Ultimate Guide to Delta Airlines

Basic Economy

Basic economy (E), like all other airlines, is the cheapest but most restrictive fare class in Delta. Basic economy fares give you all the same onboard experience (service, seat type, and amenities) as a regular economy seat would. However, the lack of lounge access even with Delta credit cards and the inability to accrue SkyMiles on basic economy is a Delta original. This would make Delta basic economy the worst out of all basic economies in the United States in my opinion. Below are the items to be aware of when booking basic economy.

• Baggage Policy: 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, checked bag for fee (1st: $35, 2nd: $40, 3rd-10th)
• Boarding Group: Zone 8
• Upgrades: Upgrades using cash or SkyMiles can be done anytime and to any fare class.
    *Elite status and SkyMiles credit cards will not provide complimentary upgrades. Upgrade
    certificates are also ineligible to be used.
• Seat Selection: No seat selection at time of booking, even for a cost. This policy is the most restrictive of the US big 3 airlines (United and American). Seat selection for a fee opens up a week before departure and random seat selection occurs 24 hours before departure.
    *Elite status preferred seat selection benefits are ineligible.
• Mileage Earnings: Flights are ineligible to earn SkyMiles and million miler status miles.
• Same Day Changes: Elite status same day confirmed or same day standby changes benefits are ineligible.
• Lounge Access: Credit cards that give Skyclub access are ineligible on basic economy flights.
• Change and Cancellation Policies:
  • 24 Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: All flights booked through Delta (cash and SkyMiles) are eligible for a full refund or change (minus price difference) if cancelled within 24-hours of booking.
  • After 24 Hours: All flights (cash and SkyMiles) booked through Delta can be cancelled for a fee of $99-$199. Changes are not allowed if flight originates in North America, but may be allowed for a fee in Europe, Africa, and certain other international markets. For flights originating within North America, the fee is $99 for paid reservations or 9,900 SkyMiles for award tickets. For flights all originating elsewhere, the cancellation fee will be $199 for paid reservations or 19,900 SkyMiles for award tickets.

Main Cabin

Main Cabin (V,X,T,U,L,K,Q,H,M,B,Y) are Delta's regular economy fares. Fare class V and X are deep discounted main. If you see one of these, don't hesitate! It's most likely the cheapest fare you will find. Fare class T may sometimes mean that Delta is matching competitor fares. This may result in even lower prices than V or X fare class. The main perk of main cabin is the ability to make changes to the booking, select seats, and experience the SkyMiles program benefits.

• Baggage Policy: 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, checked bag for fee (1st: $35, 2nd: $40, 3rd-10th)
• Boarding Group: Zone 6 (if a SkyMiles member) or 7 (if not a SkyMiles member)
• Seat Selection: Free seat selection for main cabin seating area. Some seats may cost a fee to select.
• Change and Cancellation Policies:
  • 24 Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: All flights booked through Delta (cash and SkyMiles) are eligible for a full refund or change (minus price difference) if cancelled within 24-hours of booking.
  • After 24 Hours: All award bookings can be cancelled or changed for free. For non-refundable flights originating within North America, the change is free while for flights originating elsewhere can be up to $400. See here for more details. The refunded amount is returned as an e-credit, to be used on Delta related purchases later. For refundable flights, all flights are able to be refunded to the original form of payment anytime before departure.

Comfort+

Comfort+ (S,W) is very similar to Main Cabin but the difference is you are able to select seats with more legroom. Comfort+ flights could also be given complimentary alcoholic beverages and a wider selection of food and snacks than main cabin.

• Baggage Policy: 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, checked bag for fee (1st: $35, 2nd: $40, 3rd-10th)
• Boarding Group: Zone 3
• Seat Selection: Free seat selection for all comfort+ seating.
• Change and Cancellation Policies:
  • 24 Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: All flights booked through Delta (cash and SkyMiles) are eligible for a full refund or change (minus price difference) if cancelled within 24-hours of booking.
  • After 24 Hours: All award bookings can be cancelled or changed for free. For non-refundable flights originating within North America, the change is free while for flights originating elsewhere can be up to $400. See here for more details. The refunded amount is returned as an e-credit, to be used on Delta related purchases later. For refundable flights, all flights are able to be refunded to the original form of payment anytime before departure.

