Related: A review of Delta Air Lines economy on the Boeing 767 from London to New York
Delta SkyMiles Europe surcharges
SkyMiles has in the past used an uneven pricing structure for transatlantic awards flights operated on its own metal: One-way and round-trip flights from the United States to Europe were not subject to surcharges, while those going in the reverse direction were.
For example, a one-way basic economy redemption from Brussels Airport (BRU) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) when I searched in November 2024 showed a rate of 70,000 miles and a cash payment of 214.87 euros (about $234): 77.37 euros (about $84) of fees and taxes and 137.50 euros (about $150) of carrier-imposed surcharges.
However, Delta has now removed the carrier-imposed surcharges on one-way and round-trip itineraries commencing in Europe, so the same flight from Brussels to New York now costs 66,000 miles plus 55.67 euros (about $61) in fees and taxes, with no surcharges payable. The mileage cost is slightly lower — which is not unusual since Delta prices redemptions dynamically, meaning the number of miles required fluctuates regularly.
While this change will not affect those booking round-trip award flights to Europe, anyone booking one-way flights, perhaps because of a lack of round-trip availability or because they want to use multiple carriers or programs, will benefit from the reduced cash payment on those SkyMiles redemptions commencing in Europe.
SkyMiles is still imposing surcharges on partner-operated flights from Europe to the United States, such as this economy-class booking on SkyTeam partner Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow Airport (LHR) to New York, which carries a surcharge of 148 British pounds (about $192).
What are surcharges, and how can you avoid them?
Surcharges, sometimes referred to as fuel surcharges, were a way for airlines to increase the cash payment required when redeeming points and miles as the global price of fuel changed. Some airlines argued that the cost of transporting passengers who booked with points and miles increased as fuel prices did, so the cash payment should be adjusted similarly.
The issue was that when fuel prices last fell (for example, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when global travel and the subsequent demand for fuel dropped significantly), some airlines did not reduce their fuel surcharges. This led to some programs changing the fee's name from "fuel surcharge" to "carrier-imposed surcharge," to remove the link to fuel prices.
Surcharges (whether fuel or carrier-imposed) are an unpleasant reality of some airline loyalty programs. British carriers Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are both notorious for imposing significant surcharges on cash and award tickets. For example, on a British Airways economy-class round trip from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) this summer, almost a third of the total fare is classified as a carrier-imposed charge.
The easiest way to avoid surcharges is to redeem points and miles through programs that do not impose them. If you have transferable credit card points, you can choose to send them to a program that does not impose surcharges or at least limits these surcharges to select partner-operated flights.
Some programs, like Delta SkyMiles, charge higher redemption rates through dynamic pricing than others — like British Airways Executive Club, which levies surcharges but generally has lower award-chart rates. So, you'll need to balance the surcharge savings with potentially parting with more points and miles.
Related: Dynamic pricing vs. fuel surcharges — which is the lesser of 2 evils for your next redemption?
Bottom line
This small but significant improvement to the SkyMiles program means you can redeem miles for flights operated by Delta originating in Europe without paying a carrier-imposed surcharge. SkyMiles rates remain high and can still seem unattractive compared to other programs that use award charts. Still, this means less cash required for redemptions from Europe, which is a step in the right direction for the SkyMiles program.
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