NEWS: Delta Airlines Announces CHANGES To How You Fly

Delta Air Lines is adding a new type of ticket!

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The airline is working on breaking up its existing premium cabins at the front of its airplanes! This new addition will further segment the planes, inevitably costing customers more without guaranteeing new additions to the cabins.

According to CNBC, Delta Air Lines is studying a new type of airplane ticket. This new ticket will be for premium seating at the front of the planes, which we expect to cost travelers booking those tickets more. The airline has been at the forefront of splitting coach cabins to add extra leg room, upgrading basic seats, adding seat assignments, and more.

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In regards to the change, Delta President Glen Hauenstein said, “Premium has certainly been where our margins have continued to expand, and so we’re highly focused on continuing to provide improved service to those customers and more segmentation.” He noted that these new changes will mirror what has been done in the main cabin “because different people have different needs.”

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The airline’s revenue from its current premium seat offerings rose 6% in the first half of 2025; however, the main economy tickets dropped 4%. The company noted during their most recent earnings call that the premium seats and loyalty program have been growing for years. Hausenstein declined to answer if there would be possible changes coming to the premium seats within the cabins. Delta also didn’t share if they would consider a more inexpensive first or business class ticket.

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The company is testing these possibilities and new tickets as well as surveying people traveling with the airline. “We haven’t rolled it out yet, not because we don’t have the technological capability, but we want to make sure that customers understand what we’re putting in market and that they find value in it,” Hausenstein said. When discussing if Delta might offer a cheaper ticket option, Henry Harteveldt, travel consultant and president of Atmosphere Research Group, said, “Airplanes are expensive … and it’s a lot easier when you give your passengers a reason to pay you more for your product than to pay you less.”

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In regard to upgrading the high-end seats on the planes, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said, “The premium products have had life cycles … and what we thought was state of the art six or seven years ago no longer is… We’re continuing to upgrade and update it. So that’s part of the cost of business.” He also reiterated that their current products are “very, very nice.”

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We are eager to see if these new tickets cost more for the same amenities. It can often feel like these “upgrades” are what is leading to the rising cost of flights, but we are wondering if the industry is getting close to admitting it just costs more to fly right now. Of course, we won’t know what to expect until Delta shares more. As always, be sure to keep following DFB for more travel news and updates.