You Can Now Earn Alaska Airlines Points on ITA Airways Flights

Alaska Airlines has a new partner, and it’s a bit surprising: ITA Airways. The Italian carrier, which rose from the ashes of Alitalia, is joining the Lufthansa Group, recently exited SkyTeam, and will soon join the Star Alliance.

Now, it’s partnering with … a Oneworld member.

Alaska Airlines partnering with an airline outside its own alliance isn’t entirely new, and the partnership with ITA might make sense in the wider context of what’s happening at Alaska Airlines.

New Earn-Only Partnership Between Alaska and ITA

Travelers can now earn Atmos Rewards points on their ITA flights. Unfortunately, this partnership is limited to earning points; you can’t redeem Atmos Rewards points for ITA flights at this time. You also won’t enjoy any elite perks or status-qualifying credits on these partner flights.

Additionally, Alaska Airlines awards vastly different earnings if you book on AlaskaAir.com or book directly on the partner airline’s website, and we expect that to continue with ITA Airways flights. It’s worth doing the math to see which method offers you more points (and a better price) before completing your reservation.

Putting This Into Context

It may seem odd for a Oneworld airline (Alaska) to form a partnership with an airline that’s in the process of joining a rival alliance. However, Alaska Airlines already has partnerships with Korean Air (SkyTeam) and Singapore Airlines (Star Alliance), for example, so this isn’t entirely new territory for the carrier.

Moreover, this could be a sign of things to come.

Alaska Airlines will start flights from Seattle to Rome in May, operating 4 times per week. At the time of the announcement, the carrier said Italy is the largest market (in terms of demand) that lacks nonstop flights from Seattle (SEA) and that it was a much-requested destination from Atmos Rewards members.

Partnering with ITA now can allow Alaska Airlines to eventually form an interline or codeshare partnership for onward connections. Then, passengers would be able to book a single ticket, fly from Seattle to Rome with Alaska Airlines, and then continue to another flight with ITA — all on a single ticket with baggage checked to the final destination. Is that what’s coming? We’ll have to wait and see, but we wouldn’t be surprised.

Final Thoughts

Alaska Airlines has a new partner, letting Atmos Rewards members earn points on ITA Airways flights. This partnership is quite limited now, but that doesn’t mean it can’t (or won’t) expand in the future.

As Alaska Airlines prepares to launch flights to Rome this spring, the timing of a new partnership with Italy’s flag carrier is definitely interesting.