Alaska

Alaska Airlines Overhauls Mileage Plan: Faster Elite Status, New Perks, And Unlock Better Award Flights – View from the Wing

Published

1 year ago

October 16, 2024

Alaska Airlines Overhauls Mileage Plan: Faster Elite Status, New Perks, And Unlock Better Award Flights – View from the Wing

Alaska Airlines has announced changes – nearly all improvements – to its Mileage Plan program for 2025. I spoke with Alaska’s Vice President of Loyalty, Alliances, and Sales Brett Catlin about the effort – which he calls a “phase one.”

In this first phase, he acknowledges, they’re taking what he views as the best recent innovations from other programs – like counting all activity with the program towards status, making award travel count, and rewarding customers with new benefits in between status levels.
Then phase two will come in six to nine months and will be more “innovative stuff” that involves engaging and rewarding customers who are just beginning to transact with Alaska.

Put another way, he sees Alaska as a very strong program for those who are very frequent flyers, and with a lot of miles. Today’s changes are about doing more for this group.

The next set will aim to “get more people in funnel [going from] first flight to elite status.” For instance, just as they’ve taken the bundle of Club 49 benefits for Alaska residents and brought that concept (Huaka’i by Hawaiian) to Hawaii with discounts, free bags, and special co-brand cardmember offers, they see the possibility of extending the idea to a broader customer group as well.

Alaska Airlines

Award Travel Counts Towards Status

Award travel flown beginning January 1, 2025 will count towards status-earning. Qualifying miles will be earned based on distance flown both for Alaska Airlines flights and for partner flights when booking travel using Mileage Plan miles. (Alaska Airlines flights booked using miles from other frequent flyer programs, like American AAdvantage or British Airways Executive Club, will not earn status credit.)

Japan Airlines, Tokyo Narita

A Qatar Airways roundtrip award between Los Angeles and the Maldives will earn 20,720 qualifying miles.

Virgin was first with award travel counting towards status and there was a strong logic since members pay hefty fuel surcharges for these flights.

Then Delta SkyMiles followed suit, but neither Delta nor Virgin credited award travel on partner airlines like Alaska will. Delta got that started only this year. As a technical matter, this is challenging. There’s an Alaska ticket number, and a Mileage Plan number in the reservation, but no one else has managed this before.

All Partner Activity Counts Towards Status

Last year, Alaska Airlines introduced credit card spending as a way to earn credit towards status, capped at 20,000 qualifying miles.

Airlines like American, Delta and United have all taken steps towards counting credit card and sometimes other partner transactions, recognizing that those are far higher margin for the airline than actually flying. American has gone the farthest, with credit from card spend uncapped and accumulating status credit the fastest.

After dipping their toes in this water for 2024, Mileage Plan is expanding how non-flight activity will count towards status-earning in 2025.

Alaska Visa cardholders will earn one elite-qualifying mile for
every $3 spent, up to 30,000 qualifying miles each year.
Other partner activity – like online shopping and Lyft rides – will earn 1,000 qualifying miles per 3,000 redeemable miles earned (with no cap).

American roughly doubled the qualifying thresholds and started awarding one loyalty point (status credit) per redeemable mile earned. Alaska isn’t quite as generous as that but partner transactions will begin going much further.

Brett Catlin tells me that they’re limiting how much credit card spend can contribute to status “to make sure we can manage” the elite pool, delivering benefits both for those earning status exclusively by flying and also given any increase in the elite pool from those who newly qualify with this expanded criteria. While this cap is “the permanent offer,” over time we may see the cap go up.

I asked him about language about “qualifying partners” counting, thinking that this might be akin to only some partners at American AAdvantage counting (e.g. Bask Bank savings account-earning usually hasn’t counted) but he assures that this is simply meant to account for transfer relationships like Bilt (points transfers don’t count, but “everyday partners all count.”

New Milestone Moments Earned Between Elite Tiers

I think that Hyatt did the best job six year ago of making some benefits easy to earn, and benefits continue to accrue, at small increments of activity. For them, every 10 hotel nights earns additional perks (including elite nights from credit card spend).

American Airlines has moved in this direction, too, with their Loyalty Point Rewards. Members accrue free seat assignments and Avis (and soon Hyatt) status as they strive for higher status levels, and additional perks as they keep flying beyond those levels.

