SSIA, in short. I'm Alaska now but should I enroll in Delta as well?

Flying out of PDX for the next year, possibility moving to New York at 2014 year's end. While I'm here in PDX I mostly fly Alaska but longer flights to see family are on Delta (or others, likely American or SWA). Plus, I may move out the PNW next year, and definitely will in 2-3 years.

So, is there any benefit to being in both programs? I know they're partners and there is a lot of reciprocity, but are there any additional benefits of being in both? Secondly, with this stuff in mind, should I be getting a Delta credit card or Alaska credit card?

Kind of a rookie lurker here so don't kill me too bad.

Thanks.

In general, you should pick one, because that way your miles will be consolidated and you can earn elite status more easily.

However, on this point:
...depending on the offers available to you, it probably makes sense to get both. And to get both, you'll need to have memberships in both programs.

Also, occasionally, either Alaska or Delta will offer promos to their members only. One I recall, in particular, was 25k Alaska miles after a single round trip out of one of the SF Bay Area airports. (Maybe 2 years ago?)... You could turn a <$100 trip to Sacramento into a trip anywhere in the country...

Perhaps a better question would be: is there any reason NOT to have both accounts? Probably not. (Occasionally there will be new member enrollment bonuses but that's rare.)

As an aside, if you'll be looking for elite status, you'll probably want to familiarize yourself with the MQD (Medallion Qualifying Dollars) requirements for Delta elite status starting in 2014. There's a lengthy thread in that forum.

EDIT: Here is the promo I remembered... almost how I described it... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...promotion.html

It really depends. I like having miles in both programs. If you are not going to attain status on either airline or if you can gain status on one airline, but still have some flying that year, but not enough to gain the next tier level of status, you can split your earning between the two with little downside.

You can only book DL flights using AS miles at the low level. Same with booking AS flights using DL miles - only AS flights at the low level. Also, DL miles are not good on "partners of partners." So if I want to fly ERA Aviation for example, I can do that with AS miles but not with DL miles. Each program also has different rules regarding stopovers and open jaws. I find it very beneficial to have miles in both programs.

good stuff here. thanks.

so say when i book a flight, i just take the confirmation or eticket number and add it to each of my programs? or can one booking only be "redeemed" with one program?

I would sign up with both--after all, it's free and miles in the Delta program don't expire. I always look to credit to the Alaska program first if it's at all possible, but sometimes it's not possible. For example, if you're flying on an R fare with Aeromexico, Delta awards credit but Alaska doesn't.

I also lived in Beijing for 3 years and having the Delta program was really useful because none of the Chinese airlines have partnerships with Alaska. China Southern and China Eastern both credit to Delta (provided that you're not flying on a non-awarding fare class, which unfortunately was the case for me often). Additionally, flying with Aeroflot (one of the best ways from Beijing to Europe) won't credit to the Alaska program but it will credit to Delta (usually at 75%, but that's 75% better than nothing). Domestic business travel in China over the years eventually earned me enough credit with Delta for a free domestic US flight, which isn't much but it's certainly better than nothing.

When it comes to status, you're better off going for status with the airline you fly the most. There is some reciprocal status given to Alaska flyers on Delta, but it only matches the Silver level of their program. This doesn't get you much--upgrades in theory but not in practice, and first checked bag free on domestic flights (one extra bag on international flights). You get the same thing on Alaska as a Delta Silver--they give you the same benefits as MVP.

One final thought: watch for promotions. Both Alaska and Delta offer double miles promotions and other bonuses throughout the year. Even though you may normally prefer a given program, you might want to switch to get a bonus.

In my case, I have flown more than enough for the past several years to get status, but I don't fly enough with any particular alliance to qualify. This year, I didn't even pay for most of my tickets (I used miles). I can assure you that the sun still comes up every day even though I don't have airline status and I feel free to go for the lowest possible fare without regard to airline alliances. Points have been devalued so much, and the bar has been raised for status to such a high level, that it's not really worth chasing either.

You are only allowed to credit each flight's miles to one program. You may find success trying to double dip, but it could lead to seizure of your mileage account(s).

You can only get credit on one of the airlines for each flight. If you wish to get credit on the airline that is not operating the flight, you should make sure that your ticket category qualifies for mileage on that airline. I'm not sure about how Delta and Alaska regulate this, but I know that other airlines, such as UA, have strict restrictions on receiving mileage credit for flights on their partners.

I'm gold in both programs. However, I'm always tempted to focus on one or the other, since I could be higher status on either and would probably get upgraded more. There are two key benefits that keep me focused on both - free ticket changes on Alaska, and free economy comfort on Delta.

If I had to pick one, I'd probably choose Alaska since I live in the PNW. If I didn't live in the PNW, I would probably choose Delta since I like their hard product and international route network.

I have both Alaska and Delta credit cards. The Delta (platinum) offers 20K MQMs if you spend enough. I'd choose the one that matches the airline you end up focusing on.