Delta Partner Airlines: What to Know - NerdWallet (2024)

As a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, Delta Air Lines has a well-connected route network with other airlines around the globe, allowing Delta loyalists to earn and redeem Delta miles even when flying with other airlines that aren't actually Delta. And over the years, Delta has also expanded beyond just the SkyTeam alliance to invest in airlines in strategic parts of the world where it wants to have greater presence, creating an even longer list of Delta airline partners.

Learn more about these Delta alliance partners, including how to earn and redeem Delta SkyMiles at every level of status.

When it comes to SkyMiles earning, Delta’s partner list is expansive. You can earn Delta miles when flying with its airline partners, or use Delta SkyMiles to redeem for flights on most partners.

So, what airlines partner with Delta? Delta's partner airlines include:

For partners airline flights, redeemable miles and Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQD) are determined by a combination of distance flown and fare class. This is different from how miles are earned when flying on Delta itself, which is based on the cost of the ticket (as opposed to the distance flown).

For most discounted economy fares on most Delta partners, you will earn 25% of miles flown as redeemable SkyMiles, and 5% of flown miles as MQDs. So, for example, a 1,000-mile flight in the lowest fare class on partner KLM would earn 250 SkyMiles and 50 MQMs. The earning table for each partner and fare class can be found on Delta’s partner page.

Note: When flying with partners, always make sure that your SkyMiles number is in the reservation and also printed on your boarding pass. Save boarding passes and ticket receipts from partner flights so that if miles don’t post to your account, you can request missing SkyMiles credit retroactively.

When it comes to redeeming SkyMiles, things become more complicated if you plan to use partner airlines. Delta infamously removed award charts from its website. These were helpful to travelers so that they could plan ahead and earn a certain number of miles for their desired destination.

With dynamic pricing, Delta made SkyMiles more difficult to use because awards are more closely tied to demand and the monetary cost of a ticket. This means you have no guide to help you save up enough miles for a trip until you lock in the dates. Then, you are forced to pay whatever Delta is charging, unless you can change your destination or dates.

In some extreme examples, such as this one-way between the U.S. and Australia, that can translate to absurdly high redemption rates.

In general, you should use the same logic when determining whether to book partner flights using SkyMiles as you do booking Delta flights. Compare the value of the SkyMiles used for the award booking against a comparable cash ticket. If the value of the award booking is in line with or lower than the cash price, go ahead and book it. (NerdWallet values Delta SkyMiles at 1.2 cents each).

Understand how to use Delta.com

Delta.com is not the most reliable resource for searching for award tickets. Since Delta’s website does not provide every possible route, a phone reservation agent might be able to search for more options — believe it or not.

For the best results when searching online, check the “My dates are flexible” box so that you can conduct a calendar search. Another trick: search for award space segment by segment.

Let’s say you are flying between Atlanta and Athens, Greece. Try searching Atlanta to Paris first. If you find space, then search for flights from Paris to Athens. Once you find both, try to see if you can price the entire itinerary together as one award. Sometimes, longer connections that don’t appear in the initial search might prove fruitful.

Note: Delta now prices its lowest awards in basic economy, which do not permit advance seat assignments, flight changes or cancellation. However, basic economy awards are cheaper.

One of the perks of achieving Delta Medallion status is enjoying elite benefits when flying partner airlines. SkyTeam Elite Plus status (awarded to Gold Medallion members and above) comes with complimentary lounge access when flying SkyTeam partners internationally, SkyPriority access (priority check-in and boarding lines) and higher checked baggage limits.

These perks can make international travel much more pleasant.