Alaska Airlines is rolling out new global award redemptions

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Nov 15, 2023, 08:00 ET

With focus on simplicity, value and availability, Mileage Plan members will have new options to choose from across our 24 partner airlines; award redemptions to start at 4,500 miles each way

SEATTLE, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles have long offered outsized value for our members who work hard to earn and save their miles. That's why we're making it even easier and more rewarding to go global with our Mileage Plan program with upfront information that's clearer and more user-friendly. We're also expanding award availability so our members can find more award space when they want to travel.

With focus on simplicity, value and availability, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members will have new award redemption options to choose from across our 24 partner airlines starting in March 2024.

We now have a more straightforward set of award charts for all our oneworld and partner airlines that will be effective in March 2024. The new charts are divided into three regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific. They provide clearly defined 'starting from' redemption rates that vary depending on the distance being flown*.

With the new distance-based structure, 60% of partner nonstop routes in economy class and 64% of routes in business class will start at a lower price point. The streamlined information gives a better idea of how many miles are needed to fly to and within regions of the world with short-haul awards starting as low as 4,500 miles each way (down from 7,500). Many shorter-distance flights within continents will start at up to half the current price.

We're also expanding access to premium economy awards with more partners than ever before, including American Airlines and Japan Airlines, at award levels starting just 30% higher than economy*. Awards start at only 6,000 miles one-way in premium economy (down from 12,500) and business class is available from 9,000 miles each way (down from 20,000).

All our partner redemption pricing will be one-way so our guests can mix and match which airlines they're flying, say British Airways on an outbound flight from Seattle to London and then Finnair from Helsinki to Seattle for the return.

"Mileage Plan has long been known for offering great value on global redemptions with access to some of the most aspirational premium products and destinations," said Brett Catlin, vice president of loyalty, alliances and sales at Alaska Airlines. "We're excited to provide a more straightforward award proposition while doubling down on the opportunities our guests will have to find amazing values."

Alaska has consistently offered some of the best global award redemptions in the industry. Our March 2024 enhancements will provide our guests with more options and even more value:

We're creating additional itineraries when combining Alaska flights with partner flights, providing more availability when connecting to global partner destinations.
We'll open access to increased award inventory on 10% of partner routes covering more than 370 global destinations. This gives members the flexibility to use additional miles to fly when they want in the cabin they want.
We're adding new awards between and within regions outside of North America, such as Madrid to London, Paris to Sydney, or Tokyo to Singapore.
We're reducing the miles required to some of our most sought-after global destinations. For example, award pricing to London and Tokyo will be reduced by 15% on average when traveling nonstop from the West Coast.
Beginning in 2024, we'll offer regular global partner award sales with quarterly, limited-time promotions featuring special pricing of up to 50% off specific partners, routes or destinations.
We'll continue to offer one of the most generous stopover policies on award tickets in the industry. Stopovers allow for a free stop in a partner's hub on the way to a final destination, squeezing in two trips for the price of one. Many other carriers allow no stopovers at all or only one stopover on roundtrip itineraries.

We're committed to continuing to develop new ways of adding flexibility for our Mileage Plan members. In the future, members will be able to redeem award tickets with a combination of miles and money that will give them more control. We'll also offer mileage redemption when combining two partner airlines in a single itinerary on a one-way trip. Plus, we'll further enhance the value of Mileage Plan miles by introducing the ability to redeem miles on car rentals.

*For partner-only nonstop itineraries. Pricing may vary on partner awards that include connecting segments on Alaska.

Additional taxes and fees will apply and vary depending on the partner and itinerary selected.

About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico with new service to the Bahamas and Guatemala beginning in December. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.