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Stop us if you've heard this before, but Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is altering its award charts. Despite implementing new partner award charts just this past January, Mileage Plan is already ditching those and plans to debut distance-based award charts next March.
While we're hoping award chart changes don't become a yearly occurrence, the partner award charts taking effect in March of 2024 give us a few things to be excited about and a few things to dread.
Here's what Alaska Airlines' new distance-based award charts will look like.
Alaska Airlines' Soon-To-Be-Old Partner Award Charts
Compared to what you'll see in the new charts, the pricing on Alaska's current international partner award charts is pretty convoluted.
The primary gripe about Alaska's partner award chart was that Mileage Plan priced each partner differently, and the pricing didn't exactly reflect what the chart showed. On top of that, Alaska's newer partner additions, like Starlux, were generally more expensive than Alaska's longer-standing partners like Japan Airlines. This didn't make much sense based on Mileage Plans's published award charts, leading to warranted confusion.
Thankfully, Alaska Airlines is taking steps to alleviate these issues by introducing new award charts.
As a refresher, here's Alaska's current chart for international partner flights:
Related: The Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Chart Sweet Spots
Alaska Airlines' New Distance-Based Award Charts
To reconcile the issues, Alaska Airlines is adopting distance-based award charts to determine the cost of partner award travel. Starting in March 2024, you'll find three new charts for travel across three regions:
The Americas:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 700 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 13,500 |
| 701–1,400 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| 1,401–2,100 | 12,500 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,101–4,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 35,000 | 52,500 |
| 4,001–6,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 6,001 and above | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
Asia:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business (starting at) | First (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 3,001–5,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 37,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 110,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 65,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 | 195,000 |
And, lastly, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
| Distance (miles) | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,500 | 22,500 | 30,000 | 45,000 | 67,500 |
| 3,501–5,000 | 27,500 | 35,000 | 55,000 | 82,500 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 | 105,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 55,000 | 72,500 | 110,000 | 165,000 |
We’ve Got Mixed Reactions to the Changes
If the first question you've got after scrolling through the sea of numbers was whether or not the move to distance-based charts was a good one, the answer is “kind of.” We'll pin it as a net positive by a slim margin.
Aside from the coming clarity with the new charts, future pricing for partner flights should be far more competitive (and predictable) than it is now. Alaska Airlines touts the following:
“With our new distance-based structure, 60% of partner nonstop routes in economy class and 64% of routes in business class will start at a lower price point.”
The keyword you'll want to focus on in that quote is “nonstop.” Generally, long-haul awards with connections will get more expensive starting in March 2024. Under the old system, nonstop and connecting itineraries didn't vary much in price. When you add a connection under a distance-based chart, some awards will inevitably get pushed into a higher distance band and require more Mileage Plan miles.
And remember the unfortunate “starting at” to all of this pricing. There's no guarantee awards will always be available at the lowest advertised price.
But there's a silver lining to that. Some nonstop partner awards will soon cost less than they do now. Here's a couple of examples.
Awards that will cost less
LATAM Airlines from Miami to Lima
Under Alaska's existing partner award charts, this award ticket would cost 25,000 Mileage Plan miles in economy and 45,000 miles in business. Once the changes take effect, this 2,608-mile route will price at 17,500 miles in economy and 35,000 in business.
Qatar Airways economy from New York to Doha
Currently, you'll pay 40,000 Mileage Plan miles for this 6,704-mile jaunt to the Middle East. Next March, you'll pay 35,000 miles.
But some awards will cost more…
Fiji Airways from Los Angeles to Nadi
With the current charts, you can book LAX to NAN for just 30,000 Mileage Plan miles in economy and 55,000 in business class. This route spans 5,519 miles, which means this considered-Asian route will soon cost 37,500 miles in economy and 75,000 in business.
Cathay Pacific from New York to Hong Kong
A true long-haul route, this flight travels 8,072 miles. Currently, you can redeem 30,000 Mileage Plan miles for an economy seat and 50,000 for a business-class seat (if you can find one!). In March 2024, this flight will cost 42,500 in economy and 85,000 in business.
Bottom Line
Alaska Airlines is making some changes to its partner award charts. Mileage Plan will introduce standardized, distance-based charts next year, and they'll take effect in March of 2024.
Not every partner will benefit from these changes, but a good handful will. The coming clarity will be a nice feature of the Mileage Plan program starting in March 2024 — something that has been missing for quite some time. Those who regularly fly routes that will cost more will be unhappy; those who book flights decreasing in price will be excited.
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