Using SkyMiles with Alaska Airlines
Mar 26, 2013, 10:00 am
#106
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 586
Ok. I've read many threads on using Skymiles on Partner airlines and I think I'm thoroughly confused. I didn't want to start a new thread and figured this was the right place for my questions.
Anyways, I live in South Florida and am getting married in October and we want to do Hawaii for the honeymoon.
We have a ton of Delta miles on our Skymiles Amex.
I go to Delta.com for redemption and of course Hawaii has no "low" award travel...ever. Their Mid price is 65,000 miles for a roundtrip.
I read Alaska airlines is a good Partner so I checked them out. They have flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Honolulu (layover in Seattle) for 40,000 miles for a roundtrip (which is the same as the Delta "low" fares that are non existent.
From what I gather, I cannot book this trip through AS nor Delta.com. I have to contact a Delta rep (Wooohooo!). Or is there a way to do this without having to contact a Delta agent?
I guess if I call armed with the exact dates and times of the AS flight, they can do it (with I have gathered is an additional $25 phone ticketing fee). Any other hidden Delta fees out there I should know about?
And I can further assume that if I fly Alaska Air, I will have to abide by Alaska Air's checked baggage policies?
Please let me know if I got this right or am I off base.
Thanks in advance!
Jason
Anyways, I live in South Florida and am getting married in October and we want to do Hawaii for the honeymoon.
We have a ton of Delta miles on our Skymiles Amex.
I go to Delta.com for redemption and of course Hawaii has no "low" award travel...ever. Their Mid price is 65,000 miles for a roundtrip.
I read Alaska airlines is a good Partner so I checked them out. They have flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Honolulu (layover in Seattle) for 40,000 miles for a roundtrip (which is the same as the Delta "low" fares that are non existent.
From what I gather, I cannot book this trip through AS nor Delta.com. I have to contact a Delta rep (Wooohooo!). Or is there a way to do this without having to contact a Delta agent?
I guess if I call armed with the exact dates and times of the AS flight, they can do it (with I have gathered is an additional $25 phone ticketing fee). Any other hidden Delta fees out there I should know about?
And I can further assume that if I fly Alaska Air, I will have to abide by Alaska Air's checked baggage policies?
Please let me know if I got this right or am I off base.
Thanks in advance!
Jason
I'm trying to get from MCI-SEA and I see the 12.5k per one-way available on the Alaska Air website but I can't get it to show up on Delta.terrible. In fact, I can't get a single low-level flight that shows up on Alaska Air to show up on Delta's website. Am I missing something here?
EDIT: Yes I am, I was reading the Alaska Air website incorrectly. Using ExpertFlyer showed me there are no low-level awards availabe on AS, thus I can't see it on Delta, which is a bummer.
Last edited by tys90; Mar 26, 2013 at 10:15 am
Apr 22, 2013, 10:15 am
#107
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: Hawaiian Air Fold, Delta Gold, SPG Platinum
Posts: 116
The new Delta.com is so bad, if I wasn't retiring (at least from routine travel), I would find another airline program.
I am traveling SAN-BOS in August for Bus/Pleas. Alaskan has a non stop. Delta has connections. I would love to uses Skymiles on Alaskan. Alaskan website shows award availability at 20,000 miles plus $2.50 per segment.
Delta.com shows no partner availability at all, whether I use price or schedule. Also Delta.com wants 70,000 miles per RT ticket (I need 2) for connecting travel rather than the Alaskan 40,000 miles per RT ticket on 737-800 (great exit seating on Alaskan on this aircraft).
Most of my Delta Skymiles are earned on my monthly flight to HNL from SAN and I have been earning about half of those Skymiles on Alaskan and half on Delta through LAX. Clearly Alaskan is the better airline, but I suppose I wanted good mileage for family flights to MSP when I chose a main carrier some years ago.
My recommendation to others....Do not use Delta as your airline. Use someone else.
