Delta Air Lines Review – Seats, Amenities, Customer Service, Baggage Fees, & More

Delta Air Lines is one of the oldest U.S. carriers and certainly one of the most respected. If you’re considering flying with Delta, then keep on reading this review, which covers all aspects of Delta’s service and operations.

You can drill down into Delta’s fare types and check out the amenities offered in each cabin class. Finally, avoid any nasty surprises such as baggage fees and unexpected charges by reading ahead.

Basic Info

Airline: Delta Air Lines

Alliance: SkyTeam Alliance

Category: Legacy domestic and international airline

Frequent Flyer Program: Delta SkyMiles

Tagline: “Keep Climbing”

Daily Flights: 15,000 (including alliance partners)

Fleet: 800

Main Hub: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

Destinations: 304 (including alliance partners)

Delta SkyMiles Frequent Flyer Program

SkyMiles is the loyalty program for Delta Air Lines, where members are rewarded with miles whenever they fly with Delta or many of its partner airlines within the SkyTeam Alliance.

You can also earn miles for everyday purchases such as shopping or dining out and spending on certain credit cards.

Frequent flyers of Delta can work their way up the membership tiers to get to Medallion status. Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond are the 4 Medallion statuses — Diamond, as you might have guessed, is the highest status possible offering the greatest benefits such as upgrades and premium boarding.

Hot Tip: Check out our post on the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Loyalty Program with information on the in’s and out’s of their program.

Delta’s Ticketing Options

Delta offers 6 fare types that have different pre-departure benefits and inflight experiences (covered later in this article).

Basic Economy (domestic and international flights)

As with other large U.S. airlines trying to compete with low-cost carriers, Delta offers a basic economy fare that gives you your seat, a piece of carry-on baggage, and a personal item. That’s it!

It’s not possible to select your seat, which will be assigned at check-in — meaning there are no guarantees you’ll be seated with your travel companions either.

Basic economy tickets cannot be changed, and upgrades are not permitted — so keep this in mind when booking. If you’re not happy with what you’ve got, you’ve basically got to grin and bear it!

Main (domestic and international flights)

Main is Delta’s standard economy with the ability to select your seat before check-in. Your baggage allowance is 1 piece of hand luggage plus a personal item, and 1 piece of checked luggage.

You have the ability to change your ticket or upgrade (subject to fare difference) and benefit from earlier boarding privileges than basic economy. For more about the differences between these 2 fares, check out Delta basic economy vs. main cabin.

Comfort+ (domestic and international flights)

Comfort+ is Delta’s preferred seating in economy with extra legroom and dedicated overhead bag space. In addition, there are the same benefits as Main. For more information check out our head to head comparison of Delta Comfort + vs. Delta first class.

Premium Select (select long-haul international flights)

Delta’s premium economy is available on selected aircraft and gives passengers access to SkyPriority privileges.

Passengers are permitted to bring 2 pieces of checked luggage and have the ability to change or upgrade their tickets.

Delta One (international long-haul and transcontinental flights)

Delta One is their upper-class cabin with passenger access to Delta Sky Club lounges and SkyPriority privileges.

Passengers can bring 2 pieces of checked luggage and change or upgrade their tickets.

First Class (domestic and select international flights)

Available on domestic and short-haul flights only, first class gives passengers access to SkyPriority for priority check-in, baggage handling, security, and boarding. They can also access Delta Sky Club lounges if connecting to an international flight in First or Business Class.

Passengers are allowed to bring 2 pieces of checked luggage, and changes or upgrades are allowed.

Delta Air Lines Baggage & Other Fees/Add-Ons

Delta Baggage Fees

Carry-on Allowance:

Passengers in all cabins are permitted to bring 1 personal item and 1 standard carry-on bag for free.

The size of the personal item is undisclosed on Delta’s website, and the carry-on piece must not exceed 22″ x 14″ x 9″.

Lap Infant Carry-on Policy

If an infant is traveling on the lap of an adult, then any seat or bassinet would be considered part of the adult’s hand luggage allowance.

Infants are not eligible for any hand luggage allowance unless a seat has been purchased.

Stroller Check Policy

Strollers are not counted toward standard checked baggage, and are checked in for free at check-in or at the gate.

Delta Checked Baggage Allowance:

Max weight allowance: 23kg (50lb) for Basic Economy, Main, and Delta Comfort; 32kg (70lb) for Premium Select and Delta One.

Max size allowance: Linear dimensions of 157cm (62”)

Premium Select and Delta One can bring 2 pieces of checked baggage for free (regardless of route).

