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If you don't know much about Cape Air, we can't blame you. It's one of those airlines you see from the window of another airplane and wonder about, but that's generally where the curiosity begins and ends for most people.
But it's worth becoming more familiar with Cape Air. Why? You can redeem American Airlines AAdvantage® miles, Delta SkyMiles, and now, JetBlue TrueBlue points for flights on the airline. Depending on the circumstance, it might make a lot of sense. But which option is best?
Here's all you need to know about redeeming miles for Cape Air flights.
Page Contents
What Is Cape Air?
Cape Air has been around since 1989, providing year-round service to unique destinations in niche markets ranging from New England to the Mariana Islands. Over time, the route map has adjusted to meet the demands of passengers, partner airlines, and the U.S. government via the Essential Air Service program.
The carrier employs a fleet of 98 propellor-powered aircraft to serve 32 destinations across the Northeastern United States, the Midwest, Montana, and the Caribbean.
What also makes Cape Air unique is its list of recognizable partner airlines. At the time of writing, the airline partners with:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- JetBlue
- United Airlines
Interline agreements make connecting from those major airlines to Cape Air relatively easy (such as in the itinerary below), and you can earn miles on these flights. Don't expect to earn like crazy on these flights, though, as most are less than an hour long.
But of particular interest is Cape Air's partnerships with American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue. After all, you can redeem AAdvantage miles, SkyMiles, and TrueBlue points for Cape Air flights.
Which Cape Air Routes Can I Redeem Miles On?
As to the routes you can redeem miles for, well, that's where it gets interesting. Let's look at where your AAdvantage miles, SkyMiles, and TrueBlue points can take you.
American Airlines
Of the two airlines letting you redeem miles for Cape Air flights, American Airlines features the shortest list of destinations. The AAdvantage partner website suggests the following routes are bookable for 12,500 AAdvantage miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.
| From | To |
|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) | Manistee, MI (MBL) |
| Chicago (ORD) | Quincy, IL (UIN) |
| Nashville (BNA) | Marion, IL (MWA) |
| Nashville (BNA) | Owensboro, KY (OWB) |
| St. Louis (STL) | Kirksville, MO (IRK) |
| St. Louis (STL) | Marion, IL (MWA) |
| St. Louis (STL) | Owensboro, KY (OWB) |
| St. Louis (STL) | Quincy, IL (UIN) |
However, there's a catch. The American Airlines website only shows availability for one route: Chicago (ORD) to Manistee, Michigan (MBL). This may be a curious case of website issues, but rest assured, you can at least travel to Manistee on AAdvantage miles. But this redemption might not be available for long, as it appears Cape Air will cede the route to Contour Airlines starting on October 1, 2024.
Related: Airlines You Can Book Using American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
Delta Air Lines
The availability — in terms of bookable routes and seats — is a lot better on Delta. A complete list of Cape Air routes that you can reserve and the associated SkyMiles pricing is below:
| From | To | SkyMiles Required | Taxes and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings, MT (BIL) | Havre, MT (HVR) | 2,500 | $5.60 |
| Billings, MT (BIL) | Glasgow, MT (GGW) | 2,500 | $5.60 |
| Billings, MT (BIL) | Wolf Point, MT (OLF) | 2,500 | $5.60 |
| Billings, MT (BIL) | Sidney, MT (SDY) | 2,500 | $5.60 |
| Billings, MT (BIL) | Glendive, MT (GDV) | 2,500 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Martha's Vineyard, MA (MVY) | 10,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Nantucket, MA (ACK) | 10,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Hyannis, MA (HYA) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Provincetown, MA (PVC) | 10,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Rutland, VT (RUT) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Saranac Lake, NY (SLK) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Lebanon, NH (LEB) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Augusta, ME (AUG) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Rockland, ME (RKD) | 10,000 | $5.60 |
| Boston, MA (BOS) | Bar Harbor, ME (BHB) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| Saint Croix, USVI (STX) | Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis (NEV) | 25,000 | $15.60 |
| Saint Thomas, USVI (STT) | Tortola, BVI (EIS) | 85,000 | $20.60 |
| Saint Thomas, USVI (STT) | Saint Croix, USVI (STX) | 25,000 | $5.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico (MAZ) | 5,000 | $5.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Vieques, Puerto Rico (VQS) | 25,000 | $5.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Culebra, Puerto Rico (CPX) | 25,000 | $5.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Saint Thomas, USVI (STT) | 25,000 | $5.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Tortola, BVI (EIS) | 55,000 | $20.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Virgin Gorda, BVI (VIJ) | 55,000 | $15.60 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Saint Croix, USVI (STX) | 25,000 | $5.60 |
Of course, select routes have the signature Delta pricing, such as the short hop between Saint Thomas (STT) and Tortola (EIS). At 85,000 SkyMiles (plus $20.60 in taxes for good measure), the pricing seems mind-bogglingly inaccurate; however, that is, in fact, the going SkyMiles rate.
