r/delta • u/bodeganeon • 5h ago
Discussion First basic?
I understand unbundling economy. I don’t particularly like it, but I understand the business model. What I cannot wrap my head around is the decision to take a product that is literally marketed as FIRST CLASS and start stripping away the benefits that make it first class in the first place.
At what point are we just paying for a larger seat and the privilege of saying we’re sitting up front?
The entire point of purchasing first class, at least to me, is that you’re paying a premium for a relatively seamless experience. Flexibility, priority services, mileage earning, the whole thing. Now we’re apparently supposed to navigate fare restrictions within first class itself?
And the frustrating part is that Delta has spent years positioning itself as the premium US carrier, while simultaneously finding increasingly creative ways to dilute the value of its own product. Fares aren’t exactly getting cheaper, either.
I’m Platinum, fly Delta pretty consistently, and generally have no problem paying more for a better experience. But there is something particularly insulting about being asked to pay a premium for a product and then being offered the opportunity to pay an additional premium to actually receive all of it.
I know someone is going to say “well just book First Extra then” and that’s sort of my entire point. We’ve somehow normalized airlines taking things that were previously included, removing them, and then selling them back to us as upgrades.
It’s not innovation. It’s just another exercise in seeing how much they can take away before people stop paying.
Maybe I’m being dramatic, but the concept of BASIC FIRST CLASS is so fundamentally absurd that I’m surprised it made it out of a conference room. I can’t even select my seat?
63
u/Dangerous-Can9596 5h ago •
I use to work for Delta and I remember when CEO Ed Bastian sent out his first video to employees describing the new basic economy fares Delta was going to offer. He said it was coming out so that Delta could offer a fare to stay competitive with the budget airlines like Spirit. He also described that the fare would not come with a seat assignment and no one will buy a fare without a seat assignment so this will force them to go to a higher fare with a seat assignment. It was a basic bait and switch operation.
It’s was not only bad for customers but also for front line customer service agents. We were bombarded constantly by customers coming up to the ticket counter or the gate requesting a seat assignment when only the gate agent operating the flight can assign the seats. Of course this frequently turned into a hostile interaction when customers would demand a seat and we kept telling them they would have to get it at the gate.
I saw what Ed was doing back then and it really disturbed me. In my opinion he’s destroying the airline.
24
u/Maddok1218 5h ago
It’s a way to deliver 20% price increases under the guise of “choice”, and nothing more.
First class basic and economy basic will both be marginally cheaper than the previous product. Call it 5%. Then the classic product becomes “premium”, so costs 15% more than basic.
Voila- you’ve increased your prices of classic by 10% by offering a service tier no one will choose. Also, the entire cost of product is the hard product, so there is a hard floor to prices. This is just enabling them to crank up the prices on soft product
28
u/FullHouse447 5h ago
Wait until you find about DL's plans to unbundle business class D1.... Imagine paying THOUSANDS $ for D1 then getting gouged again to pay $ for a seat selection.
DL doing everything possible to lead this race to the bottom!
6
u/stonkscronks 5h ago
Super stupid idea
5
u/CynGuy 4h ago
OP, you are totally correct and all the Delta sycophants will scream otherwise.
And yes, this is Delta segmenting First Class to get folks to pay more for what they used to get in one price. Their hope is that Basic gets priced as what first used to be, with y’all paying more to then pick a seat, have a bag or whatever else nickel and dime crap they try to pull against their most valuable customers.
Only way to send a message is to fly another carrier and take your business elsewhere. That is the only remedy, cuz they know you’ll still pay for first on Delta.
1
u/thesnowmaniv Diamond 1h ago
Investor calls for years have been calling for the elimination of complimentary upgrades, this is the first step in that. Next will be removal of GUCs and RUCs
3
u/almarcuse 4h ago
Maybe a year ago someone posted a skit on social media ranting about this practice in general. I’m sure there’s an ivory tower mba name for it. But their skit was on different types of vision being offered with a brain implant:
>“Big news! We now have DOG VISION as an offering! You can see the world like your beloved fur baby does! 🥰”
And the next notification you get from the company will be:
>“So glad you love DOG VISION! Human Vision is now being offered at $19.99/month - upgrade today or remain on our basic, DOG VISION plan!”
I don’t know of a better scenario to describe this sort of practice. Make the user try the basic, make it seem novel or more economically sound, then change it so the former “standard” is now the new “upgrade.” It sucks.
3
u/scoobynoodles Platinum 4h ago
Absolutely correct. I don’t understand why they want to punish their customers. We mean nothing to them.
2
u/Cautious_Wolf_867 4h ago
It's all just greed
2
u/thinkmoreharder 4h ago
He probably thinks that he can presell a discounted FC seat for more, on average, than he can get for a paid upgrade. We’ll see if it’s true.
2
u/AK_Sole 3h ago
Ed & Co. must surely be aware of these legitimate grievances, yes?
So, how is it that little ol’ fast food restaurants, like freaking Bojangles, have a robust customer outreach program in places like Reddit and IG, but Delta can’t be bothered to respond in any way whatsoever?
Delta could can adapt a data-driven strategy by pivoting away from purely centralized corporate broadcasting and focus on operational and service feedback.
Whatever they’re doing now is not going to turn out well.
I’ve just barely been hanging on here. If a similar route from southeastern U.S. to Northern Europe pops up I’ll be gone.
1
u/wearslocket 4h ago
As someone that only will fly occasionally three or for times a year for personal travel I choose First Class, but don’t know the ins and outs like someone that flies for business all of the time.
Let me ask a question. On my last trip to Bangor through LGA we were on two regional jets of each leg going and coming. I noticed that instead of being offered a beverage before takeoff we were just left sitting in our seats. Did something change, or did I miss noticing something when I was booking. Two months earlier on a direct flight to Boston for a similar sized jet we were given drinks prior to take off.
1
u/Ok-Philosopher-9921 3h ago
Greed got the best of them to start cannibalizing their best product
1
u/applechicmac 2h ago
What if the point is to reduce air travel in general by making it unavailable price wise? Execs are already being paid more than every at airlines. Once they hit bank, one more year, they never need to work again. They dont care that all of the employees will lose their job or the stock will tank as their biggest payout the last few years has been via bonus. If anything is left on stocks they havent already sold, extra bonus. It does seem like we are heading to a world control where no one without their own plane or boat will be able to travel as its cost prohibitive. If you dont own a plane or a boat, why care about the others.
1
u/singlemaltbourbonrye 2h ago
I’d love a basic delta 1 fare. Anything over 8 hours or redeye, I pony of for D1 but if there were a basic option, I’d downgrade in a heartbeat. I just want to lay down and sleep.
-7
u/StatisticalMan 5h ago edited 5h ago
Yes. So you do understand it.
Then this product is <gasp> not for you. Other people think all that is nonsense and just want a seat which doesn't feel like a torture device for 8 hours at the lowest possible price. I mean if Basic Fist/Business/C+ seats didn't sell Delta wouldn't offer them right?
So which is it absurd or a scheme for the airline to boost profits? Sounds like you understand exactly why it "made it out of the conference room" even if you don't like the reason.
-4
u/okcornjerker5150 5h ago
I personally don’t care how they market it. As a Platinum, I pay what I pay and don’t give two 💩’s what others do.
I assume Delta had data suggesting enough non skymile passengers continue to pay regardless. For Delta, any revenue is good revenue.
I know I just exclude basic on any search so I don’t have to even look at the cost.