First Class

First class (Z,I,D,C,J) is the premium cabin for most Delta's short haul international and domestic flights. The seats are more spacious and recline than economy seats. The best way to think about the seats is like premium economy, even though the name is first class. There is also usually a bottle of water at the seat, predeparture drinks and complimentary alcholic beverages. First class also has the best selection of food and snacks on the flight.

• Baggage Policy: 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, 2 free 70 lbs checked bags (3rd-10th)
• Boarding Group: Zone 1
• Seat Selection: Free seat selection for all first class seating.
• Change and Cancellation Policies:
  • 24 Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: All flights booked through Delta (cash and SkyMiles) are eligible for a full refund or change (minus price difference) if cancelled within 24-hours of booking.
  • After 24 Hours: All award bookings can be cancelled or changed for free. For non-refundable flights, the change is free and the refunded amount is returned as an e-credit, to be used on Delta related purchases later. For refundable flights, all flights are able to be refunded to the original form of payment anytime before departure.

Premium Select

Premium select (G,A,P) is the premium economy product for certain Delta domestic routes and long haul international routes. These seats feature better recline, food selection, more spacious foot and arm rests than economy. There is also complimentary kit and day blanket for passengers. Passengers are also given Sky Priority check in (separate and shorter check in line, faster baggage arrival times at the carousel, and exclusive security lines at select airports).

• Baggage Policy: 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, 2 free 50 lbs checked bags (3rd-10th)
• Boarding Group: Zone 2
• Seat Selection: Free seat selection for all premium select seating.
• Change and Cancellation Policies:
  • 24 Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: All flights booked through Delta (cash and SkyMiles) are eligible for a full refund or change (minus price difference) if cancelled within 24-hours of booking.
  • After 24 Hours: All award bookings can be cancelled or changed for free. For non-refundable flights originating within North America, the change is free while for flights originating elsewhere can be up to $400. See here for more details. The refunded amount is returned as an e-credit, to be used on Delta related purchases later. For refundable flights, all flights are able to be refunded to the original form of payment anytime before departure.

Delta One

Delta One (C,D,I,Z,J) is most premium cabin in Delta's lineup and is Delta's version of business class. Like Premium Select, this cabin is reserved for most Delta's short haul international and domestic flights. The seats are lie flat and have a lot more space than all other seats. They receive the best service onboard, best food and drink menu, and best amenity kits. Like premium select, they have access to Sky Priority but this is the only cabin class that could access Delta Skyclub and Delta One lounges without a credit card or lounge membership. For flights that say Delta One suites, it just means that the seat will have access to doors and feel more private.

• Baggage Policy: 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, 2 free 70 lbs checked bags (3rd-10th)
• Boarding Group: Zone 1
• Seat Selection: Free seat selection for all Delta One seating.
• Change and Cancellation Policies:
  • 24 Hour Risk-Free Cancellation: All flights booked through Delta (cash and SkyMiles) are eligible for a full refund or change (minus price difference) if cancelled within 24-hours of booking.
  • After 24 Hours: All award bookings can be cancelled or changed for free. For non-refundable flights, the change is free and the refunded amount is returned as an e-credit, to be used on Delta related purchases later. For refundable flights, all flights are able to be refunded to the original form of payment anytime before departure.

Delta Flights

Delta has made Skymile accrual on their own metal and marketed flights very simple: just based off how much you spend and what elite status you are at. The notable exception are basic economy tickets, which earn no SkyMiles. The following is the calculation of SkyMiles accrued on each flight:

General Member: 5 SkyMiles per dollar
Silver Medallion: 7 SkyMiles per dollar
Gold Medallion: 8 SkyMiles per dollar
Platinum Medallion: 9 SkyMiles per dollar
Diamond Medallion: 11 SkyMiles per dollar

Partner Flights

Flights marketed and operated by partner airlines earn SkyMiles based on the number of miles flown. Delta Partners are not limited to SkyTeam alliance partners.

