Fish hanging in a smokehouse, a wolf holding a piece of meat, a beluga whale: Those were some of the images etched on bowhead whale baleen during a workshop at the Elders & Youth Conference.

Over 50 people gathered on the first floor of the Dena’ina Center on Tuesday afternoon to inscribe their designs on keychains and plaques made from bowhead whale baleen. The workshop was presented by Utqiaġvik’s Ilisagvik College and offered participants a chance to use the Iñupiaq art form to depict what subsistence means to them.

“Etch about your future. Etch about what Indigenous ways of life mean to you. Etch about what makes your heart happy,” said Tigigluk Frieda Nageak, Ilisagvik College spokeswoman and one of the workshop hosts.

[Photos: 2024 Elders & Youth Conference opens in Anchorage with dancing, drumming and more]

Baleen, found in the jaws of whales and used to sieve planktonic creatures from the water, can reach 14 feet in length and varies in color and texture, depending on the age and size of the whale, said Avu Justina Wilhelm, Ilisagvik College president. Indigenous artists have traditionally used baleen for carving, etching, weaving baskets and making jewelry, artwork and miniature ships.

The Tuesday workshop brought together people from the northern regions of the state, as well as the Interior, Southeast and Southwest Alaska.

Shirley McMillen from McGrath drew northern lights and the Big Dipper on her baleen plaque, “just for all of us in this room, we’re from Alaska,” she said.

Lena Layland, an 18-year-old from Cantwell, made a gift for her auntie Violet Jamison: an etching of Denali that she sees often and can draw from memory. Layland, who is Athabaskan and has Inupiaq relatives, has never made art from bowhead baleen before.

“This is the first time,” she said.

A mother from Buckland sat with her son drawing a sissauni, a beluga whale, which is the Buckland school mascot and a type of traditional food that has been less common to harvest in the area in recent years.

Danny Cornell from Juneau honored his clan of Eagle/Wolf moiety by etching a picture of a wolf holding a piece of meat.

“That piece of meat,” he said, is “just to represent the tough life in the wintertime.”

While workshop participants focused on their art, college staff, students and elders in the room spoke about the role harvesting bowhead whales plays in subsistence and cultural preservation in Arctic communities.

[Bowhead quota extended for northern Alaska communities]

“We set everything aside and we focus on the whale,” Wilhelm said. Wilhelm, whose husband is a whaling captain, shared that with the fall whaling season active in the Arctic now, the community of Utqiaġvik in the past weeks has been landing large whales, averaging between 42 and 52 feet.

One Elder in the room was Delbert Rexford, the former president and CEO of Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp. and a prominent Utqiaġvik whaling captain. He shared that his Inupiaq name is Suqqaq, which translates as baleen.

“Because my name is Suqqaq, baleen, I am a work of art,” he laughed.

Rexford emphasized that harvesting a whale is a spiritual practice and a community effort in his village, only possible after months of preparation and when people come together.

“When we harvest a whale, we feel whole,” Rexford said. “It’s a labor of love.”

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 Pick one (1):
• 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

More From View from the Wing

Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola continued to far outpace her Republican opponent Nick Begich III in campaign fundraising during August and September, according to federal filings posted Tuesday.

Peltola received more than $3.1 million in August and September as she campaigned to keep Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat, which she won in 2022.

Meanwhile, Begich — a businessman who unsuccessfully ran against Peltola in 2022 — raised just under $780,000 in the same period as he seeks to return the seat to Republican control.

Alaska’s U.S. House seat represents one of a handful of districts won by former President Donald Trump in 2020 that are currently held by a Democrat, leading both Republicans and Democrats to pour money into the race ahead of the November election.

Begich has gained additional support from national Republican leaders in recent weeks after another GOP challenger, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, dropped out of the race following the August primary. Though Dahlstrom had originally received the endorsements of prominent Republicans — and the promise of their fundraising might — most of those GOP members promptly switched to support Begich after Dahlstrom dropped out.

Peltola has maintained a heavy fundraising lead throughout the campaign, even as Republicans eye the seat in their quest to hold on to control of the House in the 2024 election.

[On Alaska U.S. House candidate’s disclosure form, successful investments and a conspiratorial publisher]

Peltola’s recent fundraising haul includes more than $276,000 from the House Victory Project 2024, a joint fundraising committee led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, benefiting Democratic candidates in competitive races.

Begich reported raising just over $77,000 from Grow the Majority, a similar committee led by House Speaker Mike Johnson to benefit Republican candidates.

Peltola and Begich will also face two other candidates in the November election. They include Alaska Independence Party Chair John Wayne Howe and Democratic candidate Eric Hafner, a convicted felon who is serving a prison sentence in New York and has never resided in Alaska. Neither Howe nor Hafner reported raising any campaign funds.

Peltola has reported raising nearly $11 million since the beginning of the election cycle and had over $3 million in her campaign account with a month to go before the election.

Begich has raised under $1.8 million total since the beginning of the cycle and had $440,000 to spend at the end of September. Begich continues to carry a $425,000 debt to his campaign from a loan he made to his account.

Elisa Devlin, Peltola’s campaign manager, said the fundraising advantage has been “super consequential,” allowing the campaigns to begin running TV ads two months before Begich was able to.

Begich’s campaign staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fundraising disparity.

Peltola spent more than $2.9 million in August and September, including nearly $1.4 million on media buys and $330,000 on digital advertising. In the same period, Begich reported spending just over $520,000, more than half of which went toward advertisement-related expenses.

Both candidates are also benefiting from hefty spending by political action committees. The National Republican Congressional Committee has committed millions to running attack ads targeting Peltola. Begich is also endorsed by the Congressional Leadership Fund, which works to elect GOP candidates, and by the conservative Club for Growth, which has an affiliated political action committee that raises money for hard-right federal candidates.

On the left, a political action committee called Vote Alaska Before Party reported receiving $4 million in recent months from the House Majority PAC, a pro-Democrat committee, to campaign in favor of Peltola and against Begich.

Jim Lottsfeldt, an Anchorage-based political consultant who works on the Vote Alaska Before Party campaign, said Peltola’s fundraising edge isn’t the only factor to consider when thinking about the outcome of the race.

“It gives her an advantage — for sure — but it’s a federal election, it’s a presidential year, we tend to vote Republican for president. So those numbers may mean, ‘Oh, they’re just equal now,’” said Lottsfeldt. “It’s just not so simple as saying whoever spends the most wins.”

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