Alaska is adopting this model as well, with benefits starting after just 10,000 qualifying miles.

10K milestone

750 bonus miles
Pre-order a complimentary meal for your flight
One (1) complimentary Wi-Fi pass
Try MVP status for a trip
Earn double miles with non-air partners
Upgrade your next Avis rental

30K milestone Pick one (1):

2,500 bonus miles
$25 off a future Alaska flight
Four (4) Wi-Fi passes
Try MVP Gold status for a trip
$100 off an Alaska Lounge membership

55K milestone Pick two (2):

5,000 bonus miles
10,000 miles off an Extras redemption
Gift MVP for a trip
One (1) complimentary Lounge day pass
Two (2) upgrade certificates

85K milestone Pick two (2):

15,000 bonus miles
25,000 miles off an Extras redemption
Two (2) complimentary Lounge day passes
Two (2) upgrade certificates
Gift MVP Gold status for a trip
Nominate someone for MVP status
10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over

100K Choice Benefit: Pick one (1):

50,000 bonus miles
75,000 miles off an Extras redemption
Alaska Lounge+ membership
Complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight
Four (4) upgrade certificates
Nominate someone for MVP Gold status

150K / 200K / 250K milestones Pick two (2):

15,000 bonus miles
25,000 off an Extras redemption
Two (2) complimentary Lounge passes
Two (2) upgrade certificates
10,000 elite-qualifying miles rolled over

Alaska Airlines First Class

If you qualify for a milestone perk that lets you make two selection, both can be of the same thing if you prefer (for instance, upgrade certificates twice).

It’s interesting to see rollover qualifying miles as a milestone choice, accelerating status earning in the following year. That’s something that Delta offered for many years – and eliminated for this year.

Obviously the biggest benefits are at the highest thresholds, encouraging members to go above and beyond their status level and keep flying, spending, and engaging the program. Still, even something like a free pre-order meal on board can be meaningful.

And these give early access to trying a status that hasn’t yet been earned. That will be more generous than advertised. For instance, a temporary MVP status is actually valid for 14 days – and they won’t advertise it, but it will be be recognized by partners as well (they’re loathe to make promises here, since partners won’t see status instantly, it’s refreshed less than daily).

Meanwhile, a benefit like earning double miles on partners is far more generous than the comparable offer from American (20% Loyalty Point bonus at 60,000 qualifying points and 30% bonus at 100,000). Catlin tells me that they are still “working through how long” this will be valid for, but it will be “months not weeks.” Credit card earn won’t be doubled.

Alaska Airlines

Multi-Airline Redemptions Finally Coming

Alaska Airlines has been talking about letting members combine different airline partners on a single award ticket for more than three years. They’ve joined oneworld, and introduced a new distance-based award chart which is meant to support this. We’ve still been waiting. Currently two different airline partners means two different awards.

However Alaska will finally be adding multi-carrier redemptions “this winter” to allow mixing and matching partners on a single one-way journey. At first they will support this only between the U.S. and Europe, and then “throughout next year” this will expand across regions and partner airlines.

Cathay Pacific First Class

Simplified Earning For Partner Flights

Right now each airline partner earns Mileage Plan miles at a different rate, and also a different rate if you book as an Alaska Airlines codeshare versus booking directly through that airline.

Alaska is going to a single chart for flights booked through Alaska channels: 100% of flown miles in coach (non-basic economy) and 150% for premium economy; 250% for business class; 350% for international first class. That’s harmonizing at generally the top end of the scale.

However in order to earn at that rate, you’ll have to book through Alaska. When some partners got huge bonuses for premium cabin travel seven years ago, Catlin explains, Alaska didn’t offer to sell those flights directly. They now sell 23 partners online, and will go to 30 next year. They don’t want 30 separate earn charts for this – but if you book a partner flight through the partner you’ll see lower earnings.

Qantas A380 First Class Cabin

Introducing Miles for Experiences

Next year Alaska will introduce “Extras” which will be their experiences and events platform.

This is something that numerous programs, especially in the hotel space but also United and Delta offer. Some of these are cool, but most members don’t pay attention to them – the odds that there’s a good fit that fits a schedule is often perceived a slow, pricing can be high, and they’re cumbersome to discover.

