Redeem Qatar Airways Avios for Alaska Airlines Flights

Qatar Airways recently devalued its partner award chart, impacting award rates on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. The pricing below is no longer accurate. Click here to learn more about the devaluation and to view the new pricing.

For the past couple of years, it's been possible to redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for flights on Qatar Airways, but it wasn't until recently that we've seen Qatar reciprocate the love.

Award searches suggest booking Alaska Airlines flights with Qatar Airways Avios is now possible, presenting yet another option for booking U.S. domestic (including Hawaiian-bound and select international) flights with points.

Here's what we know and a look at the routes you can book.

Redeem Qatar Avios for Alaska Flights

Qatar Airways' award chart for partner airlines is distance-based. The longer the flight, the more miles you'll need to redeem.

But for flights on Alaska Airlines, the award chart is truncated, given the carrier's longest flight — between Seattle (SEA) and Nassau (NAS) — clocks in at just 2,887 miles. So, if you're redeeming Avios for Alaska flights, the award chart will look like this:

Which Alaska routes can I book with Qatar Avios?

Award searches suggest that Alaska-to-Alaska flight connections aren't yet an option. Bookings are limited to direct flights, but not every Alaska-operated route is bookable.

Here are some example routes that are and the one-way prices you'll find:

• Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO): 9,000 Avios in economy and 16,500 in domestic first
• Los Angeles (LAX) to San José del Cabo (SJD): 9,000 Avios in economy and 16,500 in domestic first
• SEA to Chicago (ORD): 11,000 Avios in economy and 22,000 in domestic first
• SEA to Dallas (DFW): 11,000 Avios in economy and 22,000 in domestic first
• SEA to Anchorage (ANC): 11,000 Avios in economy and 22,000 in domestic first
• Anchorage to Kona (KOA): 13,000 Avios in economy and 38,750 in domestic first
• San Diego (SAN) to New York-Kennedy (JFK): 13,000 Avios in economy and 38,750 in domestic first
• SEA to Fort Lauderdale (FLL): 13,000 Avios in economy and 38,750 in domestic first
• LAX to Honolulu (HNL): 13,000 Avios in economy and 38,750 in domestic first

Credit: Qatar Airways

And here are some routes that don't appear to be bookable — mostly limited to select international destinations:

• San Diego (SAN) to Cancun (CUN)
• Seattle (SEA) to Belize (BZE)
• SEA to Zihuatanejo (ZIH)
• SEA to Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

Booking Alaska flights with Avios can be useful

As mentioned, the functionality to connect from one Alaska flight to another doesn't appear to exist. But for travelers booking nonstop one-way or round-trip itineraries, more flight options at a competitive price point are nothing short of a value-add.

Additionally, some awards you can book with Avios present better deals than those booked with Alaska's Mileage Plan miles. For example, domestic first awards to the Hawaiian islands will ring up as 40,000 Mileage Plan miles — a touch higher than the 38,750 Qatar Avios you'd redeem for the same itinerary.

Alaska Airlines domestic first class. Credit: Alaska Airlines

While the price differences aren't drastic, Avios are potentially easier to earn and manage than Mileage Plan miles, thanks to various credit cards that earn Avios and transfer partners. Multiple airlines share the AVios currency, and you can transfer the Avios you've earned between accounts at these programs. That means you can earn transferable rewards points and either transfer them to Qatar or one of the other airlines using Avios (and subsequently move them to Qatar Privilege Club instantly and freely). Then, you're ready to redeem your Qatar Avios for an Alaska Airlines flight.

Final Thoughts

Award searches on Qatar Airways Privilege Club are turning up Alaska Airlines results, which means yet another option for booking U.S. domestic and select international flights with points. The pricing is good, too, falling in lock-step with Qatar Airways distance-based partner charts. Not all routes are bookable in this method, and so far Qatar Airways' website isn't returning search results for Alaska Airlines flights connecting to a Qatar-operated flight, so there's limited utility here. Nonetheless, options for using your points and miles are always a good thing.

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