how to book award travel on alaska airlines

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How to book Alaska Airlines awards using KrisFlyer miles

When you think about redeeming KrisFlyer miles for domestic flights in the USA, it’s most likely you’ll gravitate towards SIA’s sole US-based Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which offers an extensive network from seven primary hub cities all over the country.

One carrier that might not immediately come to mind as an alternative is SIA’s other US partner, Oneworld member Alaska Airlines.

Alaska has been a KrisFlyer earning and redemption partner since 2017, and offers a wide variety of domestic flights in the USA from primary hubs on the West Coast, including cities served by direct SIA flights like Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

As well as domestic connections, there are also flights to and from Canada and Mexico, so the airline can be a very useful option for extending your trip, especially when you consider that the KrisFlyer zone-based award chart for redeeming miles on Alaska Airlines flights has some nice ‘sweet spots’.

With a fleet of close to 300 aircraft, Alaska Airlines a large carrier that also racks up regular customer service awards (ones that are actually voted on by passengers ).

There’s a problem though. Searching and booking KrisFlyer awards on Alaska Airlines is still an offline process, and Singapore Airlines agents really aren’t well versed in it.

The good news is – we found a method to hopefully smoothen the ordeal!

Redeeming KrisFlyer miles on Alaska Airlines can be really good value

You can travel all around the US West Coast and between the US West Coast and Canada on Alaska Airlines at a very competitive 8,500 KrisFlyer miles one-way in Economy Class, and after that the award rates don’t rise too steeply for longer trips either.

  KrisFlyer Alaska Airlines Award Chart

For most of our readers, the pertinent awards worth looking at are to and from Zone 1, which includes Alaska hub cities that also offer direct SIA service to Singapore like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

For example, in Economy Class you can redeem:

• Seattle to Los Angeles for 8,500 KrisFlyer miles (14,000 KrisFlyer miles on United)
• Seattle to Denver for 8,500 KrisFlyer miles (14,000 KrisFlyer miles on United)
• Seattle to Houston for 10,500 KrisFlyer miles (14,000 KrisFlyer miles on United)
• Anchorage to Denver for 13,000 KrisFlyer miles (14,000 KrisFlyer miles on United)
• San Francisco to New York for 13,500 KrisFlyer miles (14,000 KrisFlyer miles on United)
• Los Angeles to Cancun for 13,500 KrisFlyer miles (19,500 KrisFlyer miles on United)
• Los Angeles to Maui for 13,500 KrisFlyer miles (19,500 KrisFlyer miles on United)

Note that you can only book non-stop flights with Alaska Airlines using KrisFlyer miles. Return trips simply cost double the miles rate shown for the zone combination.

Obviously you always need to check the cash fare of the flight you are interested in, to work out if it’s a good use of your miles (sometimes it isn’t).

Be particularly careful with Alaska’s flights to and from Mexico. These can be upwards of 5 hours and therefore seem like a great deal at 13,500 KrisFlyer miles – but fares are often very cheap since the US carriers have to compete with local incumbents on these routes.

How to search Alaska Airlines award space

In February 2021, Alaska Airlines changed its fare codes ahead of the carrier joining the Oneworld alliance the following month, to streamline with alliance protocols.

As such, partner award flights in First Class changed from ‘A’ to ‘E’ and in Economy Class changed from ‘W’ to ‘T’ .

With this knowledge to hand, it’s easy to check partner award availability on Alaska Airlines flights using a tool like ExpertFlyer – just look for space in those ‘E’ and ‘T’ buckets.

You can also replicate this availability with an Alaska Airlines partner that does allow online search and booking, like British Airways Avios, American Airlines AAdvantage, or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles sites.

Note that British Airways calls Alaska Airlines First Class “Business Class”.

Don’t search using Alaska Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines provides identical award space to all its partner FFPs, but do note that doing an award search on the airline’s own website will not accurately reflect this, because Alaska offers more award space to its own members than to partners.

