Tag Archives for Alaska Airlines.
Reader GrumpyToTheLeft, an American Airlines Executive Platinum and British Airways Gold Guest List member, shares his story in a guest post about phantom award availability and Alaska Airlines and it’s a great reminder as you go about booking your own awards.
Alaska Airlines and El Al announced a partnership three years ago. It’s taken until this week to introduce award redemption. You can now earn and redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for travel on El Al.
You’d think an operation called Alaska Airlines would be able to handle cooler temperatures but they’re misdirecting so many bags they’re unwilling to honor their on-time bag delivery guarantee.
In addition to a biggest-ever bonus there are changes to the card’s earning, and benefits – including to the $99+tax annual companion pass.
Alaska Airlines Flight Pass subscriptions now have a limited-time promotion for elite status with certain plans purchased through November 30.
With the subscription service you’re prepaying for flights, there are restrictions, and fares especially at the standard pass offering can be a great deal.
Alaska Airlines and Lyft have a new partnership. You’ll earn 1 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan mile per dollar spent with Lyft in the U.S. and Canada, and through December 31 you’ll earn 2 Alaska miles per dollar. Pay with Sapphire Reserve to earn 10 points per dollar as well.
Alaska Airlines has eliminated miles expiration. Accounts used to go inactive (therefore expiring miles) after 24 months without earning or redeeming their points. Now accounts go inactive but can be reactivated with all of your points restored for free – as long as you do it within a year. I missed this last wrinkle when first looking at the change, and it means account expiration in 3 years of true inactivity.
Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in 2016 and did away with the Virgin brand. Virgin had a nicer first class product, so it was sad to see planes reconfigured. Alaska committed to its Boeing fleet, in contrast to Virgin’s Airbus narrowbodies.
What did Alaska get out of the deal? Slots and gates at congested airports, many of which Alaska has walked away from or underutilized. And they overpaid in a $2.6 billion deal for the privilege, having outbid JetBlue.
Flights to and from California, along with intra-California flights, earn a 50% bonus towards elite status on Alaska Airlines in October and November. Registration isn’t required.
News out of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan that they will be revamping their award charts before the end of the year is certainly not welcome – especially because the airline is providing little detail despite explicitly committing to 90 days’ notice before any changes.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
