DL: how many cabin classes?

Er, five.

Is Business Elite being rebranded as DeltaOne?

I don't think so. At the bottom of the email they sent me said First Class would be replaced with Business on international flights.

I think Delta One is going to be a new transcontinental flat bed cabin class, more like the existing international business class than the domestic first class.

No, actually I think I'm wrong.

From "The Points Guy"

http://thepointsguy.com/2014/12/delta-e ... delta-one/

Sounds like an American company - bump everything up a level in name to make it sound better.

I wonder if the renaming will have any effect on the reciprocity with VS Au members?

Are they doing this just to cover the VS metal that their pax may be flying on??
Delta Comfort+ sounds very much like PE to me, then Delta One could well be VS UC with the flatbeds........

It's just a rebranding of cabins.

Main one is to make it more obvious that First Class (only on domestic) isn't better than Business Elite (now Delta One).

But what is Main Cabin as opposed to Basic Economy?

But what is Main Cabin as opposed to Basic Economy?

Same in service terms but Basic Economy is even less flexible in terms of changes etc

I think the difference is that Basic Economy is just a heavily restricted main cabin fare. So no refunds/changes and no upgrades for cash or miles, or if you have status.

You're right, thanks. And I see that you can't upgrade Basic Economy...

It looks like the diff between main cabin and basic economy is mostly service based with some pretty heavy restrictions on what you can do with the fare buckets that fill that category... with main cabin you get wifi, free IFE and snacks

Sounds to me, that they will use the various categories so they don't have to refit their whole fleet too. Any new planes coming into service will have the 'enhanced' offerings and allowing them to still run the older planes within the scope of their rebrand and marketing campaign.

I hope it goes better for them than the VS Dream Suite fiasco 8D

I wonder if the renaming will have any effect on the reciprocity with VS Au members?

Looks like it's been "enhanced" to only T-72 for VS Gold to select Comfort+...

Very interesting, Syrome, thanks. Do you have a source for that?

I read an article earlier today in one of the U.S. papers about this.

The essence was that on some routes DL were trying to be like Emirates at the front of the plane but like Spirit in the back - hence the basic product which is only going to be on some routes




(edit to correct to 'Spirit' instead of 'Southwest')

Very interesting, Syrome, thanks. Do you have a source for that?

It's in the TPG article Hull posted.

"Flying Club Gold and Platinum will receive complimentary access 72 hours out, and Flying Blue Silver, VA Velocity Gold and Silver members can choose it 24 hours out for free."

Thanks, Syrome. Well, that is a material difference for VS Au who fly DL, then.

Thanks, Syrome. Well, that is a material difference for VS Au who fly DL, then.

Yes and in my view its a significant downgrade in benefit for VS Au - having access to EC+ at the time of booking was a great benefit. Now with every step DL takes VS AU's will likely lose a benefit. Shame on VS for giving up everything to DL and getting chopped in return.

This was the article in the Washington Post I was referring too.

The sub headline

The airline trying to be Emirates in the front, Spirit in the back

Shame on VS for giving up everything to DL and getting chopped in return.

I'm not sure we can blame VS when I suspect it was pretty much a choice of DL or bust.

Rather, shame on DL - but "enhancing" FF benefits is pretty commonplace on US airlines - rarely to the customer's benefit.

At least the perk hasn't gone entirely.

Shame on VS for giving up everything to DL and getting chopped in return.

Something else - slightly off-topic - to think about I was seated next to a DL pilot (hitching a ride home) on my last DL domestic flight. He often flies tatl, so I asked him about the VS tie-up. He said from his perspective it hasn't make too much difference, but he did say one curious thing. He said he was surprised to learn that VS pilots were paid significantly less than DL pilots (both new pilots coming into the system today, and 'veterans' like him who started flying, say, 25 years ago or so).

p.s. Any bets on how long it will be before VS updates the "Au benefits on DL" webpage!?

Another thought: one of the good deals if flying Y tatl as VS Au has been to book on DL metal, and qualify for the half-price upgrade to DL Economy Comfort. I hope that Au benefit doesn't go!

Another thought: one of the good deals if flying Y tatl as VS Au has been to book on DL metal, and qualify for the half-price upgrade to DL Economy Comfort. I hope that Au benefit doesn't go!

On my reading - and it is all rather opaque we seem to have moved from complimentary domestic, and half-price international, economy comfort, at time of booking to universal complimentary comfort+ at T-72.

What's more, this can't been seen as a change only affecting VS AUs. DL AUs have also been affected.