In this example, as we saw above, Alaska is not offering any partner award space on the later AS877 flight on this date, so you won’t be able to use KrisFlyer miles to book it either.

Our use of KrisFlyer miles on Alaska Airlines

Despite never thinking we would use our miles on an Alaska Airlines flight (we did lock one in in 2021 but never used it) – we do need to fly from Seattle to Hawaii in August, and the only options to do so non-stop are with Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines.

With no mileage currencies in hand to redeem on the latter two, our options are:

• Redeem KrisFlyer miles, Avios, Asia Miles or Alaska Miles on Alaska Airlines; or
• Pay cash (Alaska already offers the cheapest flight on this route)

Using KrisFlyer miles on Alaska Airlines is actually one of the cheapest ways to redeem miles from the US West Coast to and from Hawaii (who knew!).

We opted for AS811 , which gives us most of the day in Seattle before we need to head to the airport, and the good news is partner award space is available.

Don’t underestimate how far Hawaii is from the mainland!

This 6 hour 15 minute flight is the same distance as flying from Singapore to Beijing, a route that costs 21,500 KrisFlyer miles one-way in Saver Economy, but thanks to the attractive Alaska award chart only costs 13,500 KrisFlyer miles .

On top of that, taxes on award tickets in the USA are rock bottom – it’s only a US$5.60 (~S$7.50) cash component per passenger on top of the miles used.

Here are the options for our itinerary:

• 13,000 Avios + US$5.60
• 13,500 KrisFlyer Miles + US$5.60
• 15,000 Asia Miles + US$17.00
• 20,000 Alaska Miles + US$5.60 (dynamic miles rate that can vary from 15,000 – 50,000 miles on this route)

This flight is available for US$299 (~S$398), also including the same perks as an award ticket, like complimentary seat selection.

That means the 13,500 KrisFlyer miles per passenger using KrisFlyer is saving us around US$293 (since the US$5.60 tax still needs to be paid), which is a saving of ~S$390.

That’s a value per mile of 2.89 Singapore cents, which is excellent for Economy Class. Even accounting for the 2,600 KrisFlyer miles we would earn when travelling on this flight under the paid US$299 booking, the value per mile is still north of 2.4 cents.

The value per mile using 13,000 Avios is marginally better of course, at 3 Singapore cents per mile, but we don’t have as many Avios as we do KrisFlyer miles, and we would prefer to preserve them for intra-Asia trips and Qatar Airways redemptions to Europe, so in this case using our much larger stash of KrisFlyer makes more sense.

Using 15,000 Asia Miles is another good option, but with higher taxes and fees payable the value per mile drops to 2.5 cents, because you’re using more miles and saving less cash.

All of these options are a much better proposition than redeeming 20,000 Alaska Miles + US$5.60 , given that we and most of our readers have had to buy our Alaska Miles in one of the airline’s regular sales at a rate of ~2.4 Singapore cents or more (implied cost S$480!).

Most KrisFlyer agents don’t know how to book Alaska awards

The biggest frustration faced by many KrisFlyer members is that when you call or use the online chat function to book an Alaska Airlines award with KrisFlyer miles the answer is always the same – no availability .

I faced this exact scenario this week while trying to book, despite award space being available, and chatted to several different agents, none of whom were able to see any award space.

Things I was told by Singapore Airlines agents over many painful hours included:

• Sorry, Alaska Airlines is not a KrisFlyer partner(!)
• KrisFlyer does not get the same award space that other partners do on Alaska Airlines (not true – all partners get the same)
• The space you are seeing on other sites is commercial space, not award space (no, it wasn’t)
• E and T are cash fares on Alaska, not award seats (no, they are not)
• The flight you are trying to book is a codeshare (no, it’s operated by AS)

Frustrating to say the least – I had almost resigned myself to giving up. Then, something magical happened.

The fourth agent I chatted to could see the ‘E’ and ‘T’ fare code availability, despite saying I couldn’t use that, but he then figured out how to make it work, and quoted me for the journey.

