Recommended
More Related Content
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (10)
Similar to Alaska Airlines - Frequent Traveler University DC 2014
Similar to Alaska Airlines - Frequent Traveler University DC 2014 (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (11)
Alaska Airlines - Frequent Traveler University DC 2014
- 1. Hidden Gem of the Emerald City: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Scott Mackenzie Frequent Traveler University – 7 December 2014 Blog – travelcodex.com Forum – forum.travelcodex.com
- 3. Route Map “Alaska Airlines dominates the West Coast…” • Hubs in PDX, SEA, and ANC • Multiple daily flights to every Hawaiian island • Award flights to Alaska for the same cost as Lower 48 • Several non-stop routes to the Midwest and East Coast • Expanding to ABQ, CUN, BWI, IAD, DTW, MSY, and TPA
- 4. Many Large, Quality Partners Delta Air Lines American Airlines
- 5. Elite Status
- 6. Earning Elite Status MVP MVP Gold MVP Gold 75K Miles on Alaska Airlines 20,000 40,000 75,000 Miles on Alaska Airlines + Partners 25,000 50,000 90,000 Segments 30 60 90 • Fewer miles than most programs require • Can achieve status while flying multiple carriers – Need lots of miles from partners before it makes sense • MVP Gold has unique flight cancellation benefits
- 7. Elite Status: MVP • 50% bonus miles • 2 free checked bags • Priority check-in • Preferred seating • 48-hour upgrade window
- 8. Elite Status: MVP Gold Unchanged • 2 free checked bags • Priority check-in • Preferred seating Improved • 100% bonus miles • 72-hour upgrade window Additional • Various fee waivers • Priority security line • Standby on full flights • Free same-day changes • Free flight cancellations • Free drink on board
- 9. Elite Status: MVP Gold 75K Unchanged • 2 free checked bags • Priority check-in • Preferred seating • Various fee waivers • Priority security line • Standby on full flights • Free same-day changes • Free flight cancellations • Free drink on board Improved • 125% bonus miles • 120-hour upgrade window Additional • 50K bonus miles • Gift MVP status for a friend • 4 Board Room day passes • Free digEplayer
- 10. MVP Gold Is the Sweet Spot Alaska Gold Delta Gold American Platinum United Gold Miles required 40,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 Bonus award miles 100% 60% 100% 60% Free checked bags 2 2 2 3 Confirmed upgrades 4 No No No Same day change fee No No $75 No Ticket cancellation fee No See fare See fare See fare Award cancellation fee No $150 $150 $100 • Cancel up to 60 days before departure and use your credit for a future flight; MVP Gold and Gold 75K can cancel at any time
- 11. Getting Upgrades with Status • “U” fare class must be available for upgrade • All elite members can get free upgrades at booking – MVP Gold/75K: Y, S, B, M, H – MVP: Y, S, B • Four MVP Gold Guest Upgrades for MVP Gold 75K – Use for anyone, even if not traveling with elite member – Some fares excluded: G, R, T
- 12. Getting Upgrades without Status • Use 15,000 miles – Fare class purchased must still be Y, S, B, M, H • Upgrades at the gate range from $50-200 – But I’ve never seen one offered • Upgrade as a Delta Sky Miles elite member – Priority after all Mileage Plan elites
- 13. American Airlines • 1-2 free checked bags • Priority AAccess check-in • Priority AAccess boarding • Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seating Delta Air Lines • Priority check-in • Zone 1 priority boarding • Preferred seating • Complimentary upgrades – Excluding JFK transcons, Hawaii, and Alaska Reciprocal Elite Benefits
- 14. Alaska Airlines Board Room • Only a handful of Board Room locations – ANC, SEA, PDX, LAX (SFO replaced by Cathay’s lounge) • Many partnerships with other airport lounges – All American Admirals Clubs, with free guest access – All Delta Sky Clubs, but guests cost $29 each – Many other lounges depending on location • Affordable renewals and discounts for elite members – $450 | $375 | $295 for new membership – $350 | $325 | $295 for renewals • Free access with Priority Pass Select (via the Platinum Card by American Express)
- 15. Alaska Airlines Board Room
- 16. Earning & Redeeming Miles
- 17. Earning Miles • Alaska generally awards the same number of award and elite-qualifying miles • 100% miles for most fares • 125-150% miles for Y, S, B, and M economy class fares • 175% miles for F and P first class fares • 500-mile minimum even without elite status • Earn 100-150% miles on most partner flights, including American Airlines (but AA’s O fares = 0%) • Earn 25-200% on Delta Air Lines
- 18. Redeeming Miles – Five Award Levels – Saver coach (high and low) – Refundable coach – Saver first – Refundable first
- 19. General Redemption Guidelines • Only the lowest of the two saver coach levels is available to partners like British Airways and American • One stopover allowed on one-way awards – Two stopovers allowed on round-trip awards • You must call to book Cathay Pacific or LAN • Each award can include only one partner – Can mix that partner with segments on Alaska Airlines – KLM/Air France count as one partner, so you could have segments operated by both carriers plus Alaska – You can use different partners in each direction (by booking two one-way awards)
- 20. Great Values on Cathay Pacific One-Way Award Fares Coach Business First North America to Asia 30,000 50,000 70,000 North America to Australia/New Zealand 40,000 60,000 80,000 North America to Africa/India/Middle East 50,000 62,500 70,000 Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – © Karl L. Swartz
- 21. Great Values on Emirates One-Way Award Fares Coach Business First North America to Asia 52,500 75,000 100,000 North America to India/Middle East 42,500 72,500 90,000 North America to Africa 47,500 77,500 100,000
- 22. Great Values on Fiji Airways One-Way Award Fares Coach Business North America to S. Pacific/Australia/New Zealand 40,000 55,000 Hawaii to S. Pacific/Australia/New Zealand 37,500 45,000 Note: Round-trip from Hawaii to Australia is only 55,000 in coach Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – © Karl L. Swartz
- 24. Saving Money with Alaska Airlines • Companion fare costs about $118 – Applies to any itinerary in economy class on Alaska Airlines – Both passengers earn miles and qualify for upgrades – Earned after signing up for Alaska Airlines Visa and at each account anniversary • 5% discount on weekly fare specials – Must sign up for newsletters • Cheap upgrades at the gate, from $50-200
- 25. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature • 3X on Alaska Airlines and 1X on everything else • $79 annual fee • Typically 25,000-mile sign-up bonus upon approval • NO free checked bag or priority boarding/check-in Major benefit of card is the annual companion fare.
