to reserve or not on Delta operated by KLM

Hi Susan,

Good question. I have seen some passengers say "no" and insist their bags come with them. I also personally have never been told that I could not bring a carry-on.

But I think the only way to really guarantee that your carry-on gets on is to pay for a seat so at least one of you boards early. It's not just Delta, it's every airline. Overhead space is first come, first serve.

That said, are you on really Air France? I think they fly a Triple 7 out of Vancouver. It is a huge plane with lots of overhead space.

A few weeks ago, I was on a flight where my carry-on HAD to come with me so I paid for a seat.

Maybe others here with more experience will chime in.

I don't know if this helps, but I recently flew Delta from MSP to AMS then on to GLA, and KLM had the second leg. I flew in Main Cabin (Comfort+) so I had an assigned seat, but there seemed to be enough space in the overhead bins and there was no talk at that time of having to check luggage. I was able to check in 24 hours ahead of time.

But that said, there certainly is a risk of having to board last and check a bag - that's one of the dangers of flying Basic Economy and not checking a bag ahead of time. If it was me, I would just go ahead and check a bag. I usually do because I don't want to have to deal with it, and it really doesn't take that much longer to get your bag. Airline baggage transfers have gotten much quicker in recent years and usually I haven't had to wait more than 5-10 minutes to retrieve my bag and head onward to wherever I'm going.

If you're concerned, buy an AirTag (which is what I do) and stick it inside your luggage. That way you can have peace of mind knowing it's going to the right place. Delta also has a good baggage tracker you can use, although sometimes it doesn't work for the Delta partner leg.

Hi Susan, you might want to check their website to see how many seats are remaining now. If you would be towards the back, even with paid seats, there’s the chance you will have to gate check your carry on luggage, anyway.

Personally, if I was traveling on an overseas flight with my husband, I would want to pay for seats to be sitting together. Otherwise, you could easily be in two random leftover middle seats.

I’ve had shorter domestic flights where I didn’t pay for a seat. And as expected, I ended up in a middle seat.

What is the difference between Delta Basic and economy?
Delta allows free cancellations and changes on most main cabin tickets, but not on basic economy. Baggage rules are generally the same between the two fares (carry-ons are free with Delta Basic economy). Basic economy fares don't include seat assignments, which makes them less than ideal for groups and families.Dec 20, 2022

You can, and should, check in online 24 hours before your departure time, no matter what the airline is.
Do it coming home too.
You should be able to do this on the KLM Canada website.
You’ll need your itinerary code, which is a 5 or 6 digit code of a mix of numbers and letters.
(Sometimes it hard to tell if an “O” is a number or a letter, if you have one of those in your code.)
Try entering it now on the website to practice bringing up your itinerary in advance.
You can pay for a seat any time now if you change your mind about not having done it before.

I flew KLM economy last year back to YVR.
There are no pillows in long haul economy now, and cutlery is flat wooden shapes, so if you have travel versions of either….bring them!
Also pack plenty of snacks….

Those reviews shouldn't have been "bad" because what those writers didn't like is exactly what Basic Economy IS, and it's spelled out very clearly on their website.

If you book Main Cabin on Delta, and book it with Delta not with KLM, your carry-on bags should be fine. We fly that way to Italy a lot and will be doing it again this year. Booking with KLM will LOOK cheaper at first, but you may end up paying to check your bags. Their carry-on size requirements might be tighter than Delta's --- be sure to find this out.

Are your tickets also Basic Economy (or, Economy Light, same thing)? If so, short of cancelling and rebooking (and losing some of your money), you won't be able to select seats until you're checked in.

If your tickets are regular economy, you should be able to select seats right now.

And, for those who leave bad reviews for getting the exact level of service they paid for--with a big banner when you select Basic Economy before you purchase that lists all the restrictions, including not sitting together and boarding last--I have no pity. If they want these things, pay, like others have. Otherwise, they're getting for free what others have paid more for. (OK, time to get off my soapbox....)

Looking at the Delta site for your itinerary, it is not clear if it is possible to upgrade from "Basic Econ" ( aka Econ Light) to "Econ". As best I can tell, it looks like the option to do so is when one is purchasing the ticket.

Do you have the option to upgrade to 'Econ', or 'buy' a seat reservation?

The Delta site has this wording:
Economy Light

No seat(s) assigned until after check-in, not together
Last to board & not eligible for upgrades
No miles earned; no credit toward SkyMiles Medallion Status

Check in your bags and take only a small bag as carry on (like a back pack) with the things that you must have with you (like valuables and electronic devices). Nobody will ask you to check in a small backpack.

Why would you want to lug your suitcase with you while at AMS Schipol? Just to save 10 min wait at the baggage claim in Venice? I always check in everything. When I transfer planes during a layover I don't want to be encumbered by extra luggage, especially if I need to rush. You have a couple of hours in AMS between the arrival of the flight from YVR and the departure to VCE, and it's not a lot if you have a slight flight delay, or long lines at passport control. Just enjoy your layover without having to worry about carrying your luggage around. It will also take you longer to get through security (you need to go through security again at AMS). Baggage claim won't take you more than an extra 10 min in Venice, I promise. It's not a large airport and your plane will be a 737, therefore not a lot a passengers' luggage to unload. It might arrive while you are walking from the gate to the baggage claim.

Thanks for all the replies! I have traveled to Venice many times. Though it's true that it's a small airport and a short wait for luggage , I still prefer to take carry on only for various reasons including avoiding the possibility of lost luggage and avoiding the checked luggage fee that is part of my ticket.