I am traveling SAN-BOS in August for Bus/Pleas. Alaskan has a non stop. Delta has connections. I would love to uses Skymiles on Alaskan. Alaskan website shows award availability at 20,000 miles plus $2.50 per segment.
Delta.com shows no partner availability at all, whether I use price or schedule. Also Delta.com wants 70,000 miles per RT ticket (I need 2) for connecting travel rather than the Alaskan 40,000 miles per RT ticket on 737-800 (great exit seating on Alaskan on this aircraft).
Most of my Delta Skymiles are earned on my monthly flight to HNL from SAN and I have been earning about half of those Skymiles on Alaskan and half on Delta through LAX. Clearly Alaskan is the better airline, but I suppose I wanted good mileage for family flights to MSP when I chose a main carrier some years ago.
My recommendation to others....Do not use Delta as your airline. Use someone else.
Apr 22, 2013, 10:27 am
#108
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: MN
Programs: Lots of programs, dirt on all of them!
Posts: 11,938
The new Delta.com is so bad, if I wasn't retiring (at least from routine travel), I would find another airline program.
I am traveling SAN-BOS in August for Bus/Pleas. Alaskan has a non stop. Delta has connections. I would love to uses Skymiles on Alaskan. Alaskan website shows award availability at 20,000 miles plus $2.50 per segment.
Delta.com shows no partner availability at all, whether I use price or schedule. Also Delta.com wants 70,000 miles per RT ticket (I need 2) for connecting travel rather than the Alaskan 40,000 miles per RT ticket on 737-800 (great exit seating on Alaskan on this aircraft).
Most of my Delta Skymiles are earned on my monthly flight to HNL from SAN and I have been earning about half of those Skymiles on Alaskan and half on Delta through LAX. Clearly Alaskan is the better airline, but I suppose I wanted good mileage for family flights to MSP when I chose a main carrier some years ago.
My recommendation to others....Do not use Delta as your airline. Use someone else.
I am traveling SAN-BOS in August for Bus/Pleas. Alaskan has a non stop. Delta has connections. I would love to uses Skymiles on Alaskan. Alaskan website shows award availability at 20,000 miles plus $2.50 per segment.
Delta.com shows no partner availability at all, whether I use price or schedule. Also Delta.com wants 70,000 miles per RT ticket (I need 2) for connecting travel rather than the Alaskan 40,000 miles per RT ticket on 737-800 (great exit seating on Alaskan on this aircraft).
Most of my Delta Skymiles are earned on my monthly flight to HNL from SAN and I have been earning about half of those Skymiles on Alaskan and half on Delta through LAX. Clearly Alaskan is the better airline, but I suppose I wanted good mileage for family flights to MSP when I chose a main carrier some years ago.
My recommendation to others....Do not use Delta as your airline. Use someone else.
Secondly, the best way to search for Alaska Air award seats on delta.com is not by price or schedule. It is by multi-city. First use the Alaska Air website as you did, find their low-level availability, and write down the dates, city pairs and flight numbers. Then go to delta.com and use multi-city, filling in each city pair for each segment. Choose the exact flights you found on alaskaair.com that you wrote down. Almost always, delta.com will then price it out correctly.
Apr 22, 2013, 10:38 pm
#109
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
First of all, it is Alaska Air, not Alaskan Air
Secondly, the best way to search for Alaska Air award seats on delta.com is not by price or schedule. It is by multi-city. First use the Alaska Air website as you did, find their low-level availability, and write down the dates, city pairs and flight numbers. Then go to delta.com and use multi-city, filling in each city pair for each segment. Choose the exact flights you found on alaskaair.com that you wrote down. Almost always, delta.com will then price it out correctly.
Secondly, the best way to search for Alaska Air award seats on delta.com is not by price or schedule. It is by multi-city. First use the Alaska Air website as you did, find their low-level availability, and write down the dates, city pairs and flight numbers. Then go to delta.com and use multi-city, filling in each city pair for each segment. Choose the exact flights you found on alaskaair.com that you wrote down. Almost always, delta.com will then price it out correctly.
