I understand that Delta and every other airline loves robbing passengers with change fees. However, isn't it a bit absurd that elite fliers have to pay these? Wouldn't it be just a little bit less harsh if they could charge me only $50 bucks to change a segment instead of $150? What does it actually cost for them to switch me flights? Absolutely nothing. I wish Congress would grow some balls and ban these ridiculous fees.

Rant for the day. Happy flying everyone.

The cost/penalty is for you breaking the contract you entered with Delta when you bought a restrictive ticket. The CoCs are so slanted in the airline's favor, it's not even funny.

That being said, I do not know of a single major US carrier (aside from Southwest) that does not charge a change fee.

I was going to verbalize that in the cost/penalty is for you following the fare rules of the ticket you purchased.

You can buy a ticket from DL that doesn't have a change fee. Yet it will most probably be from a fare-bucket that you don't want to pay for.

I'm also of the opinion that the federal government should regulate industry pricing to the minimum, as long as adequate competition exists. As long as the consumer actually reads and understands the terms and conditions of the contract, there will be no surprises.

The argument that the feds usually make in pushing for pricing regulation is that the consumer is not capable of reading or understanding the T&Cs.

Fees are annoying, but those fees allow for typically lower base pricing. If the fees go away, the revenue will be made up in higher base fares. The money has to come from somewhere.

Will Delta charge a change fee just to upgrade from a LUT fare to K fare, to upgrade with miles?

No... the argument is that the fees are disproportionate to the cost that the airline incurs when someone changes a reservation. In fact, in many cases, they are disproportionate to the total cost of the ticket itself.

Now that airline capacity has been cut to the point that empty seats are few and far between, it can be reasoned that the cost to the airline is minimal when someone calls to change a reservation... or that the airline might actually come out ahead when this happens (even without factoring in the fee).

Those who preach that the fee is the cost to the PAX for breaching the contract entered into to obtain a lower cost fare conveniently overlook the windfall that the airline receives when this happens.

Someone with a $200 discount ticket has to make a last minute change. He pays the airline $150 in change fees, and ends up having to buy a $500 replacement ticket on another flight. The airline turns around and sells the seat he vacated on his original flight for $500.

Pretty sweet deal for the airline.

I have no trouble with the basic concept of a cancellation fee. Where the airlines have gone wrong is to become excessively greedy to the point of making their fees rapacious. All because they write the CoC's and, in effect openly collude with their "competitors" to make the fees non-competitive, and the public gets screwed.

If the government steps in, it will be when the airlines become egregiously greedy, and step beyond the bounds of reason. And this may well happen as the airlines become increasingly dependent on the fees to prop up their otherwise inefficient business model. Fees are the crack cocaine that distracts the airlines from seeking smarter, more efficient ways of running their business.

Sooner or later, they will slit open the goose to get all of the golden eggs at once, and the government will step in.

I hope I'm not hearing cries for more government regulation! It is because of deregulation that you can still occasionally find transcontinental fares in the $200 RT range. Even fifty years ago that was a good price. Back then an economy car cost about $1000. Today it is $20,000. By comparison, air fares have barely budged.

If you don't want change fees, either purchase a changeable/refundable ticket (which in effect incorporates a change fee in the price), or purchase your ticket only when you are pretty certain that no change will be necessary.

If we go back to the days of government regulation, everyone will be paying high prices all of the time.

Yeah,
Everyone knows that government regulation decreases the costs.
Just look at the example of ... (crickets chirping)

If you want to get an idea of what a government regulated "you will not charge fees" tickets will cost, just check the full-refundable when you do your ticket search.

A Full Y class gets you no baggage fees too.


So if you do not want the airline to keep hitting you with all the fees, then purchase the correct ticket.
They give you the option to buy tickets that are exempt from all the fees.

I for one like the option of being able to decide when I need to use those services and pay them.

Without being political I just think change fees are ridiculous. They are entirely disproportionate to the ticket cost. As a PM on Delta and someone with over 1,000,000 lifetime miles on them, it would be nice if Delta didn't have to punish me so hard for changing a ticket. Not only do I have to pay the change fee, but the absurd difference in fare (which I really don't mind, I think the later part is fair and logical--what does it cost them to switch my ticket besides 1 minute on the phone with a usually disgruntled agent?). Wouldn't it be a nice benefit if Delta gave their elite fliers 3 free changes fee waivers/year? Frequent fliers have stuff happen, and it would be nice to recognize that.

OK. Sure. Change fee waiver(s) would be a very nice Medallion benefit. But the point of the "ridiculously high" change fees is to emphasize that you are not supposed to be changing these tickets. They are supposed to be non-changeable, non-refundable and the fact that we can change them for a fee is a concession to people who would gripe that they had purchased a non-refundable, non-changeable ticket and lost all that they had paid because of a change in plans.

To make a profit, the airlines have to sell a certain percentage of higher priced tickets. If it became less punitive to change the lowest priced tickets, then more of them would be sold and fewer of the higher priced tickets. That would force the airlines to raise the prices of the cheapest tickets to stay profitable.

You may view the fees as "gouging" the customers, but surely you cannot argue that the airlines are making obscene profits as a result of price gouging...most are just getting by.

I can't disagree with most of what you said, but I think most airlines are "just getting by" because of poor leadership and poor planning on their part. They are generating revenue on way more things than they ever did before (checked baggage fees, change fees, etc.). United is a classic example. How their CEO is still around is beyond me. He has run that company into the ground and robbed it at every step. Southwest is an example of an airline that planned when others didn't by hedging fuel, etc.

Are you kidding?

UA's CEO deliberately dragged out the bankruptcy process in the interests of the company's survival. This move was unprecedented and quite clever.

Now the company has the highest revenue premium of U.S. carriers, not to mention industry-leading on-time performance.

Not saying there aren't issues, and nor is Tilton a popular guy with employees, but from a business perspective, he's brilliant.

Just repeat after me channa "but sir, every seat on an ERJ is a first class seat!" Can't wait for Contiedhound buses (er planes) start rolling.....I hope Jeff can fix that pig into shape

And how does the original cost of a T class ticket compare to the cost of actually providing the transportation?

Assuming they can resell the seat, which they may or may not be able to do. Same as a prepaid hotel stay. Same as a prepaid car rental. Same as a prepaid theater ticket. Same as a shirt you bought at a final sale that you no longer want.

I'm not trying to defend the behavior (I'd love a Medallion Change Fee Discount) so much as pointing out the decoupling of revenue and cost makes this more gray than black and white.

Not just ERJs, but props. CO has a ton of them!

Why do you think I have DL status? Hedging my bets here. It's gonna be an ugly transition over there.