The one fee they don't have is the one they should have:
Oversized passenger fee.

"We're broke as hell, and it shows."

(or for you older folks, "Delta is poorer than you are.")

Wow Delta! Why don't I just hand you my life savings and cash out my bank accounts for you.

@bdsakx: You'll need to save up for a few more months first. I'm actually kind of shocked they allow pets in the cabin. I wonder if they consider the fact that you can almost guarantee someone on the flight has a pet allergy.

Delta: We (hate our passengers, but) love to fly, and it shows!

Why is there a fee for gate checked strollers but not gate checked bags? It's only 5 bucks, but that's totally bogus.

So after paying the $600 for that one-way airline ticket, I can expect to fork over another $1,200 in fees, right? Sounds like a fair deal to me!

Or I can take Southwest and be afraid the wings will fall off...

@He: They're not charging for checking the stroller. They're charging for putting it in a bag. Which I think is even more of a ripoff (bring Hefty from home for $0.0003)

"today's economic landscape." LOL they make it sound so dramatic and so not their fault they're changing their fees.

@thirdbase: Wow. What about maybe a $500 special charge for long legs or maybe $450 for being blind. Wheelchair, that'll be another $3000, walk if you don't like it. If I was Delta, I'd just cut in half all their already tiny seats and charge everyone for 2 seats. Let see how you like that now.

It's one thing to have properly sized seats that can't accomodate a few % of the population. It's another to get them so small that a majority of people can barely fit in them.

@tedyc03: Actually, Southwest's fleet is newer overall than Delta's. So with Delta, you get extra fees, worse service, AND Suspense! Whoopee!

I've been avoiding Delta for several years in favor of Contintental and American, this isn't helping matters for me.

This is similar to the low cost airlines who charge you for anything extra. The huge difference is that Delta is not a low cost airline- they're just as expensive as the other large airlines. For some reason, I doubt they're going to drop fairs concurrently.

I don't fly Delta, so I have no idea what "SkyMiles OA Award Handling Charges" or "SkyMiles Award Ticket Mileage Redeposit Fees" are, but I'm not sure Delta really grasps the concept of frequent flier miles. They're supposed to be an incentive to keep flying Delta, not an added revenue stream.

I wonder how long it will be until we see a "SkyMiles Redemption Fee," where if you wish to use your SkyMiles for a free flight, you're welcome to, but the fee will be whatever the cost of the ticket is.

This is the same airline who let my 11 year old step-daughter out on the concourse, unescorted, at DEN and told her to "find her parents". After we paid a $75 each way fee for escort. NOT going to happen again for $100 each way.

Wait. It's cheaper to bring your pet in the cabin than to check it? And what happens when TSA thinks your pet is a security risk and they want you to dismantle it to prove otherwise?

So, now that they are charging for curbside check-in, the tips for the curb baggage guys are going to go down (I owe you $3 for fees, so you can have the rest of the $5 as tip vs. here's $5 for tip for my bags), and the lines to check in inside are going to get longer.

I don't understand how this is a sound business decision at all.

@brooksosheffield: I concur, I think anyone would rather have their pet in the cabin... and furthermore, are there any pet restrictions? I've never seen anyone try to bring a pet in the cabin on any flight, but I imagine a jack russell terrier or other fairly vocal pet would drive the entire cabin nuts.

@Scotus: Are you kidding? All of the airlines are being pressured to spin off their frequent flyer programs. Investors think those programs can be huge profit centers if they're by themselves.

Don't ask me how, or how the *ssholes can do that knowing that it will help screw over everyone, but in their deranged minds, it apparently makes sense.

You people are so cold... Do you have any idea how much it costs to completely ignore a kid for an entire flight?
For shame...

@moore850: I've taken a 20lb dog in the cabin on a cross country flight with me before, and she was fine (and she definitely can be vocal). Typically you would give your dog a benadryl or some sort of sedative to help them sleep/not annoy anyone else. I also felt it was much safer then putting the dog in the cargo hold (dog health wise)

I've also ridden on flights with large service dogs as well as small yappy dogs. They have never been any worse than a screaming kid or loud or drunk adult.

