Delta Skymiles savvy who can help me book my flights ?

I have done some homework on how to book flights using Delta skymiles and to get tix using the lowest miles (Saver award). I know that until Dec. it will price it as a return tix even though I want a one way tix. I've also learnt that I need to look at a single leg at a time and then put them all together to get the lowest mile tix. Following are my dates of travel and destination airports. I fly out of Detroit.

DTW -> ANC 11th July(flexible to fly a couple of days before if need be)

SEA -> DTW 21st July(Our cruise ends in Vancouver but I think flying out of Seattle will cost me less miles )

So far all flights are coming up at 40,000 miles if I'm lucky. They have disappeared within 10 minutes and the same flight shows up at 65,000 miles. Can anybody help me put together a tix at 25,000 miles ? We are a family of 4 and have 99,000 miles . (Will spend $1K on my Delta card to get the last 1K miles).

Thanks :)

How much is the cost for the flights in US$? If you're using the standard or expensive award categories it can be a false economy to use miles if the tickets aren't much in true dollars. Not only are you using miles for the trip but you're forsaking the miles earned if you'd bought tickets.

If you're using miles why does price matter? :confused: Fly back from YVR instead.

I just updated the main post. When I said flying out of Seattle is cheaper I meant in terms of miles. It would cost me 25,000 miles from SEA to DTW but 80,000 miles from YVR because it becomes an international flight.

I'm thinking tix would cost me around $500 so for a family of 4 it's $2000 in tix. I've been saving my miles for a trip like this so that it can help keep the cost of vacation down. I would strongly prefer getting tix by redeeming my miles.

I see FF tickets for your routing and dates (and that's returning from YVR, not SEA) at 40,000 miles right now. Why would you book this as two one ways? Just use the multicity option. I am not sure you would ever be able to find four tickets at only 25,000 miles, but good luck.

Add the cost of what it would cost you to get to Seattle. I'd book what I could when it became available.

Using the "super saver" (or whatever each airline calls it) award level is always tough if you need somewhat specific dates and even tougher if you need multiple tickets on the same trip. You are most likely not going to get 4 RT tickets on your route and dates (even with somewhat flexible dates) for 100k miles. You might be better off grabbing 2 award tix and just paying for the other two out of pocket.

Personally I would never use miles for a domestic trip as you get much better value when using them for international business/first class travel (especially if you can grab a seat on a foreign carrier up front). I know this doesn't really relate just tossing it out there.

With any airline booking 4 frequent flyer tickets at one time is generally going to bump the saver awards out.

You can do several things. First of all clear your cookies - frequently. Second try using two computers with different frequent flyer numbers. If you can get two tickets at the same saver rate book them. You can cancel within 24 hours. Use another computer or try firefox if you use google or whatever to try to book the other two. If you can get them great. If not you can also use your miles for cash if you have a Delta Gold or above credit card. This may not be the best use of your points but it will lower the cash expenditure.

The caveat to the above system is you cannot all be on the same PNR. Since Delta is known to adjust the schedules from time to time this might backfire so be sure to put one adult and one child together. You can link your reservations but that doesn't always help if you were to get placed on different flights etc.

I'd wager that while you wait for the 1K spend to post the saver awards will vanish.

You want an open jaw ticket not two one way tickets unless you truly plan on waiting until the one ways are bookable.

I'd be extremely surprised if you could book 4 tickets for 100,000 miles. Even if you see those 25,000 mileage tickets they would likely vanish when you complete the booking for four.

We've all given you some options and I realize how hard it is to pay real cash when you have the points but you might have to use any of the systems listed on the posts to get to and from your cruise. If you do have to split and use a cash option try to put that ticket in the name of the person most likely to have a point base - and that seems to be you.

The kids will love Alaska too!!!!!!

DTW -> ANC 11th July(flexible to fly a couple of days before if need be)

SEA -> DTW 21st July(Our cruise ends in Vancouver but I think flying out of Seattle will cost me less miles )

 

So far all flights are coming up at 40,000 miles if I'm lucky. They have disappeared within 10 minutes and the same flight shows up at 65,000 miles. Can anybody help me put together a tix at 25,000 miles ? We are a family of 4 and have 99,000 miles . (Will spend $1K on my Delta card to get the last 1K miles).

 

Thanks :)

You are flying to a vacation destination during peak season. It is very doubtful (IMHO) that you fill find 4 tix at the 25K level, and even more so if you are trying to book them all on one reservation. You MAY (still doubtful) get 1 or 2, highly unlikely you will get all 4. Delta (and presumably most airlines but I could be wrong) only make a very limited number of award tickets available at the "saver" rate, and the more a particular flight is in demand, the less likely this becomes.

As you know Delta is changing their FF rewards significantly beginning Jan. 1. If I read the fine print correctly, your options might be much better if you wait till then to book-booking now will get your their current level rewards.

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As you know Delta is changing their FF rewards significantly beginning Jan. 1. If I read the fine print correctly, your options might be much better if you wait till then to book-booking now will get your their current level rewards.

 

I am not seeing "much better options". The reality is OP wants to book four seats on a vacation routing for summer travel. Really difficult to get four seats at the saver award level of 25,000.

Under the new rules, Saver award level is just the same; 25,000 miles. If OP can find a seat at that level, he/she should grab it. The only change for him is the addition of a 35,000 miles level, and who knows if any seats for OP's routing would be added at that tier.

You're right. Sorry, I mistakenly read he was looking for one way tickets when he really seems to just be trying to put together his own r/t reward thinking it would use less miles when it won't. I spent a frustrating few weeks earlier in the summer trying to secure one way international seats for next May. We really wanted to travel on Delta but gave up due to their high one way award redemption (same as r/t) and that was when I became aware of the coming changes in Jan. Fortunately we also have miles with United and they truly do have one way rewards so we jumped on it the day the bookings opened. I wish the op luck .

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Delta has one of the worst frequent flyer programs in terms of saver award availability. I'd grab whatever saver awards open up and be prepared to pay standard award miles for the rest.