Delta dropping rebooking fee for holiday weekend travel

Delta Air Lines is waiving its fee for rebooking during the upcoming holiday weekend as demand for air travel is likely to reach at least near its highest level since before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Delta said in a statement on its website that it will issue the waiver from Friday through Monday, allowing customers to rebook their flights before or after the peak holiday travel days. The announcement comes as 1,800 flights for Fourth of July weekend have already been canceled as airlines suffering from staff shortages are struggling to keep up with demand. 

Delta said passengers traveling between the same origin and destination and staying in the same cabin will have their fare difference waived as long as their original ticket was issued by Tuesday and the rebooked flight occurs by July 8. 

Airlines and the federal government have pointed the blame for the staffing shortages at each other as flight cancellations continue. 

Airlines have said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not have adequate staffing and has not provided guidance for managing staffing before the holiday. The Biden administration has said that the stimulus payments that airlines received throughout the pandemic while demand was low should have allowed them to have enough staff for when traveling returned to normal levels. 

The industry urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to ask for a meeting to discuss the FAA’s plan for air traffic controller staffing for the weekend.