• *Aeroflot
• AeroMexico
• Aerolineas Argentinas
• Air Baltic
• Air Europa
• Air France
• Cape Air
• China Eastern
• China Airlines
• China Southern
• EL AL
• Garuda Indonesia
• **Hawaiian Airlines
• ***ITA Airways
• KLM
• Kenya Airways
• Korean Air
• Latam Airlines
• Middle Eastern Airlines
• Saudia Airlines
• SAS
• Tarom
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• WestJet
• Xiamen Air

*Aeroflot is currently suspended due to the Ukranian-Russian war.

**Hawaiian Airlines might not be a partner once fully merged with Alaska Airlines.

***ITA Airways will leave for Star Alliance soon.

Credit Cards

American Express Delta credit cards can help accrue Delta SkyMiles. By using your SkyMiles credit card to pay for purchases, you can earn SkyMiles instead of the usual cashback or transferrable points. I get into more detail in my Delta SkyMiles credit card article but earning SkyMiles through spend on the credit card is not the best available option as seen below.

Transfer Partners

American Express Membership Rewards: All membership reward (MR) points earning cards can transfer MR to SkyMiles at a rate of 1 to 1. This makes cards like the American Express Gold card, which earns 4x points per dollar on dining and groceries, effectively earn 4x points on grocery and dining purchases. However, keep in mind that American Express does charge an excise tax offset fee when transferring to US airlines. The cost to transfer points will be $0.0006 per pointfor a maximum of $99. This means a transfer of $10,000 MR points will cost $6 and transferring $165,000 points or more will cost a flat fee of $99.

Marriott Bonvoy: Marriott Points are also able to be transferred at a rate of 3 Bonvoy points to 1 SkyMiles. Generally, this is a terrible deal unless you are looking to top off a SkyMiles booking.

Everyday Partners

These direct partners will earn X amount of SkyMiles based on the amount of money spent. Generally, these are positive, since it's better to earn something instead of nothing. A couple of the more notable partners are listed below:

Airbnb: By booking through Delta, Airbnb stays will earn 1 SkyMile per dollar spent.

Hertz: SkyMiles can be earned based off of how much money spent and the elite status of members when attaching SkyMiles number to your Hertz booking. This is instead of earning Hertz's reward currency so if you often get Hertz rentals, this might not be a good value proposition.

Delta Affiliate Portals

Delta Stays: Earn 2 miles per dollar spent on base hotel rates booked through Delta Stays.

Delta Vacations: Earn up to 10,000 SkyMiles per person when booking through Delta Vacations.

SkyMiles Dining: Delta's dining portal. Earn SkyMiles when purchasing from participating restaurants in SkyMiles Dining while using a credit linked to the dining portal.

SkyMiles Shopping: Delta's shopping portal. Earn SkyMiles when purchasing items through SkyMiles Shopping.

Other Methods/Partners

For other ways to earn SkyMiles and more partners, visit SkyMiles partners.

Delta Flight

US carriers have one of the best online interface in relation to booking award flights. Delta, for instance, just requires you to check a box that says "Shop with Miles" when searching for flights.

There is even an award calendar when selecting "flexible with dates"->"Price Calendar". This will allow you to look at awards with a monthly view.

Generally, these SkyMiles are worth around 1-1.3 cents per point. This applies even for business class flights, which is why people call the currency SkyPesos. However, there are 4 things that stand out about Delta compared to other currencies.

1. Delta Flash Sales: Delta can sometimes have no notice and barely advertised flash sales that will make flights incredibly cheap. The most recent flash sale included booking basic economy tickets from the US to Europe for 32,000 SkyMiles round-trip. This also stacks with the Take Off 15 mentioned below to get a round trip price of 27,000 SkyMiles. Do keep in mind that I have been tracking prices for a while and US to Europe basic economy flights have generally clocked in at around 36,000 SkyMiles round-trip from the east coast. These deals are often only found in SkyMiles Award Deals, where they typically advertise a low fare coming up in the next 2 or so months. Keep in mind the dates they advertise may not be the only dates, as bookings farther out can also be just as cheap.
2. Take Off 15: All Delta credit card holders (except for Delta SkyMiles blue card) will get a 15% discount on Delta operated awards. This could bring the average value of flight awards to 1.3-1.5 cents per point. For domestic flights, this isn't too bad. This is also a discount, so you would only need the amount that they ask you to on screen.

