Delta Air Lines may extend vouchers through 2022
Some potential good news today if you have any unused Delta Air Lines vouchers.
Thrifty Traveler executive editor Kyle Potter says he got hold of an internal Delta memo that says the carrier will be extending all flight credits through 2022. Delta wouldn't confirm the news to TPG, but did give us a statement reading:
"We know our customers value flexibility when booking and changing their travel plans. We're working through additional options for our customers including eCredits issued for travel purchased after April 17, 2020."
Previously, only Delta tickets booked prior to April 17, 2020 for travel between March 2020 and March 2021 were extended to Dec. 31, 2022.
If the details are true it would give travelers over 20 months to use hundreds of millions of dollars in flight credits issued during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, all voluntarily canceled tickets purchased any time this year would potentially expire on Dec. 31, 2022, giving flyers a bit more than the traditional one-year expiration to rebook travel should plans change.
Delta's voucher extension comes as travelers are sitting on billions dollars of unused credits, with many set to expire in the coming weeks and months. This has led to extended wait times for those struggling to rebook tickets online.
According to Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, Delta issued some $2.6 billion in vouchers last year. The Atlanta-based carrier also said it issued $2.6 billion in cash refunds last year.
Related: Travelers are sitting on more than $10 billion in airline credits
Of the Big 3 U.S. airlines, American and United have both already extended expiring vouchers to March 31, 2022. Most Southwest travel funds expire one year from the ticket was purchased, though new credits or those set to expire between March 1, 2020 and Sept. 7, 2020 qualify for an extension to Sept. 7, 2022.
Related: Airline coronavirus change and cancellation policies: A complete list of major carriers
Of course, if confirmed Delta's blanket extension would be the most generous of the major U.S. airlines. It's possible that the others may feel the competitive pressure to match Delta's move, but either way, this is great news, if confirmed, for loyal Delta flyers.
Additional reporting by Zach Griff.
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