Alaska Airlines is doing things differently, as a business strategy. It has the operational reliability of Delta (or better) and the financial performance of Delta (or better, relative to size).
And it’s working to make its customers happy, with a frequent flyer program that’s different than others in the U.S. They still award miles based on distance flown rather than ticket price. Six weeks ago they re-affirmed their commitment to a generous frequent flyer program and upgrades.
They’re a Seattle-based airline that dominates the Pacific Northwest, but with their acquisition of Virgin America they’re a major player up and down the West Coast and to and from California, Oregon and Washington state.
- You should join their frequent flyer program. By the way you can credit American Airlines flights to Alaska’s Mileage Plan.
- And they want to encourage you to join with 5000 bonus miles for new members after first flight taken on Alaska or Virgin America by September 30.
Mileage Plan is the only major US airline loyalty program that lets you earn miles based on how far you fly on Alaska and Virgin America, not just what you spend.
Alaska offers exceptional value on their award chart with many of their partners that span SkyTeam (e.g. Air France, Korean), oneworld (e.g. Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines), and airlines outside of any alliance (e.g. Hainan Airlines, Icelandair). And the companion ticket that comes with their credit card is one of the best deals in travel.
Terms and conditions:
Bonus miles offer is valid only for new Mileage Plan members who enroll between May 20, 2017 and July 31, 2017, and complete a qualifying Alaska or Virgin America flight between the enrollment date and September 30, 2017.To qualify, the flight must be eligible to earn Mileage Plan miles and must be credited to the new Mileage Plan account; codeshare flights with other airlines do not qualify.
An individual may receive the bonus a maximum of one time, even if they hold multiple separate Mileage Plan accounts.
Offer is not combinable with other Mileage Plan enrollment or account activation promotions.
Mileage Plan conditions of membership apply.
(HT: Jetsetter’s Homestead)
Gary, please add a grain of salt to the AS marketing coolaid. AS does have a revenue tie in their ff program but it’s not in the granting of miles, it’s in the granting of FC upgrades. It used to be that the FC upgrade list was ordered in priority based on how far in advance you purchased your tickets. The earlier you bought them, the higher on the list you went within your FF tier (MVP Gold 75K > MVP Gold > MVP). Now, it’s driven by the ticket class so if you purchase early and get a good fare, you fall way down the upgrade list. Given today’s load factors, this basically locks you out of FC upgrades unless you purchase higher tier fares.
If your participation in their FF program is so you can use miles on international travel, this is immaterial but if you fly AS a lot and value the FC upgrade, it’s terrible.
Is Alaska willing to consider requests for status match (specifically to AA, if it matters)?
Alaska status matches