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Alaska Airlines has quietly added some important information across its website, and it's not great news for travelers. Starting July 1, 2026, Alaska will increase the award booking fee on partner-operated flights by 60%. And, perhaps more importantly, you will no longer earn points on saver fares booked after June 11 for travel after August 1, 2026.
Here's what you need to know about the latest Alaska Airlines updates.
Alaska to Hike Partner Award Booking Fees
Alaska Airlines quietly added a small footnote to its airline award charts page, explaining that it plans to increase award booking fees for partner airline flights:
*A $12.50 nonrefundable partner award fee applies per person, each way on award travel with our partner airlines. Beginning July 1, 2026, this fee will be $20 per person, each way. This fee does not apply to award flights wholly operated by Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, or Horizon Air.
In other words, if you frequently book flights operated by Oneworld alliance members or other airline partners, you'll now pay 60% more in fees. Luckily, as long as your flight is operated by Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, or Horizon Air, you won't need to pay this fee — only the standard taxes and fees that start at $5.60 each way.
Alaska to Eliminate Earnings on Saver Fares
If you prefer to spend as little as possible, you might like to book saver tickets. These are Alaska's version of a basic economy ticket, and come with a variety of restrictions, including:
- Seats are assigned at check-in.
- Groups may not be seated together.
- Same-day confirmed changes are allowed (for an additional fee), but other changes are not.
- No standby allowed.
If you don't mind these restrictions, you can get great deals by booking saver tickets. And up until now, you'd even earn Atmos Rewards points on your booking. However, this is about to change:
- All flights departing by July 31, 2026: You will continue to earn 30% of the points flown.
- Flights booked before June 11, 2026, for travel any time: You will continue to earn 30% of the points flown, but allow 4-6 weeks for points to post to your account.
- Flights booked after June 11, 2026, for travel after August 1, 2026: You will not earn any Atmos Rewards points.
Alaska Airlines is certainly not the first carrier to eliminate earnings on basic economy tickets, nor will it be the last. However, it's still disappointing every time it happens. With no earnings and heavy restrictions, it's hard to justify booking a saver ticket at all.
Bottom Line
Will an increased $20 partner award booking fee or the inability to earn points on basic economy tickets destroy the Atmos Rewards loyalty program? Certainly not, but it's just another example of airlines incrementally making travel more expensive and less rewarding. These updates are quite small, but a series of small updates over time can have a big impact on how we travel.
If you want to avoid the increased booking fee, book partner award travel before July 1, 2026. And if you want to earn points on saver tickets, book before June 11, 2026.
