With disruptions and delays on the rise in airports, Delta Air Lines is offering customers some wiggle room for trips during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Customers can reschedule flights that take place July 1-4 with “with no fare difference or change fees,” according to a Tuesday press release from the company.
That means you won’t have to pay a fee for changing your flight — or pay the difference if the new flight is more expensive than the one you originally purchased. This change is “systemwide,” meaning it affects everywhere to which Delta flies.
“This unique waiver is being issued to give Delta customers greater flexibility to plan around busy travel times, weather forecasts and other variables without worrying about a potential cost to do so,” Delta’s release said.
However, the move doesn’t allow people to rebook their flights indefinitely into the future. You have to travel before or on July 8 on the rebooked flight — and make the change before or on July 8.
Further, it has to be between the same origin and destination as well as the same cabin as the initial flight.
If a person wanted to rebook under this waiver, and the only open seat in the flight they wanted was in Premium Select, and their original ticket was Main Cabin, for example, they would have to pay more, Delta confirmed to Insider.
The move comes as customers the world over have been stranded and stuck in airports – including some Delta passengers in Atlanta for over 24 hours, according to 11 Alive.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with airline CEOs to question them about cancellations, especially ahead of summer and holiday travel, Insider previously reported. Delta cancelled more flights on Memorial Day weekend than any other airline.
More recently, over 800 US flights were canceled on Sunday, due to increased demand and shortages of pilots and other airport staff.
Delta added it “expected to carry customer volumes from Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4, not seen since before the pandemic as people yearn to connect with the world.”
It is “[hard] not to see this as anything other than Delta throwing in the towel that this weekend is going to be a nightmare,” Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, tweeted.
United and Southwest did not respond to requests for comment on whether they had similar plans in the works.
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