No more change fees…

Assuming they do not intend to accept lower profits as a result of the policy, the price of tickets just went up.

I am happier with having options such as Economy Light costing $300 to change but being a $150 cheaper ticket than Economy Basic which has no fees. So, another loss for the frugal consumer.

This has been in place for a couple of years now.

As Carol noted, change fees haven't been a part of Delta's income for a couple years now. And, even if this were new, Delta has other income streams besides ticket prices that could make up the difference. For instance, they're expecting a "remuneration" of $5.5 Billion from Amex in 2022 (yep, with a 'B'), and that's expected to rise over the next couple years.

https://s2.q4cdn.com/181345880/files/doc_presentations/2022/12/Delta-Air-Lines_Financial-and-Strategic-Outlook_vF_For-Website.pdf

Tom, if you don't make any changes, it was. Your choice ... pretty nice in that regard.

And for those that dont think a company will.not² tap every available income stream to its maximum potential dont have a 401(k). Nothing is free and there are no gifts. Which is fair and reasonable.

Certainly, Delta strives to maximize all it's revenue streams. My point was that if they had seen a drop in profit from a fee that went away, raising ticket prices isn't necessarily the way they would seek to regain the loss. They have other ways of doing so that wouldn't lead to lower ticket sales (a reasonable assumption with higher prices.)

Yep Southwest has always had this policy and it’s one of the reasons I don’t fly Southwest.

I know that sounds strange but occasionally when I travel, I will get done early on business and want to come home early. On Delta or the other airlines I have a couple of options I can fly standby for free. I can pay $50 for a confirmed, standby, etc. On Southwest the only thing you can do is upgrade to their full fare walk up ticket. Which means that a “change fee” is significantly more expensive than the other carriers. The last time thus happened had I been on Delta I could’ve gone home for $50 but because I was on Southwest my options were to pay $300 or stay at the airport for four hours.

Southwest recently introduced a new fare level, called Wanna Get Away Plus, that allows same day changes and same day standby. It's a more expensive ticket up front than their lower priced Wanna Get Away fares:

https://www.southwest.com/airfare-types-benefits/sameday-standby-change/

I've been enjoying United's policy--which I assume is not unique--of allowing no-fee redeposit of airline miles if you cancel a frequent-flyer ticket at least 31 days in advance. I needed to use that option multiple times earlier this year when I was dealing with cataracts. There's also a no-fee change policy for frequent-flyer tickets that's even more generous.

The hotel situation, unfortunately, is getting less customer-friendly, overall. The free-cancellation period seems to be getting tighter, with many hotels requiring five or seven days' notice rather than three days' notice, which was common in the past. As someone who often spends a lot more time at one hotel than the typical visitor, I don't like the prospect of five, six or seven days' lodging costs being 100% forfeited five or seven days ahead of time if I need or want to make a change.

UA dropped all change fees during the pandemic, and have stated they will not reinstate them. The funds are deposited back into your account & don't expire. Once you log in, it reminds you of the travel credits on the booking page. It use to be a bit more difficult to find the funds, but no longer.

About ticket prices & profitability - Looks like air cargo also helped boost profits, but it's complicated. Seems GDP growth & fuel prices will also have an impact.
https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2022-releases/2022-12-06-01/#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20first%20profit,2022%20in%20IATA%27s%20June%20outlook).