TORONTO — Delta has announced that it is extending its change-fee waiver and implementing automatic seat blocks as part of its mission to make travel safer and easier to book.

As of yesterday, July 30, the airline’s change-fee waiver has been extended to new flights purchased through Aug. 31. Travellers will have the option to change their flight without a change fee for a year from the date of purchase.

It’s also extending the ability to rebook travel for two years to pre-pandemic bookings. This means that travellers who purchased a ticket before April 17 for travel through Dec. 31, 2020 can plan, rebook and travel with Delta until Sept. 30, 2022. When they’re ready to rebook their flight, Delta will waive the change fee. The fare difference will apply, so customers may receive a credit or pay the difference on the new flight.

Automatic seat blocks will also be implemented through at least Sept. 30. This, says Delta, will automatically block seats adjacent to those selected by a customer once a reservation is complete and allow parties of three or more to book seats together, including middle seats. This functionality will be implemented across all cabins except Delta One. The block will be visible in the seat map once the customer revisits their booking in My Trips on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app.

“When booking their travel, customers tell us they value more space and greater flexibility during a time of physical distancing and heightened uncertainty,” said Dwight James, S.V.P. – Pricing and Revenue Management. “We want our customers to book and travel with the peace of mind in knowing their health and safety remains Delta’s top priority, and that we’ll continue evaluating our policies to maintain the high standard of care they expect.”

Delta has also adjusted its Contract of Carriage in response to schedule fluctuations as a result of customer demand and travel restrictions. As of yesterday, July 30, customers who purchase U.S. domestic tickets issued on or after July 30, 2020 are eligible for refunds upon request if their flight is cancelled or delayed for 120 minutes or more (including due to schedule changes), which is a marginal increase of 30 minutes from the previous policy.