United, Delta Say They Are Dropping Change Fees For Domestic Flights

Enlarge this image

United Airlines planes were parked at gates at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., last month. The airline has announced that it is eliminating many change fees.

Seth Wenig/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Seth Wenig/AP

Coronavirus Live Updates
United, Delta, American Say They Are Dropping Change Fees For Domestic Flights

As of Jan. 1, 2021, United will allow customers to fly same-day standby for free – a service that used to cost $75 for people who didn’t have status in its rewards program.

The changes come as airlines are struggling with far lower demand than usual. Delta said that last quarter, the number of passengers on its planes was down 93 percent compared with the year-ago period.

United said last month that the previous quarter was the worst in its 94-year history. It lost at least $1.6 billion and burned cash at an average of $40 million a day.

United and Delta, like other carriers, are offering increased flexibility as the coronavirus pandemic leads many customers to rejigger their travel plans.

American Airlines has previously extended waivers of its change fees. It’s not clear if United and Delta’s announcements will prompt the airline to drop the fees for good.

«American and Delta don’t have much of a choice,» Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research Group, told The Points Guy prior to Delta’s announcement. «Southwest and United have boxed them in a corner. If they don’t match, they risk losing customers to Southwest and United. If they do match, it’s a zero-sum game.»

Southwest does not charge change fees, a policy that has long been popular with its flyers.

This type of fee brings in huge amounts of money for many airlines. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, last year, United collected more than $625 million and Delta collected more than $830 million in fees for changes and cancellations. In 2019, U.S. airlines took in more than $2.8 billion in these fees.

• coronavirus pandemic
• United Airlines