- 26. The AMAZING Companion Fare! • Deposited as a coupon in your Mileage Plan account • May be used for round-trip, one-way, or multi-city travel • Can’t book first class, but flights are eligible for upgrades and to earn miles • TIP: Bank of America has a reputation for offering customers multiple credit cards
- 27. Upgrading the Companion Fare • Used to be you could use companion fare for first class tickets, but no longer. • You can still upgrade the tickets, just as if you had paid the normal price for each one. – Complimentary elite upgrade – MVP Gold Guest upgrade – Upgrade with miles or at the gate • Try booking a more expensive fare that includes an instant upgrade. The companion fare brings the total price down to a reasonable amount per person.
- 28. How Alaska Airlines Helps You Save Miles • Cheaper awards to Alaska – Considered part of the continental U.S. • Cheaper intra-state awards • Cheaper Avios awards to Hawaii – All Alaska Airlines flights to the islands are 12,500 points • Free stopovers on domestic one-way awards
- 29. Using Avios to Book on Alaska Airlines • Avios is a distance-based award chart – Great value in short, non-stop flights with no fuel surcharges
- 30. Using Avios to Fly to Hawaii • Only 12,500 points each way to Hawaii • Connect in BLI, PDX for 9,000 more • Connect in California for 15,000 more • Compare to 40,000 miles for most other airline programs Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – © Karl L. Swartz
- 31. Using Avios to Fly to Hawaii
- 32. Using Avios to Fly to Hawaii • You must call to book (before 4 PM, Pacific Time)! Searches on BA.com will turn up empty.
- 33. Finding Alaska’s Award Space • Three economy class award levels, two for first class – Only the cheapest will be available to partners
- 34. Finding Alaska’s Award Space • Confirm partner award availability using American Airlines • Might need to check segment-by segment
- 35. Stopovers on One-way Awards • Stopovers allow you to book a single award ticket for multiple future uses • Can fill in remainder of itinerary with Avios awards or revenue tickets 20,000 Mileage Plan miles or 25,000 Avios points?
- 36. 52,500 vs. 90,000 Miles • EWR – SEA // SEA – OGG = 20,000 miles + $5 • OGG – SEA // SEA – SFO = 20,000 miles + $5 • SFO – SEA // SEA – DCA = 12,500 miles + $5 Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – © Karl L. Swartz
- 37. Conclusion
- 38. Big Presence for a Small-ish Airline • Alaska Airlines’ own network is limited …but it is great if you happen to live or travel on the West Coast – Expanding with more coast-to-coast routes – Hundreds of flights to Hawaii and Alaska • Great partner relationships help Alaska fill any gaps – Knowing how to exploit partners is key to maximizing value – American Airlines and Delta Air Lines great for U.S. – British Airways, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific offer good value
- 39. Customer Satisfaction Comes First • Earning elite status is relatively easy and more rewarding than with many competitors – More important as airlines are cutting benefits and focusing on revenue • “Highest in customer satisfaction among traditional carriers in North America...” – JD Power – Alaska Airlines has held this title for 7 years (tied once) – Mileage Plan ranked #1 among all airline programs in 2014 • Also check out my contributions to Alaska’s blog! http://blog.alaskaair.com/2014/08/26/award-miles http://blog.alaskaair.com/2014/11/26/mileage-plan-changes/
Editor's Notes
- Some of ITA’s features are available on other platforms. Hipmunk has used time bars since its inception by relying on ITA data, and Google purchased ITA and has incorporated some features into Google Flights. But in many ways ITA Matrix remains the most powerful way to control your search. ITA can show/exclude codeshares, combine fares on non-alliance carriers, and split the difference if there aren’t enough seats for your party.