I pleaded with the guy to let me know what it was he did on the system at his end to make this happen, so I wouldn’t have to go through this again and could simply tell any subsequent agent what to input to get to the right answer, and he shared it with me.

The process that works

The process that seems to work is:

• Search your desired Alaska Airlines flight for award space via ExpertFlyer, or on the British Airways or Asia Miles website.
• Start a live chat with Kris the chatbot . It’s best to do this while logged on to your KrisFlyer account.
• Click ‘Chat with a live agent’ (now available 24/7).
• Once an agent connects, tell them you would like them to search and book an Alaska Airlines flight using your KrisFlyer miles. They will ask you to provide the details, then they will go off and search for a few minutes.

• Sometimes the agent will ask if you have tried an award search online via the singaporeair.com website – just let them know that it is not possible to search or book Alaska Airlines awards online.
• The agent will almost always respond that there are no awards available on this flight.

• Ask the agent to check again, first by searching for regular cash fares on the flight, then by switching to redemption seats. This is what the agent shared with me and this always seems to work.

• If the agent does as you ask, they will now be able to see the space and ticket the award for you.

• You can go ahead and ticket the award with the live chat agent, but they will have to send you a payment link for the taxes and fees because they are not allowed to take your credit card details over the chat itself.
• Alternatively, you can call KrisFlyer to book – but that does probably mean starting this process all over again by phone, which may lead to some frustration!

So the moral of the story – you will always be told there is no availability at first, but stay calm, take a deep breath, and ask the agent to check regular commercial space, then switch to redemption .

If necessary – mention the T fare code (RBD – or Reservation Booking Designator).

I have no idea how this looks on the screen at their end, but it works – I’ve now tested it three times with no issues.

What about First Class?

Unfortunately award rates for redeeming Alaska Airlines First Class using KrisFlyer miles (those ‘E’ codes) are not particularly attractive, coming in at 50,500 miles one-way for a West Coast – Hawaii routing, for example.

In this case you might want to consider using Avios or Asia Miles for a better rate.

This particular flight costs US$599 (~S$797), so the value per mile using KrisFlyer (50,500 miles) would be terrible at 1.58 cents.

Even using 38,750 Avios – the best option – is only netting you 2 cents per mile, which is not at all great for First / Business Class, and is less than the value we’re achieving in Economy.

Why can’t KrisFlyer bring Alaska awards online?

Singapore Airlines first started to roll out online search and booking for Star Alliance and partner awards back in late 2017.

Despite slow progress at the start, almost all Star Alliance and partner award space can now be searched and booked online using KrisFlyer miles via singaporeair.com or the mobile app, as shown in the following tables.

Star Alliance

Partner airlines.

Singapore Airlines has been working to progressively roll out all Star Alliance and partner awards online, but it’s now been five years and Alaska Airlines sadly remains off the list.

Given that Alaska Airlines awards for partners are easy to identify in the reservation system (E or T fare class availability), and other partner programmes seem to have no issue integrating the searching and booking of these awards into their own systems, it’s a bit puzzling that Singapore Airlines still has not done so.

Are they even still trying with this one?

Doing so would significantly simplify the process, and save the time of online or phone agents who must search and book these redemptions manually for members, but at least we have an interim solution.

Alaska Airlines has an extensive domestic network from its US West Coast hubs, and quite a compelling KrisFlyer zone-based award chart when redeeming miles in Economy Class on many routes, giving you well over 2 cents per mile of value on selected flights.

Unfortunately it’s still not possible to search and book these awards online – and that’s a real pain.

Singapore Airlines chat and phone agents always give the same default response when you ask to redeem Alaska flights with available awards in my experience – no availability.

Thankfully I persevered this week when needing to lock in our own redemption, and finally chatted to an agent who made it work – convincing him to explain the ‘back-end’ process for me which now seems to work every time .

Clearly it would just be easier for all of us if these awards could simply be brought online like those for other partners, but this is hopefully a useful interim solution for everyone.

(Cover Photo: Alaska Air)

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15 comments

Since AS has joined OW, I wonder if there’s any news that this codeshare might end?

