Delta’s New Fares Hint at Bigger Changes Ahead

Delta Air Lines just announced seemingly minor updates to its fares, including several new naming conventions. For now, not much is changing for passengers — but the news could signal bigger shifts ahead.

On May 15, 2025, the airline announced new names for its booking products. It also shared plans to add extra benefits to its most expensive refundable fares. As part of the effort, the airline is also introducing “travel experiences,” a new fare structure that allows customers to pay more at booking for extra perks.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s changing for booking Delta flights:

• Delta Main Cabin is now Delta Main.

• Delta Comfort+ is now Delta Comfort.

• First Class is now Delta First.

• Delta Premium Select and Delta One remain the same.

Now when you book Delta flights, you will need to select a “travel experience.” Delta is introducing:

• Basic experiences for Delta Main, replacing its standalone basic economy offering.

• Classic experiences for each product, typically the cheapest price available (besides basic economy).

• Extra experiences for each product, which are its fully refundable fares.

You will not be able to change your chosen experience after booking, although you can still upgrade into a higher cabin class if available.

These changes will start Oct. 1, 2025, for flights originating from the U.S. and Canada, and select international itineraries. Delta has already updated its booking flows, so you will see the changes even if you try to book a flight that departs prior to that date. Here’s what you need to know about these Delta booking changes.

Miles earning: More for Extra, none for Basic

Delta is changing up the amount of miles you earn, depending on the experience you purchase. Basic experiences continue to earn no miles and Classic experiences will earn 5 miles per eligible $1 spent, which has been the norm for Delta tickets.

If you purchase the Extra experience, you will now earn 7 miles per eligible $1 spent, making these tickets more attractive for those who buy refundable tickets. Keep in mind that while Classic tickets are not refundable, you can still cancel them for a full eCredit to use toward another Delta flight.

Those who have elite status with Delta will continue to earn additional miles based on their status level.

Priority boarding: A slight bump for Main Extra

If you splurge for Main Extra, you’ll get to board in Zone 5, instead of Zone 6 or 7. That's the same boarding group as Delta's Silver Medallion elites, as well as those holding an eligible Delta credit card.

Typically, SkyMiles members in Main Cabin board in Zone 6, while those without a membership board in Zone 7. Basic economy passengers board in Zone 8, which will remain the same once the changes go into effect.

» Learn more: What to know about the Delta SkyMiles program

Upgrade priority: An Extra boost

If you’re eligible for an upgrade due to your Delta Medallion elite status, you’ll get higher priority by buying an Extra ticket. Delta is adding the travel experience tier as a factor in determining upgrade clearance priority, although it will still be prioritized after Medallion status, cabin purchased and whether a passenger is a million miler.

Is Delta copying international airlines?

While uncommon in the U.S., many international airlines offer a similar model called “fare families,” which allows you to choose the level of perks you receive with your ticket. While a fare class indicates your cabin of service, such as economy or business class, a fare family determines what travel options are bundled with your ticket, such as seat selection and lounge access.

Delta’s new travel experiences are simple rebrands of its existing products, but the changes could be a sign that it intends to unbundle its premium cabin offerings, which would be bad for customers. That could mean offering a basic business class ticket that charges for seat selection and doesn’t include lounge access.

As of now, Delta’s changes are mostly cosmetic, and it hasn’t announced any definite plans to make further adjustments; however, it’s worth keeping in mind, as that’s the direction the global aviation industry is heading.

What do these Delta booking changes mean for you?

To be honest, not much has really changed. The names are different, and you’ll need to click different buttons to purchase what you want, but for the most part, Delta has kept the changes relatively simple. Plus, if you purchased a fully refundable fare prior to these changes on an eligible flight for a trip on or after Oct. 1, 2025, Delta says you will automatically receive the Extra tier and its benefits, including priority boarding and boosted mileage earning.

While the ability to earn extra miles for the Extra experience is nice, most people aren’t buying fully refundable fares when they book their tickets, which come at extra cost. (Even Delta admits this by adding the “Most Popular” banner to its Main Classic experience.)

The slightly higher priority boarding group can be helpful, but it’s the same Zone 5 as you’d get by holding a Delta credit card. If you fly Delta often (but not enough to have status), it likely makes more sense to sign up for one of their credit cards than to pay up for the Extra experience each time. Plus, if you don’t have status, the added upgrade priority won’t do much for you either.

» Learn more: The best Delta credit cards

For those who book Delta award tickets using Delta SkyMiles, these changes aren’t a big deal. You aren’t able to book Extra tier tickets using miles, as most award tickets are refundable and don’t earn miles.