Delta To Test New Sub-Fare Seating Categories

Delta Air Lines is shaking up its seat category offerings by expanding to include a greater variety of options.

A new report from The Points Guy says that the carrier intends to introduce a new, third tier seating category in its coach class. This new option is expected to be rolled out over the coming months.

This development is part of a larger plan from Delta that could result in customers being offered a far greater variety of fare choices, per TPG.

Think of it as “good, better, or best” - which is what Delta is calling the diversification of seating categories for now.
"We've got all these different cabins on the airplane. But we really think there's another way to segment them," Delta president Glen Hauenstein said Wednesday during the carrier's annual investor day, per TPG.

While this may seem like good news on one front, offering travelers greater choice, it also raises questions about whether travelers will ultimately end up paying steeper prices for services they’re already getting when purchasing a ticket.

A trial run of the new fair “subcategories” is expected to kick-ff in 2025, starting with coach class and then working its way up through other categories of tickets.

Currently, Delta offers two coach categories of ticketing: full-fare economy and basic economy. Basic economy removes benefits like SkyClub access and earning SkyMiles.

The initial roll-out of this new seating diversification will see Delta testing a coach product that is the opposite of basic economy, according to TPG. That will involve a more expensive main cabin tier ticket that offers slightly better benefits than a standard coach ticket.

"We're halfway there in terms of coach product, the main cabin product," Hauenstein said Wednesday, referencing the existing basic economy option. "But [could] we have kind of a 'best' in that category — which we don't really have?"

---

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore