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Alaska Airlines has unveiled its new partner award chart.
We originally learned a change would be coming in September 2022, and in late December 2022 the new award chart was published on Alaska’s website.
Let’s take a look at the changes and what they mean for you.
As promised in September, the new Alaska partner award chart shows a dynamic pricing model for all partner airlines.
This means that rather than having set minimums and maximums for a given reward flight, certain factors including origination point, specific route, distance, and demand will all have an effect on the total number of miles needed to make that redemption.
The most worrying aspect of the updated chart is that there are no published maximums for redemptions, as you’ll see in the screenshot below. The chart simply lists a minimum number of miles that you’ll pay, meaning — in theory — the airline can charge whatever it pleases for a given redemption.
As of the time of this writing, it does appear possible to book Alaska partner awards at the rates we’ve been used to, such as this Cathay Pacific flight between New York (JFK) and Hong Kong (HKG) in November 2023 that is bookable for 50,000 Mileage Plan miles, plus taxes and fees.
It’s reassuring to see that the ability to book some of Mileage Plan’s best awards still exists, though this is a very fresh update, so it may not be long until we see all of this begin to change, as dynamic award pricing usually means bad news for award flyers.
Hot Tip: Here’s a look at all the best ways to earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles to use for your next award booking.
Alaska also shared that it would make Cathay Pacific and LATAM award flights bookable through Mileage Plan online — and that appears to be the case now. Members could book these awards over the phone before, but now they can book flights more seamlessly without having to talk to anybody or suffer through a long wait time.
Here’s an example of a LATAM flight between Miami (MIA) and Santiago de Chile (SCL) that’s bookable through Alaska’s website:
Alaska’s new partner award chart has gone live. While it doesn’t tell us everything we need to know about where the program is heading, dynamic pricing rarely is a boon for consumers.
It’s heartening to see some of the great redemptions Mileage Plan has been known for are still bookable, but there’s no guarantee those will be around for too much longer. If you have Mileage Plan miles to use, the time to book your flights is now!
