About a month ago, alaska airline publish one New partner rewards chart for Mileage Plan partner redemptions. As part of the new bonus chart, Alaska only lists starting bonus levels for flights originating from the United States or Canada. For destinations outside the US or Canada, Mileage Plan advises its members to “search your desired destination and date to see prices.”
This gives Alaska Mileage Plan the ability to charge any rate it chooses, which is the essence of dynamic pricing.
Many expected the “simplified” award rankings to be the start of the Alaska Mileage Plan’s massive devaluation. So it’s not surprising that Alaska seems to be depreciating Airline British awards, as first reported by View from the Wing.
Price increases for some awards operated by British Airways
Alaska previously charged the following rates for non-stop British Airways departures from the United States:
- Economy Class: 32,500 miles.
- Premium Economy: 42,500 miles.
- Business Class: 57,500 miles.
While these bonus rates are currently unlikely to change for East Coast departures from airports such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Dulles International Airport (IAD) of Washington and Miami International Airport (MIA), but Alaska Mileage Plan is charging more for at least some departures off the East Coast. Here are the new award prices we’re seeing:
- Economy Class: 35,000 miles.
- Premium Economy: 45,000 miles.
- Business Class: 65,000 miles.
In our tests, Alaska charged increased premiums on at least some of the non-stop flights west and that included Nashville International Airport (BNA). That means you’ll likely need to redeem additional Alaska miles to fly on British Airways on direct departures from airports such as Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Louis Armstrong New York International Airport Orleans Airport (MSY), Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Remember, Alaska has full control over its bonus rates. So you can find different prices when you search.
Related: 5 ways TPG employees exchange 70,000 Alaska miles
Extra miles for some connecting flights
Additionally, Alaska is currently charging extra miles for some connecting flights. If you add transition time to your rewards, you may need to redeem at least 5,000 more miles. Here is an example from Chicago to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO).
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In this case, Alaska Mileage Plan charges a whopping 92,500 miles one way for the business class bonus. For later departures, you’ll need to redeem your 65,000 miles for a one-way business class reward. This example highlights the extreme volatility of a partner’s Mileage Plan rewards.
Taxes and fees also appear to have changed for some rewards operated by British Airways. For example, taxes and fees on some London departures are around $250 for a close award ticket. But this summer, we’ve seen taxes and fees increase to nearly $900 one way. Alaska may adjust taxes and fees seasonally.
Here is an example of this:
Again, due to dynamic pricing, you may find different prices when you search.
Related: How to book a free stop with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Other partner flights are also more expensive
You may also find other partner flights now costing more Alaska miles than before. Here is an example from Los Angeles to Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL).
In this case, you can see how each journey has a different price. This example highlights that Alaska Airlines still seems to use different reward charts for each partner even though it no longer shares these rewards charts with its members.
View from the Wing reports Alaska rewards from the US to India on Japan Airlines have increased by 5,000 miles and 10,000 miles in business and first class, respectively. Additionally, you may find higher rewards on some connecting routes operated by Cathay Pacific.
Related: Your Complete Guide to Earn and Redeem with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
bottom line
Maybe you’ll have to redeem more Alaska miles on flights due to Mileage Program Partner to destinations like Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, this has a negative bottom line on the value of Alaska miles, which has historically been some most valuable flight miles. We recommend you to check the reward rate on other Oneworld partners (like Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and American Airlines AAdvantage) before redeeming Alaska miles.
