Now tell me: When's the last time you’ve heard of an airline getting rid of a fee? Delta Air Lines did just that yesterday, announcing that it would be dropping the $25 fee charged to passengers who book flights over the phone.
Delta's incoming president, Glen Hauenstein, said in a statement on the airline's blog "It is much simpler for our customers to not have to worry if they will pay a fee for ticketing with Delta." The announcement coincided with another in a string of record earnings reports from the airline.
A $35 fee to book tickets in person at the airport is also being dropped.
49 percent of travelers say they hate the telephone booking fee, according to a survey by Milecards.com, though other fees such as wi-fi and checked baggage get far more boos (74 and 65 percent, respectively).
Delta's competitors American and United currently charge $25 for per ticket booked by phone and have not indicated any upcoming change to that policy. Southwest does not charge a fee for tickets booked by phone. None of these airlines charge for tickets booked online.
Before you get too excited, there will still be plenty of other fees on Delta: checked baggage; seats with extra legroom; advance seat assignments by windows, aisles or exit rows; meals; movies and TV shows; and the dreaded in-flight wi-fi charge. And if you book by phone from Europe you will still be charged $25 to $35.
Big picture: Delta probably isn't taking too big a hit on this move. Jay Sorensen, President of IdeaWorks Company, which analyzes airlines' ancillary revenues (income from anything other than flights), says "In terms of revenue, compared to other à la carte fees, such as baggage charges, it would be insignificant."
That said, Sorensen says he's not sure why Delta would drop the fee. "It's a sensible fee because it's clearly linked to an expense and consumers have accepted it because it has been in effect for so long."
