

Alaska Airways Mileage Plan has quietly introduced that will probably be making adjustments to its companion award charts in December 2022.
Particulars are scarce, however it seems to be like we should always brace for some vital adjustments. Let’s unpack this unwelcome information as we attempt to anticipate what is perhaps in retailer.
Modifications Coming to Associate Redemptions
Alaska has bundled a handful of adjustments collectively, some good and a few dangerous. Right here’s the textual content they’ve added to the award chart web page:
Excellent news for 2022!  Cathay Pacific awards might be accessible to ebook on alaskaair.com in October and LATAM awards might 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 indicate you the place award ranges begin primarily based on which areas you’re touring from and to. With this modification, much like awards on Alaska, companion award ranges could fluctuate relying on a number of elements together with route, distance, or demand. You’ll proceed to have the ability to get pleasure from nice worth to your miles. As at all times, the easiest way to view pricing and availability for the routes you’re enthusiastic about flying is to seek for your particular journey dates and locations.
Let’s begin with the excellent news: Cathay Pacific awards might be bookable on-line beginning in October 2022. This might be a aid to these of us looking elusive award area for a premium expertise, making it simpler to seek out and ebook award area shortly with out having to telephone the contact centre.
LATAM awards will even be bookable on-line earlier than the top of 2022. Whereas South American award journey is much from probably the most luxurious expertise, particularly in comparison with Alaska’s different tantalizing worldwide companions, the comfort of a self-serve reserving is a welcome enchancment for guests to the continent.
Nevertheless, the large information is that Alaska might be altering its companion award chart. That is unlucky for plenty of causes.
So far, Alaska has used particular person redemption charts for every of its airline companions. For instance, a visit from North America to Asia would value a special variety of Alaska miles relying on which companion airline is working the route.
This has created some phenomenal candy spots in this system, with many world-class aspirational airways providing redemptions at a low mileage value.
The phrasing on Alaska’s web site leads me to imagine that they could lastly transfer in direction of a unified companion award chart, utilizing the identical pricing for every airline companion. This is able to carry Alaska Airways Mileage Plan in step with its US opponents, and lots of different frequent flyer packages all over the world.
A unified companion award chart has lengthy been speculated as the ultimate step of their integration into the Oneworld alliance, as Alaska fills in any remaining gaps for redemptions with its new companions throughout the alliance.
Whereas this may make it less complicated for travellers to estimate the value of our award journeys, it will actually intestine the candy spots that we are able to leverage by reserving an affordable ticket for a helpful aviation expertise.
The truth is, pricing will not be so easy in any case. Alaska has additionally hinted that it’ll introduce dynamic pricing on companion awards, the place the mileage value could fluctuate relying on route, distance, or demand.
This may occasionally imply distance-based variation inside a area, like we’ve seen with Aeroplan’s award charts.
I’d hope it’s much less seemingly that demand will influence companion awards, as Alaska Airways has little management over prices and availability in that regard. They’d have little motive to introduce demand-based dynamic pricing on companion tickets, which no different frequent flyer program does to the very best of my information.
Apparently, Alaska already makes use of variable pricing on companion tickets in some instances. How that is priced is anybody’s guess, and hopefully they don’t begin utilizing an excessively advanced mannequin.
It’s additionally onerous to say what’s going to occur with Alaska’s beneficiant stopover coverage. I’m optimistic that these will stay on one-way award tickets, because it’s one of many distinctive options that may assist Alaska set itself aside because it strikes nearer to the mannequin utilized by its friends.
I’m additionally hopeful that with a streamlining of the award chart, Alaska’s routing guidelines will likewise be consolidated. At present, every companion has its personal routing and stopover guidelines, which are sometimes unnecessarily restrictive to the companion’s dwelling area and hub.
It might be good to see these unified, if costs will even be harmonized.
E-book These Candy Spots Now!
With these adjustments set to happen someday in December 2022, I’d anticipate that lots of the finest individually-negotiated candy spots within the Alaska Mileage Program are resulting from disappear.
Listed below are a few of the best-value alternatives on the present award charts:
- Japan Airways First Class between North America and Asia for 70,000 miles, with a stopover in Tokyo; or enterprise class for 60,000 miles
- Cathay Pacific First Class between North America and Asia, Africa, or the Center East for 70,000 miles, with a stopover in Hong Kong; or enterprise class for 50,000 miles to East Asia
- Fiji Airways enterprise class between North America and Australia or New Zealand for 55,000 miles, with a stopover in Fiji
- Qatar Airways Qsuites enterprise class between North America and the Indian subcontinent for 85,000 miles, with a stopover in Doha
- Cathay Pacific First Class between North America and Australia or New Zealand for 80,000 miles, with a stopover in Hong Kong; or enterprise class for 60,000 miles
I’ve lengthy assumed that these adjustments have been overdue – these candy spots have been just too good to final. E-book your flights now, earlier than these costs is perhaps gone ceaselessly.
Apart from, with Japan and Hong Kong reopening, I’m certain there might be a mad scramble for scarce award area!
Conclusion
Associate award redemptions with Alaska Airways Mileage Plan might be altering considerably earlier than the top of 2022. With out additional particulars, I’d brace for a unified companion award chart, and variable pricing on companion awards.
Fortunately, after they joined Oneworld, Alaska pledged to offer its prospects a heads up earlier than altering its redemption ranges. Certainly, we’re seeing this warning shot fired about three months earlier than any potential unfavorable adjustments are resulting from be carried out.
Ensure you ebook your candy spots on the outdated charts earlier than these mysterious and largely disappointing adjustments kick in, which is able to happen someday in December 2022.