3. Fuel Surcharges: Delta does not pass on fuel charges to your award ticket. This is most important for when you look at flights from partner airlines, which some do try to charge their members, whereas Delta eats those fees for you.
4. Free Changes and Cancellation: Probably the best thing about Delta awards is the ability to freely change and cancel tickets if not in Basic Economy. This allows for a lot of flexibility and is a great program to book backup flights with.

Partner Flight

Delta has a wide selection of partners that SkyMiles can be redeemed. However, as a trend with Skyteam alliance in general, airlines are releasing less and less award availability so finding flights to redeem can be a YMMV moment. The best way to redeem SkyMiles for outsized value is to redeem on partner flights that don't originate or end in the United States or Canada. That is because Delta has a hidden award chart for those flights.

To summarize the article, some of the sweetspots include Europe to Asia in business for 80,000 SkyMiles, Europe to Middle East in business for 42,500 SkyMiles, 7,500 SkyMiles in economy and 15,000 SkyMiles in business from Japan to Korea.

While other blogs have touted the value of using SkyMiles on WestJet, I have found that WestJet flights are in fact dynamic so proceed with caution.

As of February 2025, I could only find availability for the following carriers. Do keep in mind that availability could change at any time, but interestingly, all Chinese SkyTeam carriers are absent.

• AeroMexico
• Air France
• China Airlines
• EL AL
• Garuda Indonesia
• Hawaiian Airlines
• ITA Airways
• KLM
• Korean Air
• Latam Airlines
• Middle Eastern Airlines
• Saudia Airlines
• SAS
• Tarom
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• WestJet

Flight Upgrades

Instead of paying cash, Delta can upgrade your flight using miles. This generally has a value slightly higher than 1 cent per point but not by much. Also not a great use of points.

Fixed Point Costs

Delta has a few options that SkyMiles cost are directly tied to the cash price:

• Premium Drinks at SkyClub: Purchasing drinks at SkyClub will yield 1.5 cents per SkyMiles. This is actually a pretty good use of points if you want an alcoholic beverage at the lounge.
• Flights: Book flights at 1 cent per SkyMile in 5000 SkyMiles or $50 increments. This is incredibly poor value, as the Take Off 15 wouldn't apply and it would generally cost less to book an award ticket.
• Delta Vacations: Book Delta vacation packages (flight + hotel, or flight + car rental) at 1 cent per SkyMile. Same story. Poor value.

Other Options

Because 1 SkyMile is loosely correlated with a penny now, Delta has more options on their website that also do not offer good value. Below are some of the other options to redeem points. All of these, except for the magazin subscription offer poor value. I am speculating that there is a future where SkyMiles experience could one day have good value.

• Magazine Subscriptions
• Delta Giftcards
• Skyclub Membership
• SkyMiles Experience

Medallion Requirements

Delta has 4 tiers of status for their medallion members. As you progress through the medallion tiers, the status will be more and more rewarding.

Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQD) are Delta's metric for how valuable a member is. Below are the ways to earn MQDs with Delta:

• Flights: 1 MQD per dollar spent on paid flights other than in basic economy.
• Award Flights: 1 MQD per 100 SkyMiles spent on award flights other than in basic economy.
• Exception Fares: Flights booked through vacation packages or consolidator fares will earn MQD based on distance (in miles) flown.
• Partner Flights Paid partner flights, with the SkyMiles number attached, can earn MQD based on distance flown. Partners may have different MQD earning rates.
• Credit Cards: 1 MQD per $10 spent on American Express Delta Personal and Business Reserve Card. 1 MQD per $20 spent on American Express Delta Personal and Business Platinum Card. In addition, each Delta credit Card (personal and business) will give 2,500 MQD each year up to 10,000 MQDs as an MQD headstart benefit.
• Promotions: Delta may run promotions to earn MQDs, such as with Delta stays, vacations and more.

Medallion Benefits

The list below are the benefits that all medallion members have. I have ranked the list in order of which I find to be the most valuable benefit.