::shrug::

i have never flown delta... they're flights seem to be more expensive anyway.

I also don't mind the pet, unaccompanied minor fees, because, well, that means a more comfortable flight for me. although that blows if you're over 12... as they seem to know how to control themselves.

No idea what an "Administrative Service Charge" is but that seems expensive.

What about extra fees or a denial of anyone lugging on massive strollers and giant carry-ons? that's such a pain in the ass to be on a flight with people like that.

Who the hell would fly Delta at this point?

I think you can only take your pet in the cabin if you buy it a seat. So the fee is a little smaller, but you're already spending hundreds on an extra ticket.

But I thought they only allowed celebrity animals in the cabin. Can you buy a seat for any pet?

@moore850: generally the pet has to be under 20 lbs or so - there are special airline cabin sized carrier bags you can buy that fit under the seat. I flew with my dachshund/beagle mutt in the cabin on Delta once, but I doped her and muzzled her during the course of the flight so that she wouldn't cause any issues.

@12-Inch Idongivafuck Sandwich: what you said

It gives me a Les Miserables flash back...

A number of airlines will let certified therapy dogs (like the cert mine is testing for next week - TDI) in the cabin. Not sure about other animals though.

@squikysquiken: lose weight, fatty. despite what your friends, family, coworkers, significant other, etc told you, you're actually overweight.

those of us who are of proper weight can fit properly into the 17.5" to 19" wide seats just fine, and prefer that your sweaty fat rolls didnt lay on our laps because YOU can't fit into a seat made for a human and not a hippo.

pay the $200 fee and have your ass stuffed in a cow carrier in the cargo bay... because tall people of proper weight and the blind can still fit in a single seat so your argument is moot. your fat ass is not a disability, so dont even begin to compare it to that.

but if you have a thyroid condition, my bad.

@tedyc03: Strollers are often required to be in a bag instead of traveling loose so to prevent straps from getting caught in baggage handling equipment. Those bags are supposed to be clear so the contents can be seen. Silly? You betcha. My suitcases aren't clear...why should the bag the stroller is in be clear?

Hardly a surprise, this has been the model for all low cost airlines in Europe for quite a while. There are so many other examples in US - the city of Houston charges visitors a tax to build a stadium every time they rent a car or stay in a hotel.

I wish the airlines start charging extra for people who occupy too much space beyond their seat or those who carry bags which are too big to be in the cabin.

These changes are even worse than they look. Since the language is confusing for anyone who doesn't fly on DL often, I'll try to help to the best of my knowledge:

Direct Ticketing Charge (DTC) - $20 -> $25
This is the fee for booking an award or regular ticket over the phone or with an airport/city ticket office agent.

External Reissue Charge (ERC) - $20 -> $30
This is the fee for Delta "taking over" a ticket that was issued by a 3rd party, e.g., Orbitz, Expedia, your corporate travel agent, rather than directly by Delta. From my experience, this does not seem to apply in many cases.

SkyMiles OA Award Handling Charge - Free -> $25
This is the new fee for booking an award ticket that has at least 1 segment on an airline other than Delta. No other carrier charges this. Expect others to start.

SkyMiles Award Ticket Mileage Redeposit Fee - $75 -> $100
This is the fee for canceling your award ticket and getting your miles back. This is in line with what other carriers charge.

Administrative Service Charge - $75 -> $100
This is the fee for making a change to an award or regular ticket, or for cancelling a regular non-refundable ticket (you get an e-credit voucher for the original price - $100 which can be used for a year, which is better than many airlines since the e-credit can be partially used over time until depleted.) This is in line with what other carriers charge, but still a lot more than the industry-leading $50 that DL was at a couple years ago. If you have waitlisted segments, there is no charge to switch to them if they clear. (This is when you have award segments or upgrades pending for regular segments that have no availability. DL theoretically allows you up to 4 waitlists at a time, though I have been on as many as 8 on a single itinerary. You can only waitlist for DL flights, not other carriers. This is a nice feature that not most carriers do since you can waitlist better flights/dates and switch to them for free if they open up.)

