Delta Out, Southwest Home: How We Covered Our Alaska Cruise Flights With Points and Old Flight Credits

Both flights are nonstop.

The Delta flight gets us to Seattle on Friday afternoon, two days before Norwegian Encore departs. We can settle into the Thompson Seattle, enjoy Friday evening and Saturday in the city, and avoid putting the cruise at risk by flying on embarkation morning.

The Southwest flight gets us home early enough to still have a normal Sunday evening. It also leaves enough time after disembarkation that we should not have to rush directly from the ship to the airport.

The $11.20 in award-ticket taxes and fees was offset by flight or airline credits from our American Express cards.

We will also each check one bag in both directions. Those four bag fees are expected to be offset through a combination of benefits from our American Express Platinum and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire cards.

The Platinum Card’s airline-fee credit can apply to eligible incidental charges such as checked bags with the cardholder’s selected airline. The Hilton Aspire flight credit applies to eligible flight purchases made directly with an airline or through eligible American Express travel channels. Benefit terms and transaction coding still matter, so we will confirm the credits after they post.

Official details: American Express Platinum airline-fee credit and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire flight credit.

We did not choose Delta solely to use the credit. The flight still needed to have a good schedule and fit the larger trip.

In this case, the credit lined up with a nonstop flight departing Phoenix at 12:15 p.m. and arriving in Seattle at 3:25 p.m. That was a useful flight on a route we needed, at a time that worked well for our pre-cruise plans.

Had we ignored the available credit and booked another airline, we could have created a new cash expense while leaving the Delta credit unused. Because Delta is not normally one of our most frequently used airlines, there was also a risk that finding another practical use later would be difficult.

This is why we look at existing balances before booking but do not let them make the entire decision. A flight credit is not a reason to accept a bad schedule or pay much more than an option is worth. It is valuable when it naturally fits a trip we already plan to take.

We booked Delta Main Cabin instead of the airline’s more restrictive basic option because we wanted:

• Advance seat selection
• An included carry-on bag
• Better flexibility
• More useful change and cancellation policies

Delta now calls its basic economy product Delta Main Basic. Delta describes it as a lower-priced option with limited flexibility and restrictions involving benefits such as seat selection and same-day changes.

Official details: Delta Main Basic and Delta change and cancellation guidance.

For a pre-cruise flight, those differences mattered more to us than finding the absolute lowest fare. We were flying two days before the cruise, but we still wanted a reservation that would be easier to manage if our plans changed.

That decision connects naturally with Basic Economy vs. Main Cabin: When Saving Money Backfires. The cheapest fare can work for some trips, but restrictions have more weight when the flight is connected to a cruise departure.

Sunday flight choices after a Seattle cruise can create an awkward tradeoff.

An early flight may leave too little time to disembark, travel to the airport, check bags, and clear security comfortably. A late-night flight may cost less, but it can leave most of the day stuck between the cruise and the trip home.

Our Southwest flight departs Seattle at 2:40 p.m. and arrives in Phoenix at 5:35 p.m. That gives us:

• Enough time to disembark without rushing
• Time to deal with transportation from Pier 66
• The possibility of breakfast at or near Pike Place Market
• Potential time for a little more downtown Seattle exploring
• A reasonable arrival home instead of a late-night return

We may use Port Valet for our large luggage, which could make a relaxed breakfast or short walk more practical before heading to the airport. We will decide that morning whether to use light rail or a rideshare.

The later flights were cheaper, but the savings did not outweigh the schedule difference for us. This is the exact kind of tradeoff we discuss in Cheap Flights vs. Best Value: When the Lowest Fare Is Not the Best Trip.

Under Southwest’s assigned-seating system, Basic-fare customers generally receive a standard seat assignment at check-in, which opens 24 hours before departure. Some status members and eligible credit-card customers receive different seating benefits, but those do not apply to us for this reservation.

Southwest also charges checked-bag fees on Basic fares under its current policy. Its published optional-charge table lists a $45 first checked-bag fee for applicable U.S. mainland Basic-fare trips booked under the current rules.

Official details: Southwest Basic fare seat assignments and Southwest optional travel charges.

We expect our bag charges to be offset by credit-card benefits. Even so, they remain part of the real cost of the trip and should not be ignored simply because a statement credit may cover them later.

Not choosing our seats in advance is a tradeoff, but it was not enough to make us give up the flight time we preferred.

• Delta round trip
• Southwest round trip
• Other available airlines
• Different departure times
• Points prices
• Cash fares
• Existing flight credits
• Checked-bag fees
• Credit-card airline benefits
• Change and cancellation flexibility
• The value of arriving in Seattle at a useful time
• The amount of time we wanted after disembarkation

This is where flexibility mattered more than loyalty.

We used Delta because its outbound flight and our available Delta credit fit the trip. We used Southwest because its return time and our Southwest points and credits fit the trip home.

Our broader article Transferable Points vs. Airline Miles: Why Flexibility Matters explains why flexible rewards can be useful when the best airline changes from one trip—or one direction—to another.

We have continued checking the prices for both flights.

Neither fare has dropped so far, but direct booking gives us a clearer path to work with the airline if a lower fare appears. Depending on the specific ticket and airline rules, that can mean changing the reservation or receiving a new credit for a qualifying fare difference.

Direct booking does not automatically guarantee the cheapest price or the best result. It simply reduced the number of parties involved and made sense for reservations built partly around airline points and existing airline credits.

For the broader booking-path decision, see Booking Direct vs. Travel Portals vs. Getting Help: Which Path Makes Sense?.

• 37,100 airline points
• $465.80 in existing flight credits
• $11.20 in award-ticket taxes and fees offset by card credits
• Four expected checked-bag fees offset by card credits

The flight credits represented money tied to previously canceled trips. The points could have been used for other travel. The card credits are benefits attached to cards with annual fees.

Calling the flights free would hide those tradeoffs.

A more accurate description is that the combination allowed us to book the flights we wanted without creating meaningful new airfare spending for this trip.

That distinction is central to The Hidden Costs That Can Make “Free” Travel Expensive and Cash vs. Miles: When to Pay Cash and When to Use Points.

Compare each direction separately.
The best outbound airline may not be the best airline for the return.

Start with the trip, not the rewards account.
A balance should support a useful flight rather than force an inconvenient one.

Look at old flight credits early.
Credits from canceled trips can be easy to overlook, particularly with an airline you rarely fly.

Include baggage in the comparison.
A points ticket can still carry significant extra costs, particularly when two people are checking bags in both directions.

Do not ignore schedule value.
We knowingly passed on cheaper late-night flights because the 2:40 p.m. return made Sunday much easier.

Transfer flexible points only when ready to book.
Jon’s Amex points became Delta SkyMiles for a specific available reservation rather than being moved speculatively.

Keep monitoring after booking.
Neither flight has dropped, but checking keeps open the possibility of taking advantage of a better fare when the ticket rules permit it.

Book direct when it fits the situation.
With airline credits and points involved, keeping the reservations directly with Delta and Southwest made the process easier to manage.

This is also a good example of Using Points for “Normal” Trips — Not Just Luxury Travel. The redemption does not have to be glamorous to be useful.