• 1 additional free checked bag on international destinations
• Complimentary Preferred Seat Selection
• Complimentary Companion Upgrades
• Sky Priority Check In
• Priority Waitlist Status
• Reclaim status
• Luggage Tags
• Delta Vacations Savings
  • $25 off on $0-$1499 of vacation purchases
  • $75 off on $1500-$3999 of vacation purchases
  • $125 off on $4000-$6999 of vacation purchases
  • $250 off on $7000 or more of vacation purchases

The chart below summarizes the benefits that differ for each tier:

Some of the benefits can be attributed Skyteam Elite status. Delta Silver will match to Skyteam Elite while Delta Gold and above will match to Skyteam Elite Plus. Some of the benefits I find valuable are the free checked bags, Skyteam lounge access and complimentary upgrades when available.

Choice Benefits

For those that reach platinum or diamond medallion, you can receive choice benefits. The options are as follows:

Out of all of these, my pick would be the 4 regional upgrade certificates for platinum medallion members or the 4 global upgrade certificates for the diamond medallion members. I think these would provide the most value. Otherwise, I would take the SkyMiles option or the statement credit if you own a credit card and no longer want to fly Delta, since I value SkyMiles more than a penny each. I think SkyMiles would any day beat the Delta Travel Voucher but the Delta Vacations choice is up to personal preference.

Status Match

Delta offers status matches to other airline elites. Eligible airlines include:

• Air Canada
• Air New Zealand
• Alaska Airlines
• All Nippon Airways
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Copa Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• JetBlue
• Lufthansa
• Qantas
• South African Airways
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Australia

Reclaiming Status

Delta Allows for status to be reclaimed in case of life events. According to sources online, lots of events could qualify if you call Delta. All you would have to do once approved is to reach the MQD threshold for your status, same as the status match threshold.

Delta SkyMiles Blue

There is not much to write home about the Delta Blue card, except this is a $0 annual fee card. This means that it is a great downgrade option for personal Delta cards.

Delta SkyMiles Gold and Delta SkyMiles Gold Business

These cards get pretty exciting. There is a $0 introductory annual fee before $150 on renewal, meaning you can try the card out for a year to see if you like it. The card's main benefit is giving free checked bags for you and up to 8 companions. For those that fly with checked bags, this could save a lot of money. The card also unlocks Take Off 15, giving a 15% discount on Delta operated award flights. The Delta Stays, especially on the business card, is a great way to offset the annual fee. The business gold has a $150 annual credit while the personal only has a $100 credit. The business gold card is a great card for those that fly Delta a couple of times a year with checked bags.

Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business

These two cards also hold the same perks as the Delta Gold cards. The main difference is the introduction of additional coupons to offset and even exceed the value of the annual fee. The main benefits and reason to hold the card instead of the Delta Gold card is the annual 2,500 MQDs and annual companion certificate. Holding 4 Delta Platinum or Reserve (business and/or personal) cards will automatically grant you Delta Gold Medallion status. This is enough to be a Skyteam Elite Plus member, give you access to SkyTeam benefits and lounge access. The companion certificate the card comes with is valid for any round trip main cabin Delta operated flight within North America (excluding Canada) and the Carribeans. This could honestly represent a ton of outsized value if used correctly, sometimes even upwards of $1000. Holding 4 Delta Platinum (personal or business) cards could automatically give you Delta Gold Meddallion status and 4 companion certificates for $1,400. This is before factoring all the credits as well. I didn't mention the redundant benefits on the Delta Gold cards because why would you get the Delta Platinum cards for benefits already found on the Delta Gold card for a lower annual fee. Even though the Delta Platinum does earn MQD on spend, the Delta Reserve cards are a better card for that purpose, as they earn more MQDs per dollar spent.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business

Again, the Delta Reserve cards build on the benefits and coupons of the Delta Platinum cards. The main selling point is the Delta SkyClub access the Delta Reserve cards provide. However, they are limited to 15 visits a year unless you spend $75,000 that year. Since the Amex Platinum card also provides 6 SkyClub visits a year, for the casual flyers of Delta, I would recommend getting the Amex Platinum card instead. However, for the extreme loyalists of the airline, the card can get the most MQD for spend, at a rate of 1 MQD per $10. The card is the best for those wishing to spend towards status. Also for all the ballers flying in first class, the annual companion certificate has the same restrictions as the Delta Platinum companion certificates, except it also allows for bookings in first class. I would say the main draw of this card is the ability to spend towards Delta elite status, for those that visit SkyClubs very often, and the elevated companion certificate.