Redeposit/ASC are waived for PMs (Platinum Medallions), but if you're a PM you probably know about that and the other extra benefits you get. All elites get the extra baggage fee waived; in fact, all elites get up to 3 bags for free (though it's unclear if they still get 70lbs/bag, or if it's now down to the normal 50lbs/bag.)

Overall, these fees are pretty bad, and give me another reason not to fly Delta even having status with them.

Now, the part that's really bad is the combination of the Other Airline handling fee and the Direct Ticketing fee. Why? Well, Delta allows you to use your miles for tickets on their SkyTeam partners and several other partner airlines; 20 airlines in total at the moment according to delta.com. You can make award reservations on delta.com for free, including putting a 48 hour hold on a ticket before purchasing it. However, currently you can only book Delta/Continental/Northwest flights on their website, and often times even those don't work properly! So to get on any other airline, or even for a DL-only award if the website won't price it out properly, you now have to call in to do it. The phone agents are also able to do MUCH more thorough searches and put together more creative itineraries than the website is able to do.

You also used to be able to make a reservation over the phone, put a 48 hour hold on it, and redeem it on the web for free. No more. If you reserve over the phone (which, as stated above, you are FORCED to do much of the time) you can no longer place a hold on the ticket; you must book it immediately, and pay the $25 fee.

So, to book anything but a basic DL-only award (assuming the website is working), it now costs the $25 phone ticketing fee (other than for CO/NW flights that you can get on delta.com) + the new $25 other airline segment fee, for a total of $50 in charges for a redemption that was previously free. AND you cannot put the award on hold to do things like confirm hotels and rental cars before you ticket it! This is absolutely ridiculous, and as far as I know every other major US airline lets you place at least a 1 - 2 day hold on an award.

There are other negative changes that DL is making to the award system, specifically the move from 25k/50k base tiers to 25k/40k/60k base tiers. Since availability for SkySaver (the 25k base tier) awards is already pretty bad compared to, say, AA at their 25k level, this just makes it worse.

@oakie: Tall people can fit in a single seat? Really? What's your idea of tall, five-foot-six? I'm six feet one, and spend every flight with my knees pressed against the seat in front of me.

I status matched to AA earlier this year. Call and ask for the "Gold Challenge" or "Platinum Challenge" and they'll set you up.

Other carriers have similar schemes. I know that NW and UA do, anyway.

Delta is SO over.

Pets in the cabin? That would be damn annoying. What if it's a dog that won't stop yapping away?

@oakie: Obviously you're not that tall if you think that tall people of proper weight can fit in a single seat. I'm fine side-to-side, but my knees inevitably hit the seat in front of me, especially if the person in front of me reclines. I'm 6'1 with a lot of my height in my legs. Well over 10% of the adult male population in the U.S. is over 6 feet tall, and I imagine most of those people find coach airline travel at least somewhat uncomfortable.

My last post seemed to get lost, so I'll try this again as two. First, since the terms are confusing to anyone who doesn't fly DL a lot, I'll try to explain them to the best of my knowledge.

Curbside Check-in: Free -> $3 (each bag)
This is for checking your bags with a skycap at the curb. Just go inside and check your bags there. This one is especially bad for the skycaps because it will cause them to lose a lot of tips with people thinking the $3 goes to them.

Direct Ticketing Charge (DTC): $20 -> $25
This is the fee for booking a paid or award ticket over the phone or with an airport/city ticket office agent. This is in line with what other airlines charge (but has SIGNIFICANT price-gouging effects with regard to award tickets; see below.)

External Reissue Charge (ERC): $20 -> $30
This is the fee for Delta "taking over" a ticket booked by a 3rd party (Orbitz, your corporate travel agent, etc) rather than through Delta, if you want to make changes to it. In my experience, it often is not applied. Book directly through Delta when you can.

SkyMiles OA Award Handling Charge: Free -> $25
OA == Other Airline. This is an absurd new fee that is charged if you book an award ticket that has at least one segment on an airline other than Delta. No other carrier charges this. None of Delta's partners charge you extra to book on Delta's flights! Expect other carriers to start instituting this.

SkyMiles Award Ticket Mileage Redeposit Fee: $75 -> $100
This is the fee for canceling an award ticket and getting your miles back. This is in line with what other airlines charge.

