Cheaper Short-Haul Awards With Alaska Airlines’ New Award Chart!

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Good news for folks who like to earn and use Alaska Airlines miles!  Via Travel Codex, Alaska Airlines has switched to a distance-based award chart.

And it’s NOT increasing the price of any awards!  Instead, the shortest coach award flights are cheaper!  Plus, you’ll be able to earn even more Alaska Airlines miles for flights on certain partner airlines, like British Airways and Qantas, for Business and First Class flights.

Alaska Airlines Award Ticket Price
Booking Short Coach Award Flights on Alaska Airlines Just Got Cheaper!

Here’s more about what these changes mean for you.

Alaska Airlines’ New Distance Based Award Chart

Link:   Alaska Airlines Award Chart

With Alaska Airlines’ new distance based award chart, the shortest award flights will cost just 5,000 Alaska Airlines miles one-way, and the longest only 12,500 miles one-way.

Previously, the cheapest award seats cost 7,500 Alaska Airlines miles.

Distance FlownOld Price of Award TicketNew Price of Award Ticket
Less than 700 miles (intra state)7,500 Alaska Airlines miles5,000 Alaska Airlines miles
Less than 700 miles12,500 Alaska Airlines miles5,000 Alaska Airlines miles
701 to 1,400 miles12,500 Alaska Airlines miles7,500 Alaska Airlines miles
1,401 to 2,100 miles12,500 Alaska Airlines miles10,000 Alaska Airlines miles
More than 2,100 miles12,500 Alaska Airlines miles12,500 Alaska Airlines miles

This is good news because all but the longest award flights now cost fewer miles!

So a flight between San Diego and Seattle, for example, now costs 10,000 Alaska Airlines miles one-way instead of 12,500 miles.

If you need help finding the flight distance between any two cities, check out my post about how to quickly find flight distance & duration with Great Circle Mapper!

And don’t forget about the upcoming merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America.  Stay tuned for a post about the transfer ratio between Virgin America points and Alaska Airlines miles!

For the time being, the airlines and frequent flyer programs run separately.  And I’m not sure how or if the award chart will be affected after the deal closes.  Because the number of miles you need for a Virgin America award ticket is tied to the price of the ticket.

But I’ll keep you posted as we learn more!

Earn More Miles on Certain Partner Flights

With the changes to the award chart, you can also now earn more bonus Alaska Airlines miles for flights on certain partner airlines.  If you’re flying in Business or First Class.

For example, you used to earn a 25% bonus for Business Class flights on LATAM (LAN) credited to Alaska Airlines miles.  That bonus is now 100%!

Earning & Using Alaska Airlines Miles

Link:   How to Use Alaska Airlines Miles

If you’re looking for more ways to earn Alaska Airlines miles, you could consider the Bank of America Alaska Airlines card.  You’ll earn 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles after completing minimum spending requirements.

Or, transfer Starwood points at a 1:1 ratio to your Alaska Airlines account.  From cards like the personal or business AMEX Starwood card.

Remember, if you transfer 20,000 Starwood points, you get a 5,000 mile bonus for a total of 25,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

Before you redeem Alaska Airlines miles, read my post about great ways to use Alaska miles!

Also, don’t forget to read my post about the end of the Delta – Alaska Airlines partnership.  And what it means for earning and using Alaska Airlines miles on Delta flights going forward.

Bottom Line

Alaska Airlines’ has a new distance based award chart.  And luckily, many award tickets now cost fewer miles!

For example, an award flight between Los Angeles and Seattle used to cost 12,500 Alaska Airlines miles one-way.  That same ticket now costs only 7,500 Alaska Airlines miles.

Plus, you’ll earn more bonus Alaska Airlines miles for Business and First Class flights on partner airlines!

Will you consider Alaska Airlines more often with the award chart changes?

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