US: Delta, American join United in dropping most US change fees

This could be the final boarding call for the $200 ticket-change fee that has enraged so many US airline travellers over the past decade. Delta and American Airlines said Monday that they are dropping the fee on most tickets for domestic flights, copying United’s move one day earlier. Southwest didn’t levy change fees to start with, so Monday's announcements mean that the four biggest US carriers will have roughly similar policies. Wolfe Research airline analyst Hunter Keay said he believes Delta and United were considering dropping change fees even before the pandemic because they were seen as too punitive. “This is another example of a crisis accelerating forward thinking ideas,” Keay said, adding that United could have gone further and dropped change fees on international itineraries too. Delta and American said they have permanently eliminated change fees for all domestic flights for premium and most economy fares except the lowest fare, called basic economy. American is also dropping the fee on trips to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. American said it will let all passengers fly standby for earlier same-day flights without charge beginning Oct. 1. United is making that change on Jan. 1.<br/>