Delta – Alaska Airlines Partnership Ending May 1, 2017

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It’s over!  Via View From the Wing, Delta and Alaska Airlines are ending their partnership May 1, 2017.

The airlines haven’t been playing nicely together for quite some time, so it’s not surprising they’re calling it quits, especially because the deal to merge Alaska Airlines and Virgin America closed last week.

So if you like to earn and redeem Alaska Airlines miles for Delta flights, and vice versa, I’ll explain what this news means for you.

And I’ve added a chart to help you understand important dates regarding the end of the partnership.

Delta and Alaska Airlines End Partnership

Link:   Delta Press Release

Link:   Alaska Airlines Press Release

As of May 1, 2017, Delta and Alaska Airlines will no longer be partners.

For folks who earn and use Delta miles for Alaska Airlines flights and vice versa, this means you’ll have to plan accordingly.

If your flights are already booked, you don’t have to worry.  Because if you booked a Delta or Alaska Airlines flight before today, December 19, 2016, for any travel date, you’ll still earn miles if you planned to credit those miles to the other airline.

For tickets booked today, December 19, 2016, or later, for travel before April 30, 2017, you can earn and redeem Alaska Airlines miles on Delta flights, and vice versa.  But you will not earn miles from the other airline on flights after April 30, 2017.

And for bookings on or after May 1, 2017, you can no longer earn or redeem miles between the 2 airlines the way you once could.

Here’s a handy chart that shows the important dates regarding the end of the Delta – Alaska Airlines partnership:

Booking Date	Travel Date	Earn Miles?	Redeem Miles?
Before December 19, 2016	December 19, 2016 to December 17, 2017	Yes	Yes
December 19, 2016 to April 30, 2017	December 19, 2016 to April 30, 2017	Yes	Yes
December 19, 2016 to April 30, 2017	May 1, 2017 and beyond	No	Yes
May 1, 2017 and beyond	May 1, 2017 and beyond	No	No

Nothing is changing regarding Alaska Airlines’ partnership with other airlines like American Airlines, British Airways, and Emirates.

More Ways to Earn & Use Alaska Airlines Miles

You can earn Alaska Airlines miles directly with the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Card.

Or transfer Starwood points at a 1:1 ratio to your Alaska Airlines account.  You can earn Starwood points using the personal and small business version of the AMEX Starwood card.

Remember, if you transfer 20,000 Starwood points, you get a 5,000 mile bonus for a total of 25,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

Before you redeem Alaska Airlines miles, read my post about great ways to use Alaska miles!

More Ways to Earn & Use Delta Miles

One of the easiest ways to earn Delta miles is by applying for a Delta credit card, like the AMEX Gold Delta or AMEX Platinum Delta small business card.

You can find out more about these cards on the Hot Deals page.

And, you can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards points instantly to Delta at a 1:1 ratio.  So that’s an easy way to get more Delta miles if you want to book an award ticket.

Bottom Line

Delta and Alaska Airlines are ending their partnership May 1, 2017.

For tickets booked and flown after this date, you’ll no longer be able to earn or redeem Alaska Airlines miles for Delta flights, and vice versa.

Plus, take a look at the chart above that outlines other important dates regarding the end of the Delta – Alaska Airlines partnership!