Delta requires customers to notify the airline prior to departure if they need to change or cancel their ticket to retain the value of their ticket. If a customer is a no-show and does not notify their travel agent or Delta of a change or cancellation prior to their departure, they will forfeit the value of their ticket. 

On October 8, 2025, Delta updated the No-Show Policy in its Contract of Carriage* to apply to all tickets, both refundable and non-refundable, in the event of a no-show. Beginning January 12, 2026, technology will be implemented to update the flight coupons when a customer no-shows their flight. Customers who do not proactively change or cancel before departure will lose the value of their ticket. 

*The update to the Domestic Contract of Carriage can be found under Rule 14: Cancellation of Reservations, Part C: Failure to Appear. International and Canada Contracts of Carriage were updated in 2024.

Updates to our policy are needed to ensure we properly accommodate customers who are still planning to travel and allow our customers access to all available open seats if they want to book or change their reservation. This policy is also broadly aligned with the rest of the airline industry.

Delta’s No-Show Policy applies to the following itineraries:

• All DL-006 tickets
• Itineraries that include DL-marketed and DL-operated flights 
• Both wholly unused and partially flown tickets

Exception for Post Departure Changes

• Should a customer reach out after their original departure time and the flight coupons are still active, the travel agent can assist as follows: If the customer is ready to make a change, the reservation may be changed, and the ticket reissued to retain the value of the ticket.
• If the customer is not ready to make a new reservation, please contact Global Sales Solutions or Delta Reservations for assistance.

However, if the flight coupons are suspended, the ticket has no remaining value.

Involuntary No-Show for Irregular Operations and Schedule Change Events

In addition, tickets impacted by an Irregular Operations event or a Major Schedule change will not be subject to Delta’s No-Show Policy. A Major Schedule change is defined as:

• For tickets issued prior to October 28, 2024, an earlier departure or later arrival of 120 minutes or more
• For tickets issued on or after October 28, 2024, an earlier departure or later arrival of 180 minutes or more for Domestic itineraries or 360 minutes or more for International itineraries*
• Departing from or arriving at a different airport than originally scheduled
• A change in the routing of a scheduled Delta flight which adds one or more stops to the original itinerary
• A downgrade to a lower class of service
• A change in operating carrier, for example from Delta Mainline to Delta Connection carrier, or vice versa
• If a flight cancels

* Where multiple schedule changes may, in the aggregate, result in an earlier departure or later arrival time described above, please contact Global Sales Solutions for assistance.

For any additional information, travel agents may contact Global Sales Solutions or Delta Reservations  for assistance.