Flying out of Boise Airport? These airlines offer the best reward programs to save money

Shaun Goodwin
Stephen M. Keller/Southwest Airlines

As a frequent flier or someone planning to travel more in 2024, selecting the right rewards program for your miles is crucial for maximizing your travel benefits.

Nine airlines operate out of Boise Airport, offering direct flights to 26 locations and the option to fly anywhere in the world from there.

That gives travelers a lot of options. Sometimes, you don’t have a choice, depending on the destination, of which airline you fly with. But if you do, what airline offers the best bang for your buck regarding its rewards program?

A new WalletHub study analyzed the pros and cons of the rewards programs offered by the 10 largest airlines in the United States to determine which is best for frequent fliers. Good news, Boise: Seven fly in and out of Boise Airport.

If you want to save money on your travels, here’s what to know about the best airline to take out of Boise.

Which airline has the best rewards?

It ultimately depends on how often you travel and which airlines are available to determine your best reward program.

However, WalletHub’s study analyzed 21 key metrics of each reward package and found that Alaska Airlines will generally offer the best value for your buck. United Airlines was narrowly behind in second place, but it may be the best option for frequent travelers, which WalletHub considers to be those who spend more than $7,117 annually on flights.

“Alaska Mileage Plan and United MileagePlus are 2024’s best frequent flyer programs because they save members the most money and generally have the most consumer-friendly policies,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe stated in a news release.

“For example, neither Alaska Mileage Plan nor United MileagePlus has blackout dates, award-ticket cancellation fees, short-notice booking fees, or miles that expire,” Happe continued. “Plus, both offer retroactive flight credits for up to 12 months and the ability to book flights more than 300 days in advance.”

What makes Alaska such a good option?

Frontier Airlines offers the best rewards value of $15.40 for every $100 spent, according to WalletHub, while Alaska Airlines comes in second with $11 reward value for every $100.

Your miles with Alaska will never expire — something only six of the top ten airlines can claim — while Alaska Mileage Plan members will also have preferential treatment when deciding who to bump for overbooked flights.

Alaska additionally allows reward program members to earn and redeem miles with 21 partnership airlines, second only to United Airlines’ 41 partners.

Here’s the complete list of the best rewards programs, according to WalletHub:

  1. Alaska Mileage Plan

  2. United MileagePlus Rewards

  3. Delta SkyMiles

  4. HawaiianMiles

  5. American Airlines AAdvantage

  6. JetBlue TrueBlue

  7. Southwest Rapid Rewards

  8. Frontier Miles

  9. Free Spirit

  10. Sun Country Rewards

Which airlines fly out of Boise?

Fortunately for Idahoans, seven of the top 10 airlines fly out of Boise Airport. Here’s which airlines and where you can fly to directly on each one from Boise:

  1. Alaska Airlines - Burbank, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Portland, Pullman-Moscow, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Spokane

  2. United Airlines - Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco

  3. Delta Airlines - Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Seattle

  4. Hawaiian Airlines - N/A

  5. American Airlines - Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix

  6. JetBlue - N/A

  7. Southwest Airlines - Burbank, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose

  8. Frontier Airlines - N/A

  9. Spirit Airlines - Las Vegas

  10. County Airlines - Minneapolis (summer seasonal service)

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