Delta has a new seating request service and dropped fuel surcharges

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

"CHECK OUT COACH CHOICE SEATS
Purchase select window, aisle or exit-row seats.
Say goodbye to seat envy! We're giving you more power over where you sit on upcoming flights.
With our new Coach Choice Seats, you may now purchase select window, aisle or exit-row seats when you check in online or at a Delta airport kiosk.

Prices range from $5 to $25 per flight depending on distance traveled and seat location. So what are you waiting for? Simply check in online within 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure to make the change and claim your new seat. The choice is yours.

We also want to let you know that effective immediately, we're eliminating SkyMiles® and WorldPerks® Award Ticket fuel surcharges, which were instituted earlier this year in response to unprecedented fuel costs.

Please visit delta.com for the latest fee information and for all your travel needs—near and far. You also can reserve hotel rooms or car rentals and sign up for real-time flight information online. Then check out our Delta Blog
to see "under the wing" and behind the scenes as we share stories on ideas, changes and our people."

You know what they say......in one hand and out the other.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I guess we have to pay if we want to pick our seats. If you do not pay I bet you take a chance of being split up from your family.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

I guess we have to pay if we want to pick our seats. If you do not pay I bet you take a chance of being split up from your family.

Yeah, and I like the way that they are trying to make it sound like they're giving you some great new option that you didn't already have, for free.

At least they are dropping the fuel surcharges, for now.

[x3skier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close x3skier]

When I checked on a reservation where I already had seats, the "pay to play" were only a few in exit rows and some elsewhere. Another BS fee but it does not look to bad.

I suppose IF I paid for them, I would consider myself sort of "semi-first class".

Cheers

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

Their captive NW followed DL out of the fuel surcharge ripoff, just as they followed them in. This is a rare pro-consumer move by DL, but it likely motivated by the fact that other than their captive NW, no other US-based airline followed them down the path of fuel surcharges that applied to award tickets.

As far as the coach choice tickets, these are seats that otherwise would be reserved for elites, so it allows non-elites to get seats they would otherwise not get, but they have to pay for them. I have not followed the DL program enought to know how bad it may hurt elites in getting these seats.

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

NW uses the same system. It's a little annoying for those of us with status, but not bad. If you have status, you can get those seats at no charge, but you cannot get assigned to one of them until 24 hours before flight time.

[Captron Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Captron]

I saw this on a November flight seat assignments online but have not seen it since.

Has anyone seen anything about paying for these premium seats recently??
Maybe this ploy went down in flames?? Or are they just hiding it better?