Anything is possible but that was two years ago so I’d imagine they would have cut ties by now if that were the case.

Excellent post Andrew, thanks to your perseverance we know know how to book AS award flight. It’s one thing to not have the ability to search and book partner award online but it’s downright inexcusable to have your booking agents not know how to properly search and book a partner award ticket. Do better KrisFlyer!

Dear Andrew, Why i cannot find the Star alliance award space through singaporeair.com? I tried many routes and many times but nothing shown there. But i can see a lot of spaces through united web. Is that possible if i search through united then contact SQ agent then tell them which star alliance award space i want to fly? Also can i use the miles shown in united web as the reference how many miles needed in krismiles? Thanks a lot for your answer

The website or app will initially show you only Singapore Airlines award space in the results.

You then need to click ‘Star Alliance’ at the top menu where it says ‘Show flights for’. Similarly you have to change to ‘Other partner airlines’ to see award space on non-Star Alliance partners. Hope it helps!

Hi Andrew, I am flying SIN-LAX, LAX-LAS, LAS-MCO, MCO-JFK in November. I have miles in Citibank. Can you advise how I may use these miles to get any award tickets? Would KF- Alaska redemption be the solution?

Also, I realize that I will be bringing large amounts of luggage with me from SIN and these domestic flights usually charge an arm and leg for luggage – do you have any hack for this dilemma?

You could redeem 8,500 KrisFlyer miles for LAX-LAS on Alaska Airlines, but there are no non-stop options for using KrisFlyer miles on LAS-MCO or MCO-JFK (but you could redeem 14,000 miles for MCO-EWR with United).

Assuming you want to fly Business Class for the long SIN-LAX portion then provided you can find a date with availability you’re looking at 107,000 KrisFlyer miles (Saver) or 128,500 KrisFlyer miles (Advantage) for a non-stop SQ flight or the SQ12 service via Tokyo.

Alternatively Asia Miles could be a good option to fly Cathay Pacific SIN-HKG-LAX in Business Class for 85,000 miles, or 117,700 miles in Business to Hong Kong and First Class on the HKG-LAX sector. There is award space showing for both options on selected dates in November.

As for luggage allowance this is a tricky one on domestic US legs – Alaska will charge at least US$30 for the first 50lb bag in Economy Class for example. United is similar, unless you’re Star Alliance Gold then you’ll get the first checked bag for free.

Thanks Andrew. I have already booked my SQ business tickets from SIN-LAX and JFK-SIN for 5 pax a year ago. US domestic flight is really a headache. The luggage surcharges are a killer when we travel as a family across the US over winter. I do have SQ KF gold – but i think any savings in 1st bag is off set by the higher flight cost of United vs the budget airlines… Sianz.

Do you know how to book Air Canada’s flight with krisflyer?

My first comment (despite being a regular fan of the site). This is immensely helpful and yes, I’ve had the same experience booking Alaska Airlines award flights too. All the different agents I called (3) said there is no award space regardless of how far ahead the dates are. It was insanely frustrating and I gave up. Ended up booking an Avianca flight (Star Alliance award redemption) instead. SQ really needs to improve their backend training else there really isn’t any point publishing non-Star Alliance award redemption partners.

Thanks for being a long-time reader and I’m happy this helped, though maybe a bit late for you.

Thanks for this detailed post. I have tried booking Alaska award flights without much luck despite confirming availability first through BA’s and Cathay’s award search, and suggesting to the rep each time to search cash fares before switching to redemption, and mentioning the E/T fare code. I chatted with 5 and spoke with 1 rep who all said there was no award space regardless of dates. Have you had any experience with using the form: https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/ppsclub_krisflyer/forms/PartnerAL-ResRequest.pdf to book award miles, as mentioned here: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/it/ppsclub-krisflyer/use-miles/redeem-miles/award-tickets-on-partner-airlines/ ? Does that work any better? Or do you have the name of a rep who’s understands the process and has been able to help you?

