Several Major Airlines Eliminate Change Fees
Flying to your next Disney vacation is going to be even easier! In a silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic, several airlines have eliminated the practice of change fees. United Airlines first announced the change over the weekend and Delta Air Lines as well as American Airlines made the change official yesterday.
For United Airlines, change fees were removed for those flying standard economy and in the premium cabin. Standby fees for all same day departures were also removed. In addition, United has extended their unlimited change fee waiver for flights purchased until December 31, 2020. If you are a Mileage Plus Premier member, additional flexibility to confirm same day seats will be offered, space permitting.
Effective immediately, Delta Air Lines has also eliminated change fees. They have also extended their waiver on change fees for international and basic economy flights that have already been purchased through the end of the year. If you have a travel credit with Delta, those credits have been extended through December 2022 if the original tickets were purchased before April 17, 2020.
American Airlines will also be eliminating all change fees for domestic and short-haul international flights for premium and most main cabin flights. Beginning October 1, 2020, standby fees have been removed for those looking to change to an earlier flight for the same destination on the same day.
While American Airlines added some enhancements to basic economy fares including more flexability for upgrades, preferred and main cabin extra seats, priority boarding, and same-day flight changes; United Airlines and Delta Airlines have EXCLUDED basic economy tickets from their no change fee policy.
All three airlines appear to be following the lead of SouthWest Airlines which has never charged passengers for change fees. SouthWest has also recently announced that it has extended the expiration date for certain travel credits. Passengers who have tickets that were set to expire between March 1 to September 7, 2020 have an extended expiration date on September 7, 2022.
With everything going on right now and so much uncertainty, it’s nice to see these airlines removing change fees!
Planning a visit to a Disney Destination? Fill out the form below or send an email to Holly@MickeyTravels.com for a FREE, no-obligation quote to book your Disney vacation. EVERY vacation package* booked exclusively with me by September 6, 2020 will be entered to win a $150 vacation credit. In addition, are you a teacher or someone on the front lines battling the virus? If so, you will receive a Disney Gift Card when you book your Disney vacation package* with me by December 31, 2020. As an agent with MickeyTravels (a Platinum Earmarked Agency), I will be on hand to help you with everything from finding your perfect package and I offer rate monitoring to ensure you are receiving the best rate available by Disney. I work with all Disney Destinations and destinations outside of Disney. Best of all, my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch via email at Holly@MickeyTravels.com or calling 954.401.9577. Also, make sure to CLICK HERE to follow along with my Facebook page for all things Disney and giveaways!
*Each vacation package must be a minimum of 3 nights with a 3-day ticket.
Image Credit: Videvo.net