Delta Continues to Adjust to Unprecedented Fuel Costs with Addition of Fuel Surcharge
Jun 27, 2008, 9:12 am
#62
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All benefits that Delta offers in the SkyMiles program are conditioned upon your compliance with these Membership Rules and Conditions, the terms and conditions described elsewhere in this Guide, all terms and conditions of Delta's contract of carriage, Delta's fare rules, and all other applicable Delta rules and regulations. These rules are subject to change at any time. Unless otherwise stated, the current rules in effect at the time of your travel, request for a benefit, or other transaction will govern that transaction.
Last edited by pbarnette; Jun 27, 2008 at 9:18 am
Jun 27, 2008, 9:12 am
#63
Join Date: Nov 2007
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"This fuel surcharge will not impact any existing ticketed Award itineraries or any future Award Tickets issued prior to August 15, 2008, regardless of the date of travel."
Jun 27, 2008, 9:13 am
#64
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..... so DL award travel is now going to be nothing more than discounted paid travel. Right now it will be 25,000 miles + $25 for a domestic ticket or 50,000 miles + $50 for a US-Europe return ticket. Over time it will become less and less of a discounted ticket and even more of an additional opportunity for DL to capture ever more revenue at time of award ticketing.
Any bets on how long it will be before it will be 25,000 miles+$50 or $100 for a domestic "free roundtrip award ticket" or 50,000 miles + $100 or $200 for a "free roundtrip award ticket" for US-Europe?
"Award travel" is quickly heading toward becoming little more than discounted paid travel ..... and eventually -- if this fuel surcharge nonsense goes unchallenged -- it will trend toward being less and less substantially discounted travel and will come closer and closer to approaching some regular paid fares for travel between the very same city pairs. (If you get unlucky enough, then "award travel" may even be more expensive than regular paid travel between the same city pairs.
)
Any bets on how long it will be before it will be 25,000 miles+$50 or $100 for a domestic "free roundtrip award ticket" or 50,000 miles + $100 or $200 for a "free roundtrip award ticket" for US-Europe?
"Award travel" is quickly heading toward becoming little more than discounted paid travel ..... and eventually -- if this fuel surcharge nonsense goes unchallenged -- it will trend toward being less and less substantially discounted travel and will come closer and closer to approaching some regular paid fares for travel between the very same city pairs. (If you get unlucky enough, then "award travel" may even be more expensive than regular paid travel between the same city pairs.
)
Jun 27, 2008, 9:15 am
#65
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I know that. My point was that DL is wading into a legal minefield on the fuel surchage just as it did with the retroactive bag fee.
Jun 27, 2008, 9:15 am
#66
Join Date: Apr 2000
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There might not be any recourse to this DL announcement, but there could be a staging area to make our thoughts known on an organized, compelling and hopefully media-attention getting basis.........
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...34#post9947334
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...34#post9947334
Jun 27, 2008, 9:16 am
#67
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You forgot to include the fees they already charge for award tickets.
Jun 27, 2008, 9:16 am
#68
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Lemme see if I got this right . . .
If you want to book a partner award int'l trip it's . . .
$25 phone fee +
$25 partner award ticket fee +
$50 fuel surcharge =
$100 for a "FREE" ticket. Right?
(+ all taxes / customs / immigration fees, etc.), of course
If you want to book a partner award int'l trip it's . . .
$25 phone fee +
$25 partner award ticket fee +
$50 fuel surcharge =
$100 for a "FREE" ticket. Right?
(+ all taxes / customs / immigration fees, etc.), of course
Jun 27, 2008, 9:18 am
#69
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Are you certain that for tickets issued before August 15th that voluntary award ticket reissues -- including for reroutings -- won't necessarily trigger the fuel surcharge?
I would not be surprised if a Skymiles member-initiated award ticket change after August 15th for tickets issued prior to that date would also trigger the fuel surcharges on tickets already issued or issued prior to August 15th.
