There’s been a lot of news around Alaska Airlines Mileage Package loyalty program.
Last week, Alaska announces some changes to partner bookings. While some of the changes look positive, we should see Alaska Airlines change partner bonus pricing on some routes later this year.
The first change went into effect on October 7. Cathay Pacific redemptions are now available to book online through MilegePlan.
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Related: Pursuing elite status on Alaska Airlines? A flight to California this fall could help
Basic things
As of Friday, Alaska Mileage Plan added online bookings for Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific. Previously, you needed to call Alaska to place any prize with Cathay so this can certainly be seen as a step in the right direction.
While this is a good thing for some, others say prizes tend to be harder to find.
Hot points to redeem Cathay Pacific
Historically, using Alaska miles to redeem Cathay Pacific was one of the Best use of Alaska miles.
Some of Cathay Pacific’s best redemptions for Alaska miles include:
- Between the US and Asia within 50,000 miles in business class and 70,000 miles in first class.
- Between the US and Australia or New Zealand for 60,000 miles in business class and 80,000 miles in first class.
- Between the US and Africa, India, South Asia or the Middle East in 62,500 miles in business class and 70,000 miles in first class.
Alaska also allows you more free stops on international award tickets – including one-way tickets. This gives you the opportunity to get a second destination with no extra miles, allowing you to create some great itineraries.
For example, this means you can fly to South Africa with a stop in Hong Kong for just 70,000 Alaska miles in premium cabins. This is my favorite use of Alaska miles.
But book these prizes quickly. As discussed, Alaska will change prize prices to the end of the year on some routes. According to the airline, “partner bonuses can vary depending on many factors including route, distance or demand.”
Related: How to earn miles with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Key point
You can now redeem your Alaska Plan miles to travel online on Cathay Pacific. While this is generally a step in the right direction, Alaska has said there will be more changes in the future regarding the pricing of partner awards.
Using your Alaska miles to redeem Cathay Pacific points is generally one of the best uses of the Mileage Plan.