RE:925e2ce3e1 note – I tried the form and no better luck. I’ve booked my award flight with British Airways already just to get it saved. I try Singapore airlines method as described above every once in awhile to see if they can ever see the award space – 7 seats still showing available on BA. They never see the award space unfortunately. Probably going to just have to let those KF miles expire…

No luck for me either, 2 chats and 1 phone call and no one was able to find availability for the AS flight I saw with available award seats on BA and AA.

no luck following the script. agent said they checked several times and there is no availability, despite me seeing it on AA website…

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Hotel programs, best credit cards, back to guides, how to search and book alaska mileage plan award flights.

Let’s take a look at how to optimally search for award space when redeeming Alaska miles, between Alaska’s fast and efficient website and other search engines.

Written by Alex Dushkin

On October 5, 2021

Read time 13 mins

With generous credit card welcome bonuses and low redemption rates, Alaska Mileage Plan is a popular program for booking long-haul international flights in premium cabins.

Even better, the Alaska Airlines website is a highly efficient tool when searching for flight redemptions on Oneworld carriers and Alaska’s non-alliance partners, compared to many of its rival loyalty programs both within and outside of Oneworld.

In this article, following up on our award search refreshers for Aeroplan and British Airways Avios , let’s take a look at how to optimally search for award space when redeeming Alaska miles.

Searching on the Alaska Airlines Website

Along with Alaska Airlines’s own flights, the vast majority of Alaska’s airline partners can be searched and booked using Alaska’s online search engine. 

The search engine is accessible via the airline’s homepage. To look for award seats, fill in the form with details of the itinerary and tick the “Use Miles” check box. 

Select “One-Way” too, even if flying a round-trip. That’s because Alaska does not allow more than a single partner airline on an award ticket.

Therefore, booking two one-ways lets travellers pick different carriers for the inbound and outbound parts of the journey, allowing for more choice when there is not much availability.

Schedule View

Upon submitting the request, the search results page appears. There are filters on the left, a one-week availability overview at the top, and the list of flights on the right. This is the schedule view – one of the three display options available.

In the schedule view, travellers can filter itineraries by number of stops, operating airlines, and the Alaska upgrade fare type. The latter refers to the availability of upgrade seats for elite members on Alaska-operated flights.

The list shows all four classes of service: economy, premium economy, business, and First Class. Classes may be hidden if they have no available seats.

Some flights within the United States are displayed as First Class, while others show up as business. This becomes confusing when booking connecting international itineraries with one Alaska segment and a partner airline that offers “true” First Class, such as Japan Airlines . Make sure such itineraries are not mixed-cabin with the longer segment in economy – this would be denoted by an icon next to the price of the flight.

As Alaska cannot combine partners on a single ticket, it may not show complex itineraries passing through multiple Oneworld hubs. For example, a two-stop routing with flights on both British Airways and Qatar Airways wouldn’t be displayed, even if there were award space available. In such cases, it’s better to book with Avios or Asia Miles instead.

The list of flights can be sorted by the number of stops, price (in the lowest class of service available), duration, departure time, arrival time, and by giving a preference to Alaska-operated flights.

For each flight, the search engine displays the operating airline, flight number, departure and arrival information, number of connections, and in-flight entertainment capabilities. It appears that Alaska doesn’t have access to details about the IFE on every partner, so results may be misleading at times. The Qantas website is more reliable in that regard.

The flight details pop-up displays the aircraft type, flight and layover durations, as well as on-time performance data, if available.

Calendar View

The calendar view is accessible by choosing the calendar radio box in the sidebar, or ticking the “Award calendar” box in the search form.

In the calendar view, Alaska displays availability across an entire month. By default, the search engine shows the lowest prices in economy class, but travellers can change it to business, First Class, or Alaska saver awards (only available on itineraries operated by Alaska in full). Premium economy is not supported.

The lack of distinction between international and domestic First Class persists on this page. Unfortunately, the calendar does not display mixed cabin information; that is only visible in the schedule view.

