Are Delta Tickets Cheaper For Minors?

Are there discounts for minors when it comes to Delta Tickets?

A typical question that every parent who books a flight for their family often asks is whether they can buy cheaper tickets for the children. Almost every Delta Airlines has different fare rules for different groups of passengers, and Delta is no exception; therefore, it is quite a popular question whether a minor can travel at a discounted rate. Here, we will demystify whether and when Delta Airlines provides discounted tickets to young passengers under 18 years of age.

Delta’s Age Categories

First of all, it is important to consider Delta’s age groups. In other words, Delta classifies all individuals from the age of two and above as passengers who require a seat. Here is how they separate passengers by age:

Infants: Under 2 years old at the date of travel. Children below the age of two are ferried free of charge provided they do not occupy a seat on their own.

Children: Children and young persons from the age of two to eleven years of age inclusive as per the date of travel. A child needs to have a ticket for an individual seat that has been bought for him or her.

Teens: Children and youths between the ages of 12 and 17 years at the time of travel. In this regard, Delta has a policy that treats teens as adults as per their fare policies.

Some child discounts on Delta end as soon as a child becomes 12 years old. Special low prices for children commonly cease as soon as the child turns eleven years old. Delta Airways and their teen fares: teen tickets on Delta that are bought after 12 are as expensive as adult fares.

Unaccompanied Minors

One of the most important policies of Delta Airlines is policies regarding children under eighteen years of age traveling alone. In a situation where a minor travels alone, then Delta considers such a child as an unaccompanied minor, UM for short. Parents are required to pay a $150 UM fee for each direction of travel when purchasing tickets for children traveling alone.

The UM program offers additional support and oversight for the child who is traveling alone. However, the mandatory fee can be costly and pile on extra charges beyond the ticket price. It is why families sometimes lose money when they have children travel alone.

Child Ticket Age Limits

On Delta, there are some standard published fares and there are also some decreased child fares depending on the age of the child. Here are two fare types offering price breaks for young travelers:

Children rates – to cater to the needs of families with children, Delta has child fares for children between the ages of 2 and 11 for a nominal charge of 10% less than the adult fare for domestic flights. However, the actual percentage discount is relative to the type of route and date of travel. It is scarce and must be booked in advance; certain dates are closed also.

Children up to age 17 can save 5% on some published economy fares with Delta young traveler discount.

Those are the only general child and youth discounts available to the public according to Delta. Both involve the booking of certain fares, which come with certain conditions for their use. Other than the mentioned categories, all Delta tickets are equally charged no matter the age of the user, whether a child, a teenager, or an adult.

Exceptions: Infant Policies

As stated above, the one main exception is when traveling with lap infants under 2 years of age. Once more, as Delta does not have seats for babies, an accompanying adult is allowed to carry an infant on their lap for free. This has been further enhanced by Delta which offers one lap infant free for each adult.

However, those who wish to have a separate seat for babies below two years, are considered as ticketed passengers. Since they are occupying a spot that could be sold to another flyer, Delta will offer them the standard fare depending on their age.

In that case, reduced fares for children may include infants’ tickets. In summary, the main cost-cutter that Delta provides for families is that children under 2 years are allowed to fly for free provided they do not occupy a seat.

Group Travel Savings

Apart from single tickets, the best way through which families can save with Delta is through group travel. Delta offers discounted group fares in the following situations:

At least 10 passengers who are in the same party All those on the same flight number Tickets that are booked at the same time in one go

In group booking, it is also important to note that group rates may be offered regardless of the age of the travelers, including children and adolescents. Therefore for large family tours, group bookings offer an opportunity to have over 10% discount on Delta’s standard published fares.

But strangely enough, those group discounts do not have a direct correlation with the ages of the passengers. However, they provide chances to save money for those with large groups which include kids. In family holidays and reunions or other circumstances that involve group travel, group travel promotions are one of the ways of saving on the Delta fares.

Membership Perks

Another way to cut costs on minor tickets is to be a frequent flyer or to have a co-branded credit card. On fares that accompany ‘fees for child companions’, elite Delta flyers enjoy fee waivers and discounted options. Certain Delta credit cards allow cardholders to bring along children at reduced rates:

Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card – annual companion certificate that entitles the holder to a second ticket for the price of the taxes and other charges only, once in a year. The discount for the companion fare applies to the person accompanying the customer and any children aged 2 years and above.

Delta SkyMiles Reserve Card - Up to two Main Cabin round-trip companion certificates every year for people with tickets 2 and older. These companions fly for taxes and fees plus 10% of the actual fare cost.

If you meet the criteria for one of those Delta card benefits, it’s your chance to take the whole flock for less. With free checked bags, priority boarding, and companion discounts that come with one of these cards, having any of the two cards can translate to huge savings on trips booked that include children.

Cheap Award Tickets

Families can also benefit from the inexpensive Delta award ticket rates. Delta’s MileagePlus award flights can be used to cover children and teenagers at the same price as adults. For domestic flights where a young traveler can have only 5,000-10,000 miles each way, it is cheaper to use miles to pay for most of the fares.

The most significant value is derived from the opportunity to purchase award sales at cheaper prices. Delta frequently runs specials like:

American award tickets start at 5,000 miles for a one-way flight Lowest fare contracts for travel distances between 1500 – 2500 miles within the week of travel. Discount normal rates by up to 50% during flash award sales

It is important to note that every time Delta provides an opportunity to complete a transaction at a lower price, it is open to all travelers without exception to age. One surefire way of getting cheaper tickets for the entire family is to take advantage of low mileage rates.

Basic Economy Restrictions

One major catch, however, pertains to Delta’s bare-bones Basic Economy fares. The E-fare class comes with several fees and restrictions for families when ticket bookings are made.

Carry-on bag limitation applies to everyone above the age of 2 years, with the only exception of a personal item such as a backpack or purse. Families must check all other luggage for E fares and are subject to Delta’s $30 first bag fee per passenger.

Also, basic economy tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. These results quite often lead to the risk of completely losing the fare if something changes.

Thus, though E-class fares have the lowest initial cost, they present complications regarding contract policies to families. The basic rules of the economy dictate that inexpensive children’s tickets can cost more in fees while offering limited options.

Maximizing Savings on Delta

As for the tickets for children, groups, miles, and loyalty programs, yes, Delta does provide some ways to save money for children. 2 to 11-year-old children receive the most discounts while teenagers are almost charged the adult tariffs.

It is very wise for families to be careful when buying tickets for more than one person. When searching for Delta flights, it is advisable to consider fare rules, your preferred travel dates, group size, and your loyalty status or credit card rewards. The good news is that, with the proper strategies in mind, there are always attractive offers for family travel out there.

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