Uh Oh: Alaska Mileage Plan Partner Award Changes

Alaska Airways has posted an replace to its Mileage Plan award chart web page. Whereas particulars are restricted, I can’t think about that that is going to be excellent news.

Alaska Airways making associate award modifications

Right here’s the total replace posted to Alaska Airways’ web site:

Excellent news for 2022!  Cathay Pacific awards can be accessible to guide on alaskaair.com in October and LATAM awards can be accessible earlier than the top of 2022.

Beginning late December, the way in which you view award charts on-line is altering. We’ll have a simplified award chart to point out you the place award ranges begin based mostly on which areas you’re touring from and to. With this modification, just like awards on Alaska, associate award ranges could fluctuate relying on a number of components together with route, distance, or demand. You’ll proceed to have the ability to get pleasure from nice worth on your miles. As all the time, one of the simplest ways to view pricing and availability for the routes you’re taken with flying is to seek for your particular journey dates and locations. 

To recap:

• Earlier than the top of the yr it’ll be doable to guide Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards on Alaska Airways’ web site
• As of late December 2022, Alaska could have a simplified award chart the place beginning award ranges are displayed based mostly on which area you’re touring from and to
• Just like how Mileage Plan has dynamic award pricing on Alaska, there will even be extra components that affect associate award ranges, together with route, distance, and demand

My tackle this ominous Alaska Mileage Plan announcement

Regardless of this announcement beginning with “excellent news,” I feel it’s secure to say that on stability this growth gained’t be excellent news. After all Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards coming to Alaska’s web site is nice information, however that’s about it.

Past that, it’s arduous to know simply how unhealthy these modifications can be. We’re instructed to anticipate a “simplified award chart” and dynamic award pricing. Just a few ideas on these factors:

• Previously, Alaska Airways has promised to attempt to present 90 days advance discover of any award chart devaluations, and these modifications are occurring in late December, which is… 90 days from now
• Alaska Airways certain has a humorous means of speaking modifications prematurely; sure, the airline gives discover, however we’re not truly instructed what precisely is altering
• Since Alaska Airways joined oneworld, the airline has been promising a brand new unified associate award chart, although we’ve been made to imagine that this might be along with particular person associate award charts sticking round; it’s anybody’s guess if that’s nonetheless the plan, or if there’ll simply be a single award chart
• Whereas Alaska Airways means that award pricing can be extra dynamic, in actuality that’s already type of the case, within the sense that these days Alaska has “commonplace” awards on many companions, for conditions the place there’s not saver stage award availability (for instance, transatlantic Aer Lingus enterprise class awards can price 60,000 to 280,000 miles one-way)

There are some wonderful makes use of of Alaska Mileage Plan miles, particularly for journey on airways like Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Japan Airways, and so forth. What are my expectations of those modifications?

• I believe these modifications can be unfavorable, however I don’t assume they’ll be catastrophically unhealthy
• The essential factor to bear in mind is that with associate award reimbursement charges being what they’re, Alaska doesn’t have a lot of an incentive to vastly improve associate award prices, particularly if it retains members engaged in this system
• Personally I anticipate the “dynamic” facet of award pricing to return extra within the type of completely different pricing for various distance awards inside the similar area; for instance, possibly a New York to London award can be priced otherwise than a Los Angeles to London award

So yeah, I’m not likely certain what to make of those modifications. We all know they’re coming, however we don’t know way more than that.

Backside line

Alaska Mileage Plan can be making associate award modifications as of late 2022. We’ve been given roughly three months discover, however we’re not precisely certain what we’ve been given discover of.

On the plus facet, Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards can be bookable on-line within the coming months, which is nice information. We’re additionally instructed to anticipate a simplified award chart, and to anticipate extra variability in associate award prices. How that really performs out stays to be seen.

What do you make of those upcoming Alaska Mileage Plan modifications?