DLmedalliongold

I haven't kept up with WN after switching my Dallas flying to AA. How is Southwest more flexible than Delta these days? DL has dropped the change fee. Eight flights a day between SLC and LAX. WN only has two. I think the only thing WN has going for it these days is a more orderly boarding process and no bag fees.

Same day changes on WN make you pay the full fare for the day until you get status, sometimes hundreds of dollars. I think same day confirm is now $75 and you can standby for free. Last I flew WN without status they won't even let you stand by without paying the fare difference.

WN Top tier status doesn't get you much more than even PM on Delta - maybe free very slow internet. DL has a chance of an upgrade, comfort plus, nose to tail avod, power at every seat, $5 very fast internet on most planes, better on timer performance, lower cancellation rate, a brand new Sky Club, etc., etc. I would definitely not recommend WN for a route like this if having to fly weekly.

wxman22

And I would add that you also get a $200 credit for year on DL if you pick them as your airline with Amex.

The Amex PL now costs $700/yr, but when I was flying DL it was well worth it to me for all the above reasons.

sydneyracquelle

If you invest some time and do some research you might be able to save a lot of money booking SLC > LAX returns and/or one way tickets. I saved myself a ton when I had to fly ATL > XXX every week but figured out a way to cut my fare down by 40%+ by instead booking XXX>ATL round trip every weekend.

Zorak

I haven't closely followed WN recently, but they recently introduced a fare tier right about Wanna Get Away called Wanna Get Away Plus that offers free SDC/SDS. I forget if there were any other general changes to standby costs etc.

There are also public status matches to A-List, and also corp status matches with a longer qualification period that might be available just if your company uses SWABIZ or something like that. IMO with A-List if you don't mind time spent waiting in the airport (for me, not a big deal as long as I have wifi) the play is to book the cheapest latest flight you can tolerate and then try to stand by for something earlier.

IMO WN is totally reasonable for anything up to 2, 2.5 hours.

bebouchard

Many cards will reimburse you for the fee to join TSA-Pre/Global Entry. If you don't already have it, I would highly recommend getting it. With all the time you will be spending in airports, anything you can do to reduce the hassle is well worth it.

MSPeconomist

CLEAR can also be very worthwhile as a way to avoid spending time in TSA airport security lines, but probably not at full price.

nexus7556

You could consider United PassPlus where you pre-pay for travel in exchange for discounts at time of booking (up to 20% off). There is more info in this FT thread, or on United's website.

azepine00

Apply for a couple southwest or chase cc get the points. Whenever fares are low book as many wn placeholder awards as you can (consider BUR and lgb). Keep checking for reprice occasionally.
Along the way you can book flts on other airlines if better fit and cancel wn.

xooz

Interestingly, OP didn't indicate special interest in point accrual/usage but only cost savings. If OP is paying personal cash for the weekly flights, and not looking for Business Class trips to Asia etc, then maybe finding the airline whose typical point redemption for SLC-LAX is the lowest could be a first step, Then, see what card helps max out point accrual such that you use the points to offset the cost of future trips.

If it were me, I would pick the (non-DL) Amex Plat, since I would get 5 points per dollar spend on flights, lounge access (Sky Club & PP), and the points would transfer to DL, B6 and BA. BA points can be attractive for booking AA and AS short haul. With the various credits it is easy to think you would recover the fee.