[Expired] Delta Air Lines: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Latest Updates – Cancellation Policies, Status Changes, Routes, and More

Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.

Like many other airlines, Delta Air Lines has been seriously impacted by COVID-19. If you have an upcoming trip booked with Delta, you might be wondering a few things about your trip — as well as your elite status.

What are your options for changing or canceling your trip? If you have to fly, are there any lounges open? What precautions is Delta taking to keep you safe during your flight? Will you still be able to maintain your Delta Medallion elite status?

This article will answer all of your COVID-19 questions related to Delta Air Lines.

Cancellation Policies

Delta has offered a more flexible change policy and waived change fees for all tickets (except Basic Economy) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. These policies apply to both paid and award tickets — including non-refundable tickets.

We’ve broken down Delta’s change and cancellation policies due to COVID-19 in great detail. Click the link for full details, along with the other major airlines’ policies.

Loyalty Extensions and Status Upgrades

Delta knows that you will be flying less as a result of COVID-19. Thankfully, it is offering some concessions for its customers. For example, Medallion Elite statuses will be extended through January 31, 2023, lounge passes will be extended, and MQMs from 2021 have been rolled over to 2022.

Explore our specific elite status extension details for Delta, along with what other major airlines are granting for their elite status travelers.

Credit Card Incentives

Delta is extending certain benefits because of the impact of the pandemic:

• Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card: Delta notes that members who were issued the $100 flight credit between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, will see the credit’s expiration extended to January 31, 2023.
• Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card: Members with unused Companion Certificates as of July 31, 2021, or Companion Certificates issued between August 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, will have the expiration date extended to book and fly by January 31, 2023.

Delta Vacations

If you have made your vacation plans through Delta Vacations, it has updated its travel change and cancellation policy.

If your travel dates and/or destination is impacted, you will receive an event waiver from Delta Air Lines. This waiver allows you to cancel your existing vacation and receive a travel voucher for the original package value. Vouchers issued during this pandemic are valid for bookings made through December 31, 2022, for travel by December 31, 2022.

If you need to change or cancel your Delta Vacations reservation (for air, hotel, and car), you can manage your booking within My Trips on Delta’s website or by calling 800-800-1504. If you booked through a travel agent, you must contact them directly.

Flight Reductions and Cancellations

The Delta Discover Map lists destinations that the airline is currently flying to, along with any associated requirements.

In Delta’s Q4 2021 earnings release, it noted that “Domestic passenger revenue was 78 percent restored compared to December quarter 2019, a 6 point sequential improvement in the rate of recovery versus the September quarter 2021 driven by robust leisure demand, improving corporate travel and strong holiday bookings. International passenger revenue recovered to 50 percent of December quarter 2019 levels, an 8 point improvement sequentially.”

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta made the decision to cut service to 11 airports. Those airports include:

Important Delta News

In December 2021, Delta asked the CDC to reduce the COVID-19 mandatory quarantine period from 10 days down to 5 days. This has since been implemented.

On August 21, 2020, Delta announced that they would be testing nearly 100 percent of employees for COVID-19.

Delta received governmental aid in 3 waves as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in the form of both payouts and loans.

Delta Sky Club Lounges Open

All Delta Sky Club lounges have reopened as of June 2021. Effective May 4, 2020, all individuals entering Delta Sky Club lounges will also be required to wear a face covering.

While these lounges remain open, offerings will vary based on local regulations. There are hot and cold food offerings at each location, along with alcohol offerings. See the current lounge offerings here.

Safety Changes

Additional safety precautions have been made as a result of the pandemic.

Food and Beverage Service

All glassware, including coffee mugs and champagne flutes, has been removed. Hot towel service has been temporarily suspended in all cabins. Additional food and beverage service has been altered based on the duration of your flight.

Delta states that “as always, customers are welcome to bring their own food and beverage on board to enjoy during their travels.”

Seating Arrangements

As of May 1, 2021, Delta no longer blocks seats.

Disinfection Changes

Per Delta, since May 2020, additional filtration steps have been in place. “The air on Delta aircraft is completely refreshed 10 to 30 times per hour (every 2 to 6 minutes) with fresh outside air or air that has been circulated through industrial-grade HEPA filters, which extract more than 99.99% of particles, including viruses. These are the same types of filters used in hospital operating rooms, and we’ll continue to replace them onboard twice as often as recommended. HEPA filters are equally effective against all COVID-19 variants, including Omicron.”

Off of the plane, additional sanitization efforts are being taken at reservation centers, check-in kiosks and counters, employee work and break areas in airports, pilot and flight attendant lounges, and office spaces using this same procedure. In addition, “to ensure the air on the ground is clean during boarding and deplaning, Delta now uses LEED Platinum MERV14 filters to pump outside air into…jet bridges and parked aircraft.”

Disinfection occurs at major touchpoints, including tray tables and seatback entertainment, between each flight. Complimentary “Care Kits” are also provided to all passengers to complete additional sanitization.

For more information on disinfecting efforts, see Delta’s website.

Face Masks

Flight Attendants

As of April 28, 2020, Delta requires masks for all flight attendants.

Passengers

As of May 4, 2020, all passengers are required to wear a face-covering (or mask) “starting in the check-in lobby and across Delta touch points including Delta Sky Clubs, boarding gate areas, jet bridges, and onboard the aircraft for the duration of the flight — except during meal service.” This policy applies whether you have been vaccinated or not.

The CDC mandates face mask usage inside the airport, including security lines and restrooms. People with a disability that are unable to keep a face covering in place, as well as children under 2, are exempt.

There has been further clarification of the Delta mask policy, stating that “Any mask with an exhaust valve is not approved as an acceptable face mask for customers traveling on any Delta-operated flight.”

Boarding Process Changes

The boarding process for Delta flights has been adjusted as a result of the pandemic. This includes Delta One, Delta Premium Select, First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Sky Priority customers being invited to board first.

After, Main Cabin and Basic Economy customers will use dual-lane boarding from back to front to reduce the instances of customers needing to pass by one another to reach their seats.

Bottom Line: Passengers that require preboarding or are seated in Delta One or first class, as well as Diamond Medallion members, will not be impacted by this change.

COVID-19 Tests

With the additional testing requirements being placed on international travelers, Delta customers in the U.S. will be able to purchase at-home COVID-19 tests. They can administer 1 prior to departure, and pack another with them to comply with negative-test requirements before their trip back into the U.S. You won’t have to worry about finding a testing location abroad with this method, so this is definitely great news for Delta customers.

Fleet Changes

Delta retired the following fleet in response to COVID-19:

• 18 wide-body Boeing 777s (8 777-200ERs and 10 777-200LRs)
• 47 MD-88 (retirement accelerated from December 2020 to June 2020)
• 29 MD-90 (retirement accelerated from December 2020 to June 2020)

As demand for travel is recovering, Delta announced that it entered into agreements in July 2021 to add 36 new aircraft to its fleet:

• 29 used Boeing 737-900ERs
• 7 leased used Airbus A350-900s

For more information on the impact that COVID-19 had on Delta’s fleet, be sure to check out this article.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, Delta has tried to make the change and cancellation processes a bit simpler. It also knows that it will be harder than ever to meet the minimum requirements for Medallion elite status during the pandemic. Because of this, it has reduced requirements and extended vouchers — for those with elite status, as well as Amex cardholders.

If you must travel, Delta has taken steps to keep you safe from your first interaction with Delta staff until you are safely at your destination. As the demand for travel returns, Delta has reopened all of its lounges, and food and beverage service onboard has returned.