This is my presentation on the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan loyalty program at the TravelCon 2 conference in Las Vegas, November 2015.

1. Hidden Gem of the Emerald City:
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Scott Mackenzie
TravelCon 2 – 7 November 2015
Blog – www.travelcodex.com
Forum – forum.travelcodex.com

2. Networks & Partners

3. Route Map

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. 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

8. 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 Gold Guest Upgrades for
MVP Gold and Gold 75K
– Can use for anyone, even if not
traveling with elite member
– Some fares excluded: G, R, T

9. American Airlines
• 1-2 free checked bags
• Priority AAccess check-in
• Priority AAccess boarding
• Preferred and Main Cabin
Extra seating
• Reciprocal lounge access
for club members
Delta Air Lines
• Priority check-in
• Zone 1 priority boarding
• Preferred seating
• Some complimentary
upgrades
Reciprocal Elite Benefits

10. 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
– New partnerships with Icelandair and Emirates
– Many other lounges depending on location
– Delta Sky Clubs removed
• Free access with credit cards: Amex Platinum, Citi
Prestige, or AA Executive AAdvantage

11. Earning & Redeeming Miles

12. 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
• Earn 25-200% on Delta Air Lines
• Earn 25-300% on British Airways (better than AA)

13. Redeeming Miles – Five Award Levels
– Saver coach (low)
– Saver coach (high)
– Refundable coach
– Saver first
– Refundable first

14. The Switzerland of Airlines

15. 43 Award Charts!
RULE #1: If Alaska can’t price it, you can’t book it

16. Individual Charts Create Odd Situations
Can you fly between KOA and CUN on one award?
• Ordinarily, no. Hawaii and Mexico are on separate charts, so
you would need to book two awards
• Mexico awards list travel to the continental U.S.
– Excludes Hawaii as an origin/destination
• However, awards on American Airlines are between Hawaii
and “North America,” which it defines to include Mexico
– Other awards only to/from continental U.S. and Canada

17. Read the Rules!
Conclusions:
• You have to use the Hawaii chart to book this award
• You have to fly on American
• You may be able to add connections on Alaska (???)

18. General Redemption Guidelines
• Only the lowest of the two saver coach levels is available if
booking travel on Alaska with partner miles
• 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)

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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
Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – © Karl L. Swartz

22. Strategic Opportunities

23. 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
• 20-minute checked bag guarantee
– Get 2,500 miles or $25 credit (only one per passenger)

24. 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.

25. 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 will offer customers multiple credit
cards, but DON’T apply for 2X at the same time

26. 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.

27. 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

28. 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

29. Using Avios to Fly to Hawaii
• Only 12,500 points
each way to Hawaii
• Connections start at
7,500 more
• Compare to 20,000
miles one-way for
most programs
Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper – © Karl L. Swartz

30. Using Avios to Fly to Hawaii

31. Using Avios to Fly to Hawaii
• You must call to book! Online searches will be empty.

32. Finding Alaska’s Award Space
• Remember there are TWO award prices at the “lowest”
coach level
– Only the cheapest will be available to partners

33. Finding Alaska’s Award Space
• Confirm partner award
availability using
American Airlines
• Might need to check
segment-by segment
• American’s pricing is
irrelevant as long as it’s
available

34. 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?

35. 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

36. Conclusion

37. 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

38. The Last Decent Airline?
• Earning miles and status is relatively easy and more
rewarding than with many competitors
• “Highest in customer satisfaction with airline loyalty
reward programs…” – JD Power
– Ranked #1 among all airline programs in 2014 and 2015
• Mileage Plan ranked #1 among U.S. airline programs in
2015 by The Wall Street Journal