Delta Airlines To Start Unbundling "Basic" Business Class

Intro

Qatar Airways is coming to the US? Not quite, although we might see the first US airline to adopt an unbundling business-class product. Delta Airlines is contemplating a "basic" Business Class product and this could be revolutionary for US carriers going forward. Am I excited? Absolutely not.

The Details

While details are in no way confirmed, it seems that over the past year, Delta's higher-ups have indicated some research into unbundling business class. No one knows when this concept will come to fruition, but I would imagine this is still at least a year off and, more likely, 2 years down the line. Bringing the first unbundling experience to a US carrier is a big step, and I have to imagine there will be some back and forth on deciding whether this is worth it.

Would that mean no Delta One Lounge access?

What Could This Mean For Customers?

Multiple airlines around the world have adopted this so-called "basic" business class, such as Emirates, Qatar, and Finnair, to name a few. With that being said, here is what I think a basic business-class fare would withhold on Delta.

• No free seat assignements minus elites (like BA)

• No free lounge access

• No free changes to tickets

• Possibly paying for checked bags

Delta Business Class Suite

What this would mean for customers is if you are realistically looking to get from Point A to Point B in Business Class, there will be a cheaper fare than having all of the nicer added-on bonuses like lounge access.

Let's say Delta charges 6800$ RT in Delta One from New York to Paris now. A basic business class ticket might come out to 6000$, and a standard business class ticket would run about 7100$. These are all theoretical and not accurate.

The one thing I will mention is that I expect award tickets to remain unchanged. Airlines have done well in allowing those on award bookings to be ticketed into standard business class like AA on QR. If Delta were to go another route and book people into basic business class, I don't think this would go down well.

Final Thoughts

Delta is in the process of considering adding a "basic' Business Class to their bookings. This would mean that if you were booked into business class as a customer, you might not be able to receive lounge access, free seat assignments, or even a free checked bag. For some, this might work in their favor, but for most of us, this isn't great. Only time will tell if this concept comes to light.