First time poster, hoping I am posting relevant content in the right place.

I am traveling to Nags Head, NC on 8/29 with my wife. We live in New York. Our closest and preferred airport is JFK. However, I won't fly in a plane that seats less than 4 across. On 9/5, we are flying to Aruba.

As of now my flight itinerary is as follows:

8/29 EWR (Newark, NJ) to ORF (Norfolk, VA) - 2 adults 1 way - $679
*we will rent a car and drive to Nags Head, NC or pay for a car service.

9/5 ORF (Norfolk, VA) to MIA (Miami, FL) connecting to MIA (Miami, FL) to AUA (Aruba) - 2 adults, 1 way, 1 stop - $915

9/12 AUA (Aruba) to JFK (Queens, NY) - 2 adults 1 way - $598

Normally, we would book SPG hotels, it would cost $0, and we would just have to pay for flights. However, my wife wants to go to Aruba, and we heard bad reviews about the SPG option. We were able to book Hotels using my American Express Business Platinum for cash, but with excellent perks that we were comfortable with. My issue is I am about to spend $2,192 in flights.

I have access to the following points:
Starwood Amex Pts - 95,710pts
American Express Platinum - 44,043pts

Two questions:
1. What are my best options to save as much money as possible on the flights? Are there any last minute cards to sign up for?
2. If I don't really have any options, how should I purchase the flights to make next years trip less cash costly?