Delta Dropping Its Reward Ticket Redemption Fee

An airline fee rollback of any kind is good news for travelers

I just recently committed 30,000 OnePass miles and a $500 redemption fee to upgrade from a middle seat near the tail end of the plane for a business/first seat on Continental. It's a long flight -- from Newark to the Middle East after getting to Denver International Airport, flying to Newark and waiting for four hours before taking off again. I'm waitlisted for an upgrade on my return trip. If I get it, the cost will be 30,000 miles and $350. Why? Because my eastbound itinerary is on a weekend, while westbouond is not.

Therefore, I can only cheer at the news that Delta has canned the redemption fees for Sky Miles tickets if redeemed less than three weeks before a flight -- on domestic flights at any rate.The Wall Street Journal's airline column, "The Middle Seat," compared the number of miles redeemed on its loyalty program with that of other carriers.  I don't know what their international policy is/was. I just know that this is the first word I've heard in quite some time about an airline lifting rather than imposing a fee for anything.

Let's hope Delta starts a trend.