How the pandemic may change airlines' much-hated $200 rebooking fees

Airlines have done away with their $200 change fees, giving passengers the flexibility they've long desired — at a time when few people are travelling. None of the major US airlines have signalled they will abandon change fees altogether. But as the pandemic continues to spread, they have repeatedly delayed their deadlines for reimplementing the fees. Delta and American, for example, recently extended their no-change-fee policy through September, and United pushed its deadline to July 31. US carriers made more than $3b from change fees in 2019 alone, roughly 2% of major carriers' overall revenue.<br/>Passengers shouldn't expect those much-hated fees to disappear forever, several analysts said. But it's possible the pandemic will significantly delay their return and, perhaps, even push airlines to adopt more consumer-friendly fee policies, the analysts said. Helane Becker, a managing director and research analyst at Cowen, predicts change fees won't come back for many months, perhaps even years. Becker said she doesn't think traffic will return to pre-Covid levels for three to five years, and airlines will need to do everything they can to attract customers before then. That includes taking change fees off the table, Becker added.<br/>