That’s almost a good thing, because otherwise demand for a limited availability product might be too much to handle. The value in brands delivering unique experiences is that their relationships can create connections with other brands and people that a member couldn’t access on their own – play tennis with a world champion, special VIP access to a concert, cooking lessons from a famous chef.

Catlin recognizes that this “Has to scale” and it needs to be “broadly interesting” to members. He calls out SPG Moments are their inspiration, and thinks that “really interesting, unique content, creates a halo or perception that Alaska miles unlock experience.”

Changes To Upgrade Priority

“Later in 2025” Alaska will re-order how they sort upgrade priority. Within each elite tier, million milers will be at the top of the list and then members will be prioritized “how many elite-qualifying miles they’ve earned – not by how much they paid for their ticket.”

I pressed for details on how elite qualifying miles will be calculated for this. I was told that initially they will “sort based on in-year EQMs” (how many have been earned so far in 2025) but ultimately in 2026 they’ll switch to “rolling EQMs” which takes some additional technical work, since it’s a new, separate qualifying miles counter to look back a year from any given point.

The move to recognize million milers at the top of the upgrade list is interesting. It’s literally the opposite of what American Airlines does, where status as a result of lifetime loyalty is at the bottom of the upgrade list – since only qualifying activity during the most recent 12 months matters.

Catlin explains that Alaska’s million miler status is “difficult to earn” since it counts flown miles only on Alaska. They’ve only just had their first 3 million miler though several more are on the cusp.

Additionally, while Alaska doesn’t waitlist for confirmed upgrades – it has to be available for immediate confirmation when you call in – they’re going to introduce automatic alerts for members to do this so they don’t need to subscribe to third party tools to find out when space is available.

While a “waitlist would be ideal” and something they “want to work towards,” addressing an immediate member pain point has them automatically notifying members who are on flights where space opens when the member has a guest upgrade certificate in their account.

Alaska Airlines First Class

Who Wins, Who Loses?

There are a few things members do lose in Alaska’s changes. Not announced, but in 2026 the first tier of elites (MVPs) will see their free checked baggage allowance reduced from 2 to 1. That’s closer to industry standard, and a result of their oneworld membership – since they gave this benefit to their own members, they had to offer two checked bags to oneworld ruby members as well and that gets expensive.

At the same time, later in 2025 MVP members will get complimentary upgrades (to both extra legroom coach and first class) for companions traveling on the same flight with them.

Additionally, MVP Gold 75K members get a 50,000 mile bonus plus lounge passes and upgrade certificates today but will have to choose their preferred benefits going forward. There’s no takeaway from the top 100K tier, and they get more choices, but 75Ks will see some loss.

Ultimately though I think most members win out with these changes, which isn’t something I’m often able to say (or have often, over the last 8 years really).

Alaska Airlines

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Alaska

Dunleavy, EPA visit UAF to discuss regulations in the arctic environment

Published

12 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Dunleavy, EPA visit UAF to discuss regulations in the arctic environment

Fairbanks, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – On Wednesday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox and Lee Zeldin, the administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), spoke to press at the University of Alaska Fairbanks power plant.

During their time at the university, the federal and state leaders spoke about developing resources such as coal, oil, gas and critical minerals in the 49th state.

During his 24-hour trip to Fairbanks, Zeldin said he has spoke to business and state leaders about environmental regulations impacting operations in Alaska, saying the EPA needs to consider whether regulations are solving problems or are solutions in search of a problem.

He also discussed the concept of “cooperative federalism,” where the EPA takes its cues from state leaders to determine where regulations and help are needed.

“We’re here at the University of Alaska’s coal plant, and the most modern coal plant in the United States of America,” Dunleavy said.

Zeldin said visiting Fairbanks in winter helps inform decisions the agency is considering.

“There are a lot of decisions right now in front of this agency that the first-hand perspective of being here on the ground helps inform our agency to make the right decision,” he said.

Zeldin also said the agency is hearing concerns from Alaska truckers about diesel exhaust rules in extreme cold.

“We then met with truckers who have been dealing with unique cold weather concerns with the implementation of EPA regulations related to diesel exhaust fluid system,” he said.

When asked about PFAS in drinking water, Zeldin said the EPA is not rolling back the standards.

“So the PFAS standards are not being rolled back at all,” he said.

On Fairbanks air quality and PM2.5 regulations, Zeldin said the agency wants to work with the state.

