Airlines rarely make positive changes to their mileage programs – award rate increases and devaluations are the norm … especially with Delta SkyMiles, where unpredictable and ever-changing award prices and sky-high rates to book business class are the norm. For once, Delta is moving in the right direction.
As Dan’s Deals first pointed out, Delta just eliminated some onerous fuel surcharges on award tickets departing Europe. So whether you book a one-way redemption from Europe back to the U.S. or a roundtrip originating in Europe, you’ll now pay fewer taxes and fees when redeeming SkyMiles for a Delta-operated flight.
One-way and roundtrips that begin in the U.S. were never subjected to these additional surcharges. So for most Americans hopping on a deeply discounted Delta SkyMiles flash sale to Europe, this change won’t mean much. But for anyone booking a one-way Delta flight home from Europe using their SkyMiles, the savings are substantial.
Just take a look at this one-way Delta One business class flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP). In addition to the eye-popping 320,000 SkyMiles (even after a 15% discount for being a Delta SkyMiles cardholder – ouch), Delta previously tacked on almost $270 in taxes and fees – the majority of which were fuel surcharges.
But after this move to eliminate surcharges, your out-of-pocket costs have dropped … by nearly $150. While that won’t take the sting out of forking over 300,000-plus SkyMiles for a one-way seat in business class, it’s a significant decrease.
You’ll still typically pay at least $100 on SkyMiles redemptions between the U.S. and Europe, largely due to mandatory taxes on award ticket. That sum climbs even higher from select airports like Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and especially London-Heathrow (LHR). But at least these $150-plus surcharges on redemptions originating in Europe have fallen off.
This doesn’t just apply to Delta’s most expensive business class fares, either. You’ll also see that surcharge is gone from the cheapest basic economy awards, Delta Premium Select, and everything in between.
Even roundtrips beginning in Europe get a break, like this roundtrip redemption from Amsterdam to Boston (BOS).
These added surcharges are typically billed as a way for airlines to cover the rising cost of jet fuel. But even when those costs decrease drastically – as they have in recent years- the surcharges tend to stick around, making it nothing more than an easy money grab for the airline.
Kudos to Delta for nixing them – though, unfortunately, you’ll still see some additional surcharges when using SkyMiles to book to partner award tickets on airlines like Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, or others.
Despite what you’ve heard about Delta, there’s still plenty of value to be had when you go to use your SkyMiles … you just have to know where to look. From frequent SkyMiles flash sales to (relatively) solid partner redemptions having a stash of SkyMiles is far from a death sentence – so long as you’re OK digging through the clearance bin for a deal – and now it’ll cost you less in fees when booking these awards from Europe back to the U.S.
While the usefulness of this change is limited to those starting their journey in Europe or booking one-ways in both directions, the savings are undeniable.
Bottom Line
Delta recently did away with added fuel surcharges on award tickets originating in Europe, applying to both one-ways back to the U.S. as well as roundtrips that begin and end overseas – at least so long as Delta is the carrier flying the plane.
This change could save roughly $150 or so (depending on the flight) for anyone looking to use their SkyMiles to get back from Europe.
