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New partnerships between airlines offer the ability to earn and redeem miles on additional flights, help you get to more destinations in a single booking, and open opportunities for additional travel destinations. We're fans of new partnerships.
Alaska Airlines has two new partners, though you may not be familiar with the airlines: Bahamasair and Southern Airways Express. Let's take a closer look at both new partnerships.
Alaska Airlines and Bahamasair Partnership
Bahamasair only offers economy seats, so that simplifies many of the questions about this new partnership. According to the Alaska Airlines partnership page, earning rates on Bahamasair tickets are as follows:
- Purchased fare classes: Y, S, M, K, H, Q, I, V
- Base miles: 100%
- Elite-qualifying miles: 100%
However, you'll only earn miles when purchasing a ticket from Bahamasair and crediting to your Alaska Mileage Plan account if the flight number starts with UP and the ticket number starts with 027. Flights must be marketed and operated by Bahamasair to earn Alaska miles. Also, you'll earn a minimum of 500 miles on these flights, even if the flight distance is less than 500 miles.
That's nice to know since many Bahamasair flights are short. From its base in Nassau (NAS), Bahamasair flies to multiple airports in the Caribbean, Florida, Trinidad and Tobago, and even Raleigh–Durham (RDU) in North Carolina.
It is possible to book connecting tickets from Nassau to other points in the U.S. from Alaska Airlines' website.
Unfortunately, it's not yet possible to redeem Alaska miles for Bahamasair flights.
Related: Best Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Chart Sweet Spots
Alaska Airlines and Southern Airways Express Partnership
Southern Airways Express serves multiple destinations in the U.S., though the airline's route network has some intricacies you should know about.
Based in Palm Beach, Florida, the airline operates a series of hubs that serve nearby destinations. However, you can't fly between many of its hubs. For example, the airline serves both Denver (DEN) and Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW), but the airline doesn't offer any flights between these two airports.
The same applies to its flights in Hawaii. While Southern Airways Express serves both the U.S. mainland and Hawaii, it doesn't offer flights between the two. Instead, this regional carrier can help you get from smaller cities to major airline hubs, from which you can continue onward.
The earning chart for Southern Airways Express is found here, and you'll earn Alaska miles as follows when crediting flights to Alaska Mileage Plan:
- Purchased fare classes: Y, B, M, K, Q
- Base miles: 100%
- Elite-qualifying miles: 100%
You'll only earn Alaska miles when the ticket number starts with 027 and the flight number begins with 9X.
It's not yet possible to redeem Alaska miles on Southern Airways Express flights, but you can purchase connecting tickets from Alaska Airlines' website.
Related: Do Alaska Mileage Plan Miles Expire?
Our Take
Southern Airways Express and Bahamasair probably aren't the first names you think of when you think of flying, but there are advantages to these new Alaska Mileage Plan partners. You'll be able to book a single ticket to more destinations, and you can earn Alaska miles on additional flights. While you can't yet redeem Alaska miles on these partners, that may come in the future. If (or when) it does, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of Alaska's two new partners? Do you see them fitting into your upcoming travel plans?
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