As a reminder, Delta doesn't have formal partner charts, so pricing may and will vary as the wind blows. This just happens to be a good example of that.
Other routes, such as those between 2,500 and 5,000 SkyMiles, present compelling value and are worth redeeming for. We'll shortly explain why.
Related: The Best Ways To Use Delta SkyMiles
JetBlue
Cape Air is JetBlue's newest redemption partner. On September 17, 2024, the two airlines expanded on their codeshare partnership, introducing features like one-stop check-in and baggage transfers. Additionally, JetBlue made several Cape Air routes available with TrueBlue points.
Unfortunately, JetBlue's award rates for Cape Air flights aren't so good. The main reason is that, unlike other TrueBlue partners, Cape Air flights are priced dynamically. Thus, as the cash fare goes up, so does the award rate.
For example, on the 40-minute hop between Boston (BOS) and Hyannis (HYA), you could pay as little as 10,800 points or upwards of 30,000 points — plus about $5.60 in taxes and fees. At both ends, you'll average about 1 cent per TrueBlue point. That's about a quarter less than the 1.24¢ apiece rate AwardWallet users typically redeem TrueBlue points for.
A similar story exists in the Caribbean. However, at times, JetBlue's pricing is far cheaper than Delta's. For instance, you can redeem 25,000 SkyMiles for a flight between San Juan (SJU) and Culebra (CPX). Alternatively, you can redeem 11,600 TrueBlue points. Still, that's less than 1 cent per point.
It's worth shopping around, as no two airlines charge the same rates for Cape Air flights.
Related: How To Redeem JetBlue Points for Maximum Value
When Does It Make Sense To Redeem Miles for Cape Air Flights?
In certain instances, redeeming miles for flights on Cape Air can make a lot of sense. But which miles should you use?
The use-case of AAdvantage miles for Cape Air flights is limited, and a 12,500-mile award fare (not counting the extra $5.60 in taxes) isn't competitive. There are plenty of other lucrative uses for your AA miles instead of covering a $79 flight from Chicago to Manistee, Michigan.
Delta's rates are sometimes more competitive than JetBlue's, and a wider variety of destinations will make it easier to uncover true value. But all told, a cheap SkyMiles or TrueBlue rate for a Cape Air flight is clutch for hard-to-reach places or places that are otherwise expensive to get to. Here are two primary examples:
Flights in the northeastern United States
Some of the cheapest mileage rates bookable with SkyMiles are on Cape Air flights that operate in the northeastern portion of the United States. For as little as 2,500 SkyMiles plus $5.60, you can hop on a Cape Air plane and tour New England.
There's great connectivity out of Boston (BOS) to other Massachusetts cities, Vermont, New Hampshire, and elsewhere. In reality, most of these routes price at 5,000 SkyMiles plus $5.60.
Considering that AwardWallet users typically redeem Delta SkyMiles for 1.21¢ apiece, redemptions make a lot of sense when it costs more than roughly $70 to get from point A to B. The $70 figure is a calculation of the average SkyMiles redemption value plus the taxes and fees you'll pay upon redemption.
So, if you wanted to get from Boston (BOS) to Augusta, Maine (AUG), it's worth considering redeeming SkyMiles for that quick Cape Air flight. Mile value-wise, it's a good redemption and a better value than paying for the ticket with cash.
Intra-Caribbean flights to Saint Croix
The Caribbean is notoriously expensive to fly around, which brings us to the second quality use of points and miles for Cape Air flights.
Saint Croix is one of those hard-to-reach (and often expensive to fly to) places. If you start in Saint Thomas, cash rates for Cape Air flights are routinely over $100 for a 25-minute flight. Delta will charge you 25,000 SkyMiles, while JetBlue's pricing starts at around 12,300 points.
Is this the best redemption you can make with TrueBlue points? Maybe not. However, leveraging a relatively low points rate can be more attractive than spending $100 for a very short flight — or redeeming dozens of SkyMiles.
It's also worth noting that on select routes, JetBlue's award pricing will beat what it charges for the same route operated by Cape Air. For example, San Juan (SJU) to Saint Thomas (STT) can cost about 19,000 points if you fly Cape Air — or as little as 4,000 points if you fly JetBlue. Just remember to shop around and be sure to check cash prices as well before you book.
Final Thoughts
Cape Air flights are bookable with American Airlines AAdvantage miles, Delta SkyMiles, and JetBlue TrueBlue points. And depending on where your travels take you, you can potentially get great value from redeeming miles on these short-hop flights.
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