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Delta announced the elimination of a $150 “specialty sports bag fee” that the airline used to impose on passengers traveling with golf clubs, bicycle, SCUBA gear, and other large sporting equipment.
Tickets purchased on or after July 17 are eligible.
“Large speciality sports” bags will simply now be subject to Delta’s standard checked bag fees and rules.
Great News for Sports Teams and Others
Delta has long served professional and college sports teams for their charter needs. (The mothership even retrofitted a few 757s to accommodate basketball teams!)
I won’t be surprised if more high school and pee-wee teams bring — or increase — their Delta travels. Delta is now a great option for traveling sports teams — especially hockey, baseball, softball, and football — traveling with large bags of equipment.
For the rest of us, it’s also great news. Some vacations will be a little cheaper — and will let us bring our own gear on trips.
Save More Money – Receive a Free Checked Bag!
In addition to the $150 penalty’s elimination, Delta passengers can save more money.
Remember that all colors and flavors of Delta Amex cards (except the Blue version) entitle cardholders to a free checked bag on Delta flights. Up to eight more passengers on the same confirmation number/PNR can also receive the benefit!
Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card (learn more about this card)
Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express (learn more about this card)
Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express (learn more about this card)
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express (learn more about this card)
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express (learn more about this card)
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express (learn more about this card)
Will You Tee Up and Take Advantage of This New Policy?
Does the fee’s elimination mean anything special for you personally? Will you take advantage of it? Tell us in the Comment section below!
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I travel with golf clubs all the time. I’ve never been assessed a fee for them on Delta. Bikes, yes. Golf clubs? Never.
Well, Rene, Delta announced they were seriously moving to Free Wifi, and AA, then AA, said “we are too. Except I believe DL and not AA or UA. But it did kind of take the wind out of the Delta announcement.
So Delta upped the ante. Let’s see if AA and/or UA matches. UA maybe. AA is so dependent on the extra fees they charge that I doubt it.
My daughter and I traveled 6 trips with a total of 24 segments with an oversized hockey bag and were never assessed an extra fee and this bag was over 50 pounds. I was a FO at that time in late ‘17 and early ‘18 so not really the high dollar flyer I am now (haha) as a PM. That bag was far bigger and heavier than golf clubs or scuba bags. Maybe we just got lucky.
I have never paid anything more than the normal bag fee for checking golf clubs as long as they are not over 50 pounds before I had status.