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Is Delta Air Lines Beginning the 'Enshitification' of International Business Class with New Basic Fares? (www.paddleyourownkanoo.com)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/aviation@lemmy.world
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Delta Air Lines is rolling out what feels like ‘enshitification’ of international Business Class with a new basic fare option that strips away premium check-in and lounge access, slashes the luggage allowance, reduces the amount of miles you’ll earn, and prevents you from selecting a seat until check-in.

The term “enshitification” has become a popular way of describing products or services that gradually lose value as companies introduce extra fees, restrictions, or lower-tier options while encouraging customers to pay more for the experience they previously received.

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[–] 22 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Ever since it became apparent that customers were incredibly sensitive to price, airlines started unbundling everything in a ticket.

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  • [–] 19 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Yes, but in a shrinkflation way, whereby you get less prodict for your money and then they try to upsell you. To be fair, though, they were led by actual reduced fares by low cost airlines and they did it as a way to compete, by not raising their prices in line with inflation and costs.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    You can still get the original bundle, Delta never took that away. You're just now being asked to choose if lounge access, picking your seat, checked luggage, and other items not related to the actual seat are worth it.

    My guess is that premium basic will be popular enough that it will continue.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago

    But in terms of shrinkflation, the original bundle may still be there but it’s going up in price, then what will happen is the unbundled amount creeps up to the price the original was at.

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    • [–] 7 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    Lufthansa is doing the same with certain businesses class seats not being assigned until check in.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago* (2 children)

    Lufthansa also asked me once to bid on an upgrade of my seat, I could set an amount of money and the higher I went the more likely I got the upgrade. Haven't seen it since then though, been a year I think.

    They have a new lowest economy tier as well, where you don't even get a carry-on bag anymore, just the personal item which has a size of a small-ish backpack. Who travels like that?

    They also now ask you if you'd like to book their "green fare" after you've selected a ticket, which is obviously even more outrageously expensive.

    I know all this because I live outside my home country and have to go back to visit family 2-3 times a year. Lufthansa is the only direct flight from where I live and so far had been cheaper than any other discounters (which also always added travel time and stopovers). This is the first year where they got so shitty I am considering taking another airline after all.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago

    They still do the upgrade bids, but be careful as your ticket restrictions will remain the same. For example, if you don't have checked bags included in your economy class ticket, you won't have any for the business class upgrade, either.

    I would be in favor of the loss of a carry on bag if it meant tickets would be cheaper, but unfortunately the opposite is true.

    It's a crying shame that all the European carriers are gradually all becoming LCCs (Lufthansa is by far the worst in this regard).

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago*

    They have a new lowest economy tier as well, where you don't even get a carry-on bag anymore, just the personal item which has a size of a small-ish backpack. Who travels like that?

    I've done this plenty of times. Can get a week's worth of clothes in there, Switch, Nintendo DS, headphones. Usually a jacket as well. Sometimes I wear it depending on the weather.

    I haven't flown Lufthansa though. This was Spirit.

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    • [–] 3 points 4 months ago

    No idea. Too broke to fly. I just assumed all of them were enshittified since I last flew a decade ago.

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