Update: Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Flyers Will Get 10,000 Free Alaska Airlines Miles!

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Terrific news!

This morning I shared that many folks had randomly received 10,000 free Alaska Airlines miles in their accounts over the weekend.

Now, via The Points Guy, Alaska Airlines has confirmed that EVERYONE who had active Alaska Airlines AND Virgin America accounts as of December 5, 2016, will receive 10,000 Alaska Airlines miles!

This is a wonderful gesture from Alaska Airlines!  And I’m thrilled they’re making customer loyalty such a high priority throughout the process of merging with Virgin America.

I’ll update you with the details!

10,000 Free Alaska Airlines Miles

Link:   Alaska Airlines – Virgin America Merger Site

According to The Points Guy, Alaska Airlines’ media team shared the following statement today:

We understand that many Mileage Plan members have questions about a surprise 10,000 mile gift that started appearing in some accounts last night, and we wanted to help put some of the mystery to rest.  We can’t wait to show members of both programs what more to love looks like with Alaska Mileage Plan, and decided to kick things off with a 10,000 mile bonus award to thank our guests who have been loyal members of both Elevate and Mileage Plan.

This is a very generous bonus!  For example, you can use 10,000 Alaska Airlines miles for a round-trip, short-haul (less than 700 miles) award flight.  Including free stopovers!  Or for a $100 discount towards a paid ticket.

The Alaska Airlines statement continues:

The gift process is expected to be completed over the course of next couple of days, and eligible members — which includes guests who were active in both Elevate and Mileage Plan as of December 5, 2016 — should look for an email from Mileage Plan later this week.

So, unfortunately, if you didn’t have both an active Alaska Airlines and Virgin America account on December 5, 2016, you will NOT receive the bonus.

That said,

Elevate members who don’t have a Mileage Plan account will be invited to activate one, along with details about their own special welcome offer, how to convert points, and status matching.  For now, please sit tight, and we’ll be sharing more information about what members have to look forward to in the next couple of days.

This refers to the new account promotion I mentioned this morning.  So if you have a Virgin America account, but aren’t an Alaska Airlines member, check your email!

Bottom Line

The surprise 10,000 free Alaska Airlines miles many folks reported receiving recently will soon be given to anyone who had both an Alaska Airlines and Virgin America account as of December 5, 2016.

So keep an eye on your email and your Alaska Airlines account.  And let me know when your bonus miles post!