Administrative Service Charge: $75 -> $100
This is the fee for making changes to an award or paid ticket, or for canceling a paid non-refundable ticket. If you change a paid ticket, you pay $100 + the fare difference from your original ticket to what the current fare is, or $100 + any mileage difference for an award ticket (they will give you money or miles back if you end up with a negative value.) If you cancel a non-refundable ticket, you get an e-credit voucher (usable online or on the phone) for the value of the ticket - $100 that is good for one year. Delta's e-credit policy is more reasonable than many airlines, because you can incrementally use an e-credit over time until depleted (some airlines make you use it all at once and lose any value remaining.) You can also use it for anyone's ticket (some airlines only let you book tickets for yourself with e-credits.) The $100 fee is in line with what other airlines charge, but significantly more than the $50 that Delta charged just a couple years ago which was industry-leading.

Checked Bag Fee (not listed): Free -> $25 for 2nd bag

PMs (Platinum Medallions) are exempt from redeposit fees and ASCs on award tickets, but if you're one you probably knew that. All Medallions are exempt from the curbside checkin fee, and are also exempt from the checked bag fee. (Medallions actually get 3 checked bags for free still, though it's unclear if the limit is still 70lbs or if it's the normal 50lb limit now.)

I imagine a jack russell terrier or other fairly vocal pet would drive the entire cabin nuts.

Some of us have trained dogs. I purposely got a Yorkshire terrier (hair, not fur, so it doesn't kick up people's allergies), and spent months training her. She not only uses a litter box when I'm not home and she has to go, she'll lay quietly for hours. When I'm in France, I take her everywhere with me. She even came with me to an evolutionary psych conference at the Frei University in Berlin, where she slept politely in my lap in all the lectures. She only barked after Richard Dawkins' keynote speech in a big auditorium and probably only because she'd never heard applause before.

In short, if people have bratty dogs, don't blame the dog.

@Alger: I'm 6'4" and can handle flights just fine, although it's not comfortable unless I'm in an exit row.

And I completely agree with oakie.

@sasper: Unfortunately the airlines seem to be making it harder/more expensive to get an exit row seat (by only selling them for higher fare tickets).

Can't wait to see the advertisements on the subway soon:

(Rotated and Bevelled Red Delta Logo) Change is... HIGHER FEES!

I never understood why the airlines don't simply charge higher exorbitant fares and just include more complimentary services? Chances are, not everybody will use the service and that people who do won't feel nickel and dimed at every turn. It seems like that's what some foreign airlines are doing (I'm looking at you Asiana)

@azntg: I think they're doing this sort of thing for the same reason any business does it: to pad their bottom line while not having to prominently advertise their increased fares. Sleazy, but unfortunately common.

@psychos:

Can a moderator please delete this redundant post (and this one?) Thank you.

Cripes....air-travel is getting so wallet-hungry that it's now cheaper to drive and have that cross-country excursion you talked about when you were in college....

@descend:

What if it's a dog that won't stop yapping away?

All these fees are going to the new advertising campaign:

With Delta Air Lines....

Bag too heavy? Fuck you, pay us.
Need to check an extra bag? Fuck you, pay us.
Can't fit in the seat? Fuck you, pay us.
Need to use the lav on a four hour ATL-LAX flight? Fuck you, pay us.
Want to redeem those frequent flyer miles? Fuck you, pay us.
Want to chat with our Mumbai-based staff to purchase a ticket? Fuck you, pay us.

Another one of the many reasons why I quit flying Delta (and I live in Atlanta). Turned all my SkyMiles into tickets (on partner airlines, natch) last year, and just cancelled and cut up my Delta Amex before another year's service fee could be charged to it.

Blow me, Delta. Go broke for all I care. When Southwest can still make half a billion in profit this year (per USA Today last week), that's all the proof I need that your problems are your own, not due to fuel prices.

Maybe if I keep them talking on the phone long enough I can charge them my conversation fee that will cover the price of my flight.

Pets should not be allowed in the cabin period. This is one of my biggest pet peeves (no pun intended). People need to realize that pets are animals and not accessories. No one wants your little rat dog yapping all flight and some people have severe allergies to pet hair.