Delta is selling a new ticket: Comfort Basic

In May, Delta Air Lines announced a rebranding of its fares. Basic Economy became Delta Main Basic, the old Main Cabin was retitled Delta Main Classic, the former Comfort+ morphed into Delta Comfort, and so on. In all, we counted a dizzying 11 fare types.

The new scheme made us wonder if Delta was preparing to offer its low-frills “Basic” experience for its more upscale seats such as Comfort, First and Delta One.

The wonder is over. For some flights starting Nov. 19, Delta is giving us an all-new, 12th fare type: “Delta Comfort Basic.” Confused yet?

Comfort Basic means, basically, that a seat with a little more legroom will get you fewer perks than Comfort Classic, for a lower price. I know people who would take that bargain. But there are caveats.

Here are some of the limitations of a Comfort Basic ticket:

Comfort Basic is hard to find right now, offered in “very select markets.” From Minneapolis-St. Paul, we’ve only found it on flights to Fort Myers, Fla., where travelers might be looking to relax on a budget. But if the concept is successful, we can expect to see Comfort Basic more in the future.

We searched for a one-way flight from MSP to Fort Myers (RSW) on Jan. 7. Delta Comfort is advertised from $189. But when you click on Comfort, you find three options: Delta Comfort Basic at $189, as well as Delta Comfort Classic (the standard experience) for $229, and the fully refundable Delta Comfort Extra for $289.

For many people, the middle seat might cancel out any perceived benefit of extra legroom. You might be better off booking Comfort Basic when traveling in a couple or group, where a loved one is already going to be in the middle. Just as long as it’s not you, right? However, Delta doesn’t actually guarantee it will seat your party together.

The biggest competition for Comfort Basic might be 12 rows back, with Main Classic. If Comfort Basic gives you extra space with fewer options, Main Classic is the opposite: standard legroom, but with free seat selection and the full ability to change your plans. In our Fort Myers example, the Main Classic ticket is $179, just $10 less than Comfort Basic.

So for about the same lower price, you can choose between stretching out and flexibility. You can’t have both.

The next question I have is whether the “Comfort” product isn’t just a little overrated in the first place. On Delta, the Comfort seat itself is almost exactly the same as the Main seat, maybe with a little extra stitching. The biggest difference: two to four inches of extra pitch. Is that worth the premium?

Some of the other perks of Comfort may be worth it to some: The free alcoholic drinks — “on most flights” — might pay for it until you’re cut off. Comfort passengers also board in Zone 3, up from Zones 5 to 8 in Main. And I do like the location of the seats near the front of the wing.

To really be in a higher class, you need to look ahead to Delta Premium Select or Delta First.

Now that Comfort Basic is officially a thing, what will Delta do next? Will the carrier meld Basic service to its Premium Select or Delta First cabins?

Voila: Get ready someday for “Delta Premium Basic” and “Delta First Basic.” How about a watered-down version of the elite, lie-flat Delta One suites? We can see it now: “Delta One Basic.”

It could be tempting to nab a bargain fare for one of those seats. Besides, those front-of-plane cabins have one advantage that Comfort does not: