Carrier aligns its policies with Northwest’s

Delta said it is making changes in its fee structures – some effective immediately – to make them consistent with those of Northwest, which is now a Delta subsidiary and will eventually be merged into Delta. Among the changes:

• For travel starting December 5, Delta domestic travelers will have to pay $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second, the same fees that Northwest charges; Delta currently lets passengers check one bag free and charges $50 for the second. SkyMiles Medallion and WorldPerks elite members, as well as first and business class passengers, will be allowed to check up to three bags for free; full-fare coach passengers will be allowed two checked bags for no charge.

• Effective immediately, Delta is scrapping the fuel surcharges of $25 to $100 that were instituted earlier this year at both airlines for claiming award tickets in the SkyMiles and WorldPerks programs.

• Delta has started selling “Choice Coach Seats” on select flights for a charge of $5 to $25 – the same as Northwest has been doing for some time. The option is offered to persons using self-service check-in, guaranteeing them a preferred seat assignment. The fee varies based on distance and seat location. SkyMiles Medallion members, WorldPerks elites, SkyTeam elites and those traveling on full-fare Y or B tickets can select a Choice Seat for no fee when they check in online or at an airport kiosk. Delta said the seats available through this program will represent less than 10 percent of all seat assignments.

• Delta has cut the fee for telephone ticket purchases from $25 to $20, the same as Northwest’s; the same fee reduction also applies to frequent flyer award tickets booked over the phone.

• Effective December 5, Delta said it will eliminate its $3 “curbside check-in administrative fee” paid by passengers who check their bags with a skycap at airports worldwide.

Delta executive VP Steve Gorman said Delta does not expect to be affected by ending its first-checked-bag-free policy, since it is the last of the legacy carriers to add a fee. “The increase in bags being carried on board Delta aircraft this year tells us that customers are not differentiating Delta as the only major airline not charging for a first checked bag,” he said. (Actually, Southwest is considered a major airline, and it does not charge for a checked bag.)