Delta announced it will now allow flyers to standby for an earlier flight day of departure at no charge. Previously the airline charged a $75 fee for this service. You can request to standby to an earlier flight either online or in the Fly Delta app.

Flyers can use the Same-Day Standby option for travel within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Delta and Delta Connection flights. It is not available for international flights

Per Delta,

Beginning Aug. 4, customers who need to change their flight on the day of departure can now stand by for an earlier, alternative flight without paying a fee. The new flight must depart the same day, and standby requests or a confirmed change must be made within 24 hours of departure. Customers can make their same-day travel change directly within the Fly Delta app or delta.com.

Same-Day Travel Changes

To make a same-day trip change on the Fly Delta app, customers can navigate to “Same-Day Change†to browse alternate flights and select either a confirmed or standby option.

• If a seat is available in the originally purchased fare class, customers may only change their ticket to a confirmed seat on the new flight for a $75 fee.
• If a confirmed seat is unavailable, customers can stand by for an available seat for free. If a seat becomes available, they will not be charged a fee.

Same-day changes are available for all domestic tickets except Basic Economy. Confirmed same-day travel changes remain complimentary for SkyMiles Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion Members.

Bottom Line

It’s truly great to see Delta remove fees for all flyers, however in doing so it diminishes the value of its Medallion program. We keep seeing new benefits added for everyone, including eliminating award redeposit fees, many which were a perk for those who earned Medallion status, however we’ve yet to see any new Medallion benefits added.

Delta used to allow same day confirm based on cabin availability, and in order to maintain value for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallions, the airline should return to cabin availability for these elites.

What are your thoughts on Delta adding free same day standby for everyone? Does Delta need to add new benefits for their Medallion members? Feel free to share in the comments below.