Delta Is Removing All Flight Change Fees for July 4th Weekend—Including Fare Differences

Delta Air Lines announced on Tuesday that it is implementing a systemwide travel waiver for flights scheduled from July 1 to 4, in response to what the airline described as “potentially busy weekend travel days.”

The new July Fourth travel policy arrives as U.S. airports set pandemic records for traveler numbers. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported screening 2,426,408 passengers last Monday (observing the Juneteenth holiday), the highest since the pandemic began. Since then, daily traveler counts have topped 2.4 million on three other occasions, even before the July Fourth weekend has officially begun.

As passenger volumes keep rising during a robust recovery in travel demand, airlines and airports are finding it hard to cope—flight delays, cancellations, and longer lines at airports have increased alongside the growing number of travelers.

“Delta anticipates handling customer volumes from Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4, that haven't been seen since before the pandemic, as people are eager to reconnect with the world,” the airline stated.

As a result, Delta is permitting customers to reschedule their trips to before or after the July 1–4 weekend without incurring any change fees or fare differences, provided the travel is between the same origin and destination airports. Rebooked travel must occur by July 8, 2022—allowing limited flexibility. Changes can be made through Delta’s My Trips page when customers are logged into their accounts or via the Fly Delta app.

“Some operational difficulties are anticipated this holiday weekend,” Delta noted, while expressing its aim “to lessen the impact of disruptions” through this offer.