The third display mode is called “Price”. It shows the list of all available flights, sorted according to the number of miles required to book. 

The price view only shows economy class, and there is no way to make it display a higher cabin. Therefore, it is not of much use for booking aspirational award trips. Budget travellers, on the other hand, may find the abundance of sorting options convenient.

Searching for Cathay Pacific Award Flights

One of the most popular uses of Alaska miles is Cathay Pacific First Class and business class awards between North America and Asia, as well as to points further beyond, like Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania. First Class awards start at only 70,000 Alaska miles one-way, which is an exceptional deal.

While most of Alaska’s airline partners are bookable online, Cathay Pacific is one major exception (the other being LATAM). For these flights, travellers must call Alaska Mileage Plan to get a true picture of which award seats are available, but it’s possible to do some legwork using other airlines’ search engines first.

The best tools to use would be the same as what’s outlined in our guide on searching and booking British Airways Avios awards . The British Airways or Qantas search engines will likely be the most helpful places to search, with Qantas offering a 30-day calendar view for US departures as part of their “older” site.

(Though it may be tempting, avoid using Cathay Pacific’s own Asia Miles program to search, since Asia Miles may display additional award space to its own members that isn’t bookable through partners.)

Even though the availability on British Airways or Qantas generally lines up with what Alaska can book, it’s not always a perfect match. The final step will always be to call Alaska themselves and confirm if they can see the award space before completing your booking over the phone.

Multi-City Itineraries

Alaska allows one stopover per one-way bound on all award tickets. The stopover is bookable online at no extra charge.

Cities where passengers can have stopovers vary by airline. Generally, stops are restricted to hub or focus cities of Alaska and their respective partners. Just like with simple one-way itineraries, no two partners can be combined on tickets with stopovers.

To book an itinerary with a stopover in between, click on the “All search options” link on the homepage, then fill in the form and tick the “Multi-city” checkbox. As before, look for one-way multi-city trips instead of round-trips to allow for different carriers for the inbound and outbound parts of the journey.

If any routing that has open award space satisfies Alaska’s routing and stopover rules, it will show up. Only the schedule and price views can be used with multi-city searches.

Using the Alaska Website Efficiently

Award search is a time-consuming task, especially on complex itineraries. The more efficient a traveller is when looking for award space, the less time trip planning takes, and the less the chance there is of somebody snagging an aspirational First Class seat right under one’s nose (speaking from experience).

I like to start with the calendar search on the Alaska website. I am usually flying in business class, so I choose the corresponding filter option in the sidebar. Without even looking at the flight results, the calendar gives me an idea whether the trip that I’m planning is feasible at all.

Next, I click through the days that I could travel on. I skim through the flight results looking out for three things: mixed-cabin itineraries with the long segment in economy, British Airways partner airline awards with high fuel surcharges, and routings with weird connections.

When I spot a suitable itinerary, I take note of it. If there are any good alternatives, I write them down as well. I usually book Oneworld trips with British Airways; they are sometimes picky with the routings they allow, so I prefer to have backup options.

Alaska Mileage Plan is the only US frequent flyer program accessible via Canadian credit cards. The partnership with MBNA opens the doors to exciting redemption opportunities on the Oneworld alliance and Alaska’s other partners. 

The Alaska website is fast and implements features that make searching for award space an easy and efficient process. Thanks to the calendar view, travellers don’t have to click day-by-day to find sporadic business and First Class availability. The schedule view shows enough information at a glance to filter out mixed cabins and other inconvenient options.

The only limiting factor is that Cathay Pacific flights do not show up on the online search engine, so travellers need to search with another airline’s website (such as British Airways or Qantas) before calling Alaska to make these bookings.

In the future, I will be looking forward to redeeming my Alaska miles to take advantage of stopovers on one-way journeys and fairly priced premium cabin redemptions between North America and Asia.

