while sharing armrests, and a bag of 0.5oz of premium kettle chips (no pun) instead of a Biscoff.

Whenever I do need Comfort or PS, it's on long-haul international usually paid for with cash money or sometimes miles, and in seats I select - away from toilets.

This seems like a move meant for investor day and earnings calls to keep the big investors on board by saying "we are now selling stuff that we used to give away". Yet it is really just a financial shell game when these seats are being sold for less than regular main cablin.
The reality is that these "basic" customers book later (who wants to book a flight with a change fee that far in advance) and probably will have zero impact on PM and DM upgrades at booking because the PM and DM...

• Book sooner
• Will book a middle C+ seat only if traveling with a companion and the window or aisle is open
• Will take an exit row if C+ is booked.

They seem to have struggled finding upfare price points for Comfort fares. As noted upthread, for awhile earlier this year, they were charging absurdly high differentials to upfare from Main to Comfort. I checked historical fare filings on ExpertFlyer and they seem to have peaked around spring/early summer before retreating again. Basic to Main fare differentials have barely moved during that time typically running $30 - $50 each-way, domestically. Perhaps this will help them goose Comfort sales somewhat, but who knows.

Here's a few routes with example Main to Comfort Classic upfare pricing one-way.
January June Today
DTW-LAX +$110 +$150 +$90
DTW-MCI +$50 +$90 +$30
DTW-BOS +$60 +$150 +$50

The DCA-MIA poster child route started the year very high at +$150 and has been falling ever since. It fell all the way down to +$30 for Main to Comfort Classic sometime in August and has been there ever since even with introduction of Comfort Basic fares on route.

Former GM here.

I am proved time and again that ditching the status chase with Delta was the right decision.

Since then, I've chosen the best schedules, best prices and most comfort. Most of the time, the choice was not Delta.

It's sad to see that enshitification continues. Instead of thinking how to improve service and product, and thus charge a bit more, Delta continues stripping down and charging for what was already given.

The problem is TINA. The Legacy Three have been in their race to the bottom for decades. Just buy the actual product you want from whichever business is willing to sell it to you at the lowest price. It is inefficient, inconvenient, and stressful to buy a suboptimal product from one particular business (that doesn't even know you exist beyond a folio in their software) in the hopes they will trade out your inferior product for a better one if you prove your "loyalty" to them.

G'mornin y'all, just went to book some Delta travel, & was surprised to see 3 NEW options for comfort plus on Upcoming CVG - LAS trip. They are Comfort BASIC $589, CLASSIC $709, & Extra $849. From what I gather not only are there these 3 additional charges, your well earned status my no longer be a benefit for domestic upgrades.

Welcome to FT. There is an existing thread on Comfort Basic here which they have been rolling more broadly on routes since last November -- Comfort Basic is Rolling Out

Good morning and welcome to FT Splash71 . I�ve merged your post into the existing thread on the subject.

Not sure what you mean by your benefits may not be a benefit for domestic upgrades� care to explain further?

They are referring to the fact that Comfort Basic fares are not eligible for comp Medallion upgrades to First -- https://news.delta.com/introducing-d...ience-unpacked



Of course, if you are a Plat or Diamond, these fares hold little appeal as you are eligible for comp Comfort upgrades at purchase time. For the most part, DL does not seem to hold back Comfort seat inventory from SU comp upgrade bucket (although there seems to be a few reports where this may be happening). Although note that in some cases, Comfort Basic fares can be lower than corresponding Main Classic fares on routes (as below). Change/Cancel fees on Comfort Basic are the same as Main Basic ($99 domestic/short-haul international, $199 long-haul international).

I'm noticing they only seem to offer these fares for cheapest X/V fare classes on routes. When there is only Y/B/M/H/Q/K/L/U/T inventory open, they don't have Comfort Basic fare filings for those classes and your only Comfort fare option is Comfort Classic.


This is an example of a flight where there is only T class and higher inventory open and DL does not have T basis or higher Comfort Basic fares on route.

There are several possible takes. This is one, but you also point out that it�s a non sequitur for PLT and DM. We don�t know OP�s status so can�t make an assumption either way.

Another take is that others will be buying your upgrade to C+ (although they�re likely buying middle seats). And yet another take is that the OP is misreading/misinterpreting what is being offered.

Given that this is their first post on FT, I wanted to not assume and hear what their concern was.

Arguably having some number of additional pax buying C+ who are ineligible to buy up or be comped F is at least slightly good for everyone else's chances.

running into something annoying on google flights where I'm pricing economy (exclude basic) and then at the last page it changes from Main Classic to Comfort Basic pricing, which is consistently $10 less than main classic (after manually checking)

I�ve seen this pricing a few times and it seems like a weird pricing strategy to get people to buy a cheaper ticket with random (but with more legroom) seats. I�m not the target audience for this as a DM, but I imagine there are plenty of SM and below who would see this as a great deal.