Delta Hints at Return to Days of Simpler Fares
Photo Credit: The new Airbus A330-900 Neo gets prepared for passengers. Delta announced its third-quarter results. Delta Air Lines / Chris Rank
Skift Take
Airlines aren't always the most customer-centric businesses so any move to make things easier to understand should be welcomed. As usual, we'll believe it when we see it.
When Delta Air Lines introduced its new domestic ticket structure, SimpliFares, at the start of 2005, many in the industry saw it as a total revolution in pricing.
It cut walkup fares by 50 percent and limited ticket prices to $499 one-way in economy and $599 in first class. Customers had a much better idea of what to expect. Sadly, it didn't last.
Later that same year the airline filed for bankruptcy protection, heralding the start of a 19-month restructuring process, which saw the number of routes cut back and the loss of 6,000 jobs. During that painful period, the airline gradually undid all the headline benefits associated with SimpliFare, returning the company to a more complex and opaqu