Alaskan is the Beer 
(Which AS serves- but I digress)I'd pay for the flight myself as that route has been running reasonable fares, plus a good chance of an upgrade it seems as a DL elite.
Apr 23, 2013, 1:05 am
#110
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,423
First of all, it is Alaska Air, not Alaskan Air
Secondly, the best way to search for Alaska Air award seats on delta.com is not by price or schedule. It is by multi-city. First use the Alaska Air website as you did, find their low-level availability, and write down the dates, city pairs and flight numbers. Then go to delta.com and use multi-city, filling in each city pair for each segment. Choose the exact flights you found on alaskaair.com that you wrote down. Almost always, delta.com will then price it out correctly.
Secondly, the best way to search for Alaska Air award seats on delta.com is not by price or schedule. It is by multi-city. First use the Alaska Air website as you did, find their low-level availability, and write down the dates, city pairs and flight numbers. Then go to delta.com and use multi-city, filling in each city pair for each segment. Choose the exact flights you found on alaskaair.com that you wrote down. Almost always, delta.com will then price it out correctly.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...er-thread.html
Apr 23, 2013, 9:45 am
#111
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
I'm not sure if it will be the same in August but ive had two flights in the last 4 weeks month BOS/SAN that went out with 8 of 16 in F. Thats with AS elites, DL elites and buy-ups. Most of the flights on the city pair have had buy ups to F. Y has been running close to full.
Apr 27, 2013, 10:35 pm
#112
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
I'm not sure if it will be the same in August but ive had two flights in the last 4 weeks month BOS/SAN that went out with 8 of 16 in F. Thats with AS elites, DL elites and buy-ups. Most of the flights on the city pair have had buy ups to F. Y has been running close to full.
AS seems to be focusing a bit on SAN and sounds like more SAN may start in the next 12 months
Oct 23, 2013, 10:59 am
#113
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 49
Does anyone know if you can use SkyMiles to upgrade an Alaska flight?
I'm confused by how this might work. AS6 from LAX-DCA is showing with no U fare for Alaska, but ExpertFlyer is showing 7 upgradeable seats on AA7076 (which is AS6 codeshare). AS6 is ALSO Delta flight 7473 on a codeshare.
I'm guessing Delta won't allow you to use miles to upgrade on non-DL metal, but - worth asking, since evidently AA will allow you to upgrade on the Alaska flight...?
I'm confused by how this might work. AS6 from LAX-DCA is showing with no U fare for Alaska, but ExpertFlyer is showing 7 upgradeable seats on AA7076 (which is AS6 codeshare). AS6 is ALSO Delta flight 7473 on a codeshare.
I'm guessing Delta won't allow you to use miles to upgrade on non-DL metal, but - worth asking, since evidently AA will allow you to upgrade on the Alaska flight...?
Oct 23, 2013, 2:32 pm
#114
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Not possible. Can't use AS miles to upgrade a DL flight either.
AA miles can't be used to upgrade an AS flight either.
Is AA selling an -UP fare perhaps? That would be interesting, as I didn't know they would do that on codeshares.
Or does AA have U class listing as available but its actually some kind of economy fare? AA's U doesn't necessarily map into AS' U fare bucket.
I'm confused by how this might work. AS6 from LAX-DCA is showing with no U fare for Alaska, but ExpertFlyer is showing 7 upgradeable seats on AA7076 (which is AS6 codeshare). AS6 is ALSO Delta flight 7473 on a codeshare.
I'm guessing Delta won't allow you to use miles to upgrade on non-DL metal, but - worth asking, since evidently AA will allow you to upgrade on the Alaska flight...?
I'm guessing Delta won't allow you to use miles to upgrade on non-DL metal, but - worth asking, since evidently AA will allow you to upgrade on the Alaska flight...?
Is AA selling an -UP fare perhaps? That would be interesting, as I didn't know they would do that on codeshares.