“We want, at the EPA, to help the Fairbanks community be able to be in attainment on PM 2.5. We want to make it work,” he said.

Dunleavy said energy costs and heating needs remain a major factor in Interior air quality discussions.

“People have to be able to live. They’ve got to be able to afford to live,” he said.

Zeldin said EPA is considering further changes to diesel regulations and urged Alaskans to participate in the rulemaking process.

“We need Alaskans to participate in that public comment period,” he said.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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Alaska

Opinion: Life lessons learned from mushing and old-time Alaska

Published

24 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Opinion: Life lessons learned from mushing and old-time Alaska

A steel arch commemorating sled dog racing was installed over Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage in November 2025. (Marc Lester / ADN)

This is the beginning of the Iditarod spring, signaled by the burst of sun and what used to be the long wait for dog teams to pass under the arch in Nome, the finish line a thousand miles away from Anchorage. For old-timers, it’s the story of the way Alaska used to be. What once was a 30-day wait has become about 10 days for winners to celebrate and the rest of us to shout, “Well done.”

My story is about family that welcomed immigrants from all over the world to be among the last groups of Indigenous people in the country, a life of taking good care of dog teams, and of parents who taught their children how to live in a wild, rugged frontier.

I came to be in a different age, a time of dog teams that ruled the trails to mining camps and where the salmon ran strongest — before the introduction of the snowmachine that revolutionized rural and Native Alaska.

For the Blatchford family, it is a recognition that some things will always stay the same and everything else changes. All four of my grandparents were noncitizens. My mother Lena’s parents of Elim were Alaska Natives, as was my dad Ernie’s mother, Mae, of Shishmaref. The name Blatchford comes from his father, the Englishman who was born in Cornwall and arrived in Nome during the gold rush. His brother, William, was one of the early immigrants, and by 1899 there was a creek just outside Nome named after him. He discovered gold. My grandfather, Percy, found gold, too, but it was a different kind of wealth, a finding that he had found home and never left.

I was born in Nome, delivered by an Iñupiaq Eskimo midwife in a one-room cabin where the frozen Bering Sea met the treeless tundra’s permafrost. Dad had a dog team. I like to think that the dogs were anxious for me to be born because it was hunting time for Dad to hitch them up and mush out to where the sea mammals, snowshoe hares, ptarmigan and other game thrived in the winter. My earliest memories are of dogs; all of them working as a team to bring home the game so we could have a fine meal cooked by Lena. In the Arctic, dogs were essential for family survival. If you didn’t hunt, you didn’t eat.

There are several memories that remain strong. I suppose I can call them lessons of the Arctic.

The first is to take care of the dogs and treat them well. Dog lovers all over the world know very well that a dog, whatever the breed, is loyal and will die to protect the one who feeds and pets it. If you don’t feed a husky, it won’t pull, and it could mean a long time before the family eats. When a dog team is hungry, it will race back home to be fed a healthy meal. Mother Lena must have been a great cook because Dad said the dog team always raced back to the edge of Nome, where Lena was waiting beside the propane stove. For Mike, Tom and me, our job was to take the rifle, shotgun and .22 into the cabin to be cleaned and oiled. Once that was quickly done, we unhitched the dogs and then fed the team.

All three of us boys had special responsibilities to Tim, Buttons and Girlie. Tim, the lead dog, was brother Mike’s pet; Tom had Buttons, and I had Girlie. We made sure they were healthy and well cared for. Dad would often comment that “Papa,” our grandfather Percy, the Englishman, took good care of his dog teams, being kind to the dogs and feeding them. Dad was the oldest of a large family that lived in Teller and later Nome.

“Papa” Percy was a prospector, fox farmer and a contestant in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes, the dog team race from Nome to the mining camp of Candle, a 400-mile race. He didn’t win, but he finished well, very well. The stories of the Sweepstakes have remained with the family for over a century. At a memorial service in Palmer for “Doc” Blatchford, Aunt Marge, without a question or a prompt, said that Papa took good care of his dogs.

Percy Blatchford was a legend in the Alaska Territory. As a teacher of Alaska newspapers, I would find headlines similar to one in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that blazed on the front page: “Blatchford Wins Solomon Derby.” There was even a story in The New York Times.

