Delta Air Lines has taken the uncommon step of eliminating a long-standing service charge. The carrier will no longer impose fees for tickets purchased over the phone or at airport and ticket office locations.
“It’s much simpler for our customers to not have to worry if they will pay a fee for ticketing with Delta,” said Glen Hauenstein, incoming president of Delta Air Lines, in an official statement.
Delta first introduced fees for phone and in-person bookings in 2005. Until now, those charges were $25 for phone bookings in the United States and $35 for purchases made in person. Purchases made online or through the Fly Delta app were never subject to these fees.
The decision to drop the fees was influenced by customer feedback. Delta cited results from an online survey conducted in February by milecards.com, which found that 49 percent of respondents who paid fees for phone bookings in 2015 considered the charge “very unreasonable.”
Despite Delta’s change, other airlines continue to charge for tickets purchased by phone or at airport ticket counters.