Or does AA have U class listing as available but its actually some kind of economy fare? AA's U doesn't necessarily map into AS' U fare bucket.
Oct 24, 2013, 12:46 am
#115
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,423
Does anyone know if you can use SkyMiles to upgrade an Alaska flight?
I'm confused by how this might work. AS6 from LAX-DCA is showing with no U fare for Alaska, but ExpertFlyer is showing 7 upgradeable seats on AA7076 (which is AS6 codeshare). AS6 is ALSO Delta flight 7473 on a codeshare.
I'm guessing Delta won't allow you to use miles to upgrade on non-DL metal, but - worth asking, since evidently AA will allow you to upgrade on the Alaska flight...?
I'm confused by how this might work. AS6 from LAX-DCA is showing with no U fare for Alaska, but ExpertFlyer is showing 7 upgradeable seats on AA7076 (which is AS6 codeshare). AS6 is ALSO Delta flight 7473 on a codeshare.
I'm guessing Delta won't allow you to use miles to upgrade on non-DL metal, but - worth asking, since evidently AA will allow you to upgrade on the Alaska flight...?
Mar 19, 2014, 4:51 pm
#116
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: Globalist, Marriott Plat, various sundry
Posts: 984
I'm looking at flying ORD-PDX nonstop on AS as part of a trip for my honeymoon. I noticed that this leg has availability in Y on AS (12.5K + $5) but it doesn't show up on DL. Is it a DL web site quirk, or is this ineligible for award?
Mar 20, 2014, 6:37 am
#117
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Location: MN
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Also note, that even though AS shows it as 12,500 miles, DL doesn't offer one-ways at half the round trip. So if that is the only flight you book in that itinerary, it would cost you 25K miles. You didn't mention your entire itinerary, so it is hard to know what you are looking at.
Mar 20, 2014, 11:16 am
#118
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: Globalist, Marriott Plat, various sundry
Posts: 984
Turns out the issue was not the DL website but human (specifically, my) error. I looked again and noticed the 20K award was the one available on AS (not the 12.5K). When I found the 12.5K award (not surprisingly, very few days on AS) and put it into DL.com, it came up as 25K (since it's a one-way priced as a roundtrip).
So it looks like everything is back to normal. I'll put in itinerary information soon.
So it looks like everything is back to normal. I'll put in itinerary information soon.
Mar 20, 2014, 11:23 pm
#119
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Turns out the issue was not the DL website but human (specifically, my) error. I looked again and noticed the 20K award was the one available on AS (not the 12.5K). When I found the 12.5K award (not surprisingly, very few days on AS) and put it into DL.com, it came up as 25K (since it's a one-way priced as a roundtrip).
So it looks like everything is back to normal. I'll put in itinerary information soon.
So it looks like everything is back to normal. I'll put in itinerary information soon.
How long DL & AS still cooperate... that's the question. 
Mar 21, 2014, 7:27 am
#120
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: Globalist, Marriott Plat, various sundry
Posts: 984
Here's my planned itinerary - I'd like to know if there is any way to do better. Please note that dates are firm, and assume O&D are also firm. Stopovers and connecting points
Trip: ORD-OGG roundtrip
9/4: ORD-MSP-PDX (DL in F, saver)
9/5: PDX-OGG (AS in Y)
9/12: OGG-MSP-ORD (DL in Y, medium)
1. Would this routing then be 145K for two people? (2 x 40K + 2 x 32.5K)? DL.com wants 195K for it.
2. Are there any better routings or itineraries? We have 150K to work with.
Trip: ORD-OGG roundtrip
9/4: ORD-MSP-PDX (DL in F, saver)
9/5: PDX-OGG (AS in Y)
9/12: OGG-MSP-ORD (DL in Y, medium)
1. Would this routing then be 145K for two people? (2 x 40K + 2 x 32.5K)? DL.com wants 195K for it.
2. Are there any better routings or itineraries? We have 150K to work with.