There’s probably no other sport in Alaska that brought Alaskans together like dog mushing. When old-timers would visit over strong coffee, dogs and dog team racing would come up. In the territory, there were few high schools and fewer gymnasiums, so the only team sport was dog mushing. It was something to talk about that was unique to Alaskans.

I used to travel in rural Alaska quite a bit. In the smaller communities, I would see the teams and would wonder how long they would power the engines that brought the mail and the foodstuffs down and up the trails. When I think of dog teaming, I think of the Iditarod and wonder, and then come to know, what the strength of the story would mean for bringing generations together from Papa Blatchford to his eldest son Ernie and to the fourth generation of Blatchfords in Alaska.

There are times when I think that old-time Alaska is gone. But then my faith and confidence in the old-time spirit are ignited when I see what others in the Lower 48 see. When I was walking in downtown Philadelphia, I looked up and saw on an ancient federal building a stamped concrete sculpture of a dog musher leaning into a blizzard. Such is the way I think of the Iditarod and the lessons I learned growing up with the dog team, preserved in my memories.

Edgar Blatchford is former mayor of Seward, Mile 0 of the Iditarod Trail.

• • •

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Alaska

These lines are adding Alaska cruises. Is your favorite on the list?

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

These lines are adding Alaska cruises. Is your favorite on the list?

New Alaska voyages debut in 2026 as lines like MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages expand into the booming market.

Travelers will have new ways to see Alaska this year.

A number of cruise lines are launching sailings to the Last Frontier in 2026, from luxury to large family-friendly and adults-only ships. About 65% of people visiting the state during the summer do so by cruise ship, according to Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, and demand is high.

“I think Alaska is always very popular, but we’re seeing that ships are selling out way quicker than they used to,” Joanna Kuther, a travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants, told USA TODAY.

With new inventory opening up this season, here’s what travelers should know about Alaska cruises.

Which cruise lines are adding Alaska sailings?

MSC Cruises will launch its first-ever Alaska sailings aboard MSC Poesia on May 11. The ship will be fresh from dry dock to add enhancements, including the line’s luxe ship-within-a-ship concept, the MSC Yacht Club.
Virgin Voyages’ newest ship, Brilliant Lady, will operate the company’s inaugural Alaska cruises. The adults-only cruise line will set sail there starting on May 21.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will debut its first Alaska cruises this year on its Luminara vessel. The first of those sailings will depart on May 28.

Those join other operators like Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, American Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and more.

What are the draws of Alaska cruises?

Glaciers are a major attraction for visitors. “One of the major (draws) is Glacier Bay,” said Kuther. “…And then the other one is definitely the wildlife.”

That includes bears, whales, moose and salmon. In addition to its many natural wonders, the state is also a cultural destination where visitors can learn about its Native peoples.

When is the best time to take an Alaska cruise?

That depends what you’re looking for. The Alaska cruise season generally runs from April through October, and Kuther said visitors will tend to see more wildlife between the end of June through August.

“That’s super peak season,” she said. “That’s also where you’re going to have more families, more crowds.” Some locals have also said those crowds are putting a strain on the very environment tourists are there to see.

Travelers may find less packed ships and ports by visiting earlier or later in the season – and there are other perks. If passengers go in May “it’s still a little bit snowy, so your scenery is going to be really cool,” Kuther said. Travelers visiting in September or October, meanwhile, could have a better shot at seeing the northern lights.

Where do ships usually sail?

The most popular itinerary is the Inside Passage, according to Kuther. That often sails round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver with stops such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. “People will go back to Alaska and do different routes,” she said. “This is a very good way to start.”

Other options include one-way cruises between Vancouver or Seattle and Anchorage. Travelers can also take cruisetours that combine sailings with land-based exploration, including train rides and tours of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Tips for Alaska cruises

Book early: Alaska itineraries sell out quickly, and so do shore excursions. Unique offerings like helicopter tours and dog sledding are popular, and there are only so many spots.
Consider a balcony cabin: This is “almost a must” in Kuther’s opinion. Crew members may make announcements about whales or other sightings near the ship, and guests with their own private viewing spot won’t have to race out on deck.
Pack carefully: “Packing is an art when it comes to Alaska,” Kuther said. “It really is, because you need so many things.” Her top three picks are bug spray, layers of clothing for the fluctuating temperatures and a waterproof jacket in case of rain.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

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