Economy

Certain routes have specific baggage allowances, and you can view the details on Delta’s baggage policy here.
Up to 10 bags may be checked per passenger.

Hot Tip: View our dedicated article on Delta Air Lines baggage fees for more info as well as tips on how to avoid paying these charges!

Other Delta Fees & Add-Ons

Domestic Change Fee: $0

International Change Fee: $0

Same-Day Change: $75

Reward Flight Changes: $0

Cancellation: When canceling an itinerary with travel originating from North America, you’ll receive an eCredit. For travel originating from outside of North America, the remaining value of your fare (minus the cancellation fee of up to $500) will be refunded to you as an eCredit. eCredits must be redeemed on a future flight with Delta within 1 year from the original issue date; any fare difference may apply. For more information, see our dedicated piece about how to cancel a Delta flight.

Exclusions/Waivers:

• No charges apply to Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members for same-day changes.
• Basic economy fares cannot be changed regardless of status.

Tickets issued by Reservations Department: $25 in selected European countries. Free for all other origins.

Seat Selection: No charge (excluding basic economy where no seat selection is possible)

Unaccompanied Minor: $150 (per one-way route)

Lap Infant: 10% of the adult fare for international flights (free for flights within the U.S. and Canada)

Transporting a pet as carry-on:

• To/from U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico: $125 per way
• To/from U.S. Virgin Islands or international: $200
• To/from Brazil: $75

Refreshments Onboard

For all flights over 250 miles, passengers will receive complimentary snacks and some soft drinks including Starbucks coffee.

For flights where complimentary meals and beverages are not offered, the following can be purchased:

• Sandwiches and platters: $8.99-$10.99
• Snacks: from $3.99
• Beer: from $8
• Wine: $9
• Spirits: $9

How to Avoid Paying Excess Fees & Travel Expenses

Each of the Capital One cards below allows you to redeem miles for 1 cent each as a statement credit for previous travel purchases (within 90 days):

There are also several Delta credit cards that come with free checked bags that are worth looking at, especially if you regularly fly Delta.

Delta Seat Specs & Inflight Amenities

Seat Specs

Delta has 25 different types of aircraft with varying seat specs. We’ve listed details of a few of their planes below (including their Airbus and Boeing fleet) — if you want to check out the specifics for your next flight, you can see a full list of all 25 plane variations here.

Inflight Amenities

Main Cabin (Economy)

Amenities include:

• Access to Delta Studio (films, games, and TV) on your seatback monitor (if available) or your personal device
• Free headphones on international flights; available to purchase on selected domestic flights
• Complimentary snacks (complimentary meals on international flights)
• Complimentary soft drinks including Starbucks coffee (beer and wine on international flights)
• Wi-Fi available to purchase

Delta Comfort+

Upgrade to Delta Comfort+ for up to 4″ additional legroom than the Main Cabin and dedicated baggage space above your seat.

Board the plane quicker with SkyPriority boarding and enjoy little extras such as a pillow, blanket, and amenity kit (on applicable flights).

Hot Tip: Check out our post on Delta Air Lines boarding zones so you’ll know when to expect to board the plane. 

First Class

Amenities include:

• Wider seat plus 8″ extra legroom compared to the Main Cabin with 5.4″ recline
• Dedicated flight attendant for the cabin
• Power outlets and Wi-Fi (available to purchase)
• Amenity kit
• Pillow and blanket
• Ergonomically-designed headphones
• Fine dining (dependent on flight distance)
• Complimentary soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
• Access to Delta Studio (films, games, and TV) on your seatback monitor or your personal device

Premium Select

Amenities include:

• Wider seats, more legroom, adjustable foot and leg rest
• Dedicated flight attendant for the cabin
• Access to Delta Studio (films, games, and TV) on your seatback monitor (up to 13.3″)
• Amenity kit from Tumi including Malin+Goetz beauty essentials
• Pillow and blanket
• Premium dining
• Complimentary meals, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages

Delta One

Amenities include:

• Wider seats, more legroom
• Dedicated flight attendant for the cabin
• Lie-flat bed with Westin Heavenly bedding
• Duvet and pillow
• Delta One Suites with full-height door for privacy (available on selected flights)
• Amenity kit from Tumi including Kiehl’s Lip Balm
• Premium dining
• Complimentary meals, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages

Delta Customer Satisfaction

Delta is one of the most highly regarded U.S. carriers, winning awards and being praised by customers for their professionalism and punctuality. At the time of writing this article, Delta had just been named “the most on-time mainline airline in 2018” by Flight Global.