Jun 27, 2008, 9:19 am
#70
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 30
However the fuel surcharge fee is NOT really a fee (something imposed by an authority beyond DL's control - like security fees, airport fees, etc.) I assume you won't mind then that when you book your next award ticket, you are quoted the following fees:
- fuel fee: $200
- FA fee: $400
- pilot fee: $600
- airplane fee: $800
- people we pay to clean our offices fee: $200
- anything of the thousands items we pay for fee: let your imagination run wild
Total price of your "free" award ticket: $2200+++. Have a nice trip.
- fuel fee: $200
- FA fee: $400
- pilot fee: $600
- airplane fee: $800
- people we pay to clean our offices fee: $200
- anything of the thousands items we pay for fee: let your imagination run wild
Total price of your "free" award ticket: $2200+++. Have a nice trip.
Jun 27, 2008, 9:21 am
#71
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It is not clear to me, from the email I received, whether this new $50 surcharge will supplant the (sometimes) $200-400 "taxes and fees" charged for awards originating in Europe. Anyone able to clarify?
Jun 27, 2008, 9:22 am
#72
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Yes, there are other fees too. And I would not be surprised to see some of them increased too ... sooner or later.
Including the other fees we know that DL charges already on award tickets, these frequent flyer mile ticket redemptions are becoming little more than discounted paid travel for SkyMiles customers married to yet another revenue collection opportunity for Delta.
Including the other fees we know that DL charges already on award tickets, these frequent flyer mile ticket redemptions are becoming little more than discounted paid travel for SkyMiles customers married to yet another revenue collection opportunity for Delta.
Jun 27, 2008, 9:23 am
#73
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The moment Delta levies fuel surcharges for its own award flights, SkyMiles is no longer a program that offers free travel. It's as simple as that.
Jun 27, 2008, 9:23 am
#74
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Just checked...Biz Class "award" ticket from Dublin to the USA was:
95,000 miles (SkySAVER)
+ $204.72 in fees/taxes/gas/etc/etc
95,000 miles (SkySAVER)
+ $204.72 in fees/taxes/gas/etc/etc
Jun 27, 2008, 9:24 am
#75
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 30
Actually, it already is. I booked award tickets to Europe in April. Aside from the federal excise taxes, I paid: $25 booking fee (because DL's web site doesn't allow international booking), about $85 in fuel fees, and something else I can't remember, for about $140 per ticket. Still beats the ~ $2000 I would have paid for revenue travel, but not free by any means.
..... so DL award travel is now going to be nothing more than discounted paid travel. Right now it will be 25,000 miles + $25 for a domestic ticket or 50,000 miles + $50 for a US-Europe return ticket. Over time it will become less and less of a discounted ticket and even more of an additional opportunity for DL to capture ever more revenue at time of award ticketing.
Any bets on how long it will be before it will be 25,000 miles+$50 or $100 for a domestic "free roundtrip award ticket" or 50,000 miles + $100 or $200 for a "free roundtrip award ticket" for US-Europe?
"Award travel" is quickly heading toward becoming little more than discounted paid travel ..... and eventually -- if this fuel surcharge nonsense goes unchallenged -- it will trend toward being less and less substantially discounted travel and will come closer and closer to approaching some regular paid fares for travel between the very same city pairs. (If you get unlucky enough, then "award travel" may even be more expensive than regular paid travel between the same city pairs. )
Any bets on how long it will be before it will be 25,000 miles+$50 or $100 for a domestic "free roundtrip award ticket" or 50,000 miles + $100 or $200 for a "free roundtrip award ticket" for US-Europe?
"Award travel" is quickly heading toward becoming little more than discounted paid travel ..... and eventually -- if this fuel surcharge nonsense goes unchallenged -- it will trend toward being less and less substantially discounted travel and will come closer and closer to approaching some regular paid fares for travel between the very same city pairs. (If you get unlucky enough, then "award travel" may even be more expensive than regular paid travel between the same city pairs.
)