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10 Best Ways To Redeem Alaska Mileage Plan Miles for Max Value

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Table of Contents

Redeeming alaska airlines miles using mileage plan, list of alaska airlines partners, how to boost your balance of alaska miles, alaska airlines award prices, the 10 best ways to use your alaska mileage plan miles, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our  Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has been among the most valuable award programs over the last few years . The program has largely offered fantastic redemption rates on partner airlines, allows for stopovers on one-way itineraries, and provides excellent benefits for those holding elite status.

However, the loyalty program has begun rolling out its new distance-based award charts. The new award charts are a complete overhaul of the previous redemption rates, which were based on destination and operating carrier.

Unfortunately, some of the best sweet spots in all of points and miles have now been eliminated. This isn’t to say that award prices are increasing on everything. However, a lot of our favorite award redemptions are doing just that.

Below, you’ll see some of the best ways to use your Alaska miles for award travel utilizing Alaska’s new award charts.

Alaska Airlines is part of the Oneworld Alliance with other airlines such as American Airlines and British Airways . Furthermore, Alaska also has a few non-alliance airlines it partners with.

You can use your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to book with all of the following carriers:

In addition, Alaska Airlines partners with these airlines on an individual basis.

Thanks to Alaska’s numerous partnerships, you can use your Alaska miles to fly on some of the best airlines in the world , including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways, among others.

With the new distance-based award charts, the further you fly, the more miles it will cost you . Still, Alaska Airlines miles can provide incredible value if redeemed correctly.

Best of all, award redemptions are being opened up globally. Under the previous Mileage Plan award charts, you could only redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for travel within and between select regions. This is a major step in the right direction.

Earning Alaska miles has been relatively difficult in the past as the program only had 1 major transfer partner: Marriott Bonvoy . However, this has changed as the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program is now a transfer of Bilt Rewards as well.

Alaska Airlines also offers a co-branded credit card issued by Bank of America for those in the U.S. market.

Provides the potential to earn plenty of miles to fly with Alaska Airlines or over a dozen partners. Plus, get an annual companion fare from just $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) when you spend at least $6,000 a year on the card!

With the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature ® credit card in your wallet, you could get great perks and earn miles at the same time. This is a win-win if Alaska is the airline you prefer to fly with! Plus, its annual companion fare is a great benefit for traveling couples.

• 3x miles per $1 spent on Alaska purchases
• 2x miles per $1 spent on eligible gas, local transit (including rideshare), cable, and select streaming services
• 1x mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• $95 annual fee
• LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER —Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 50,000 bonus miles.
• Get 50,000 bonus miles plus a $0 Companion Fare ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of your account opening.
• Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™. Get a $99 Companion Fare (plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
• Free checked bag. Any cardholder who purchases airfare with their card, and up to 6 additional guests traveling on the same reservation, may check their first bag free.
• Enjoy priority boarding so you can get to your seat quicker, when you pay for your flight with your card.
• Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don’t expire on active accounts.
• Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America ® account.
• A faster way to earn status with your Alaska Airlines credit card . Throughout 2024, for every $10,000 you spend on purchases, you’ll automatically earn 4,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs), up to 20,000 EQMs total.
• Enjoy 20% back on all Alaska Airlines inflight purchases and get $100 off an annual Alaska Lounge+ Membership when you pay with your new card.
• With oneworld ® Alliance member airlines and Alaska’s Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
• Flexibility with no blackout dates on Alaska Airlines flights when booking with miles or a companion fare.
• Plus, no foreign transaction fees. †
• APR: 21.24% - 29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees:  None

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Frequent Flyer Program

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Alaska Airlines is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy . Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Alaska Airlines at a 3:1 ratio. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Mileage Plan miles.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

A premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.

Apply With Confidence

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The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card  is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.

So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy   program
• 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
• 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
• Steep annual fee of $650 ( rates & fees )
• 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card
• Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy ® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy ® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy ® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card.
• Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton ® or St. Regis ® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ® : Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck ® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy ® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.
• APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable

Marriott Bonvoy

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card , the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2x points)
• $250 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit
• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy ® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy ® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card ® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy ® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It ® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.

Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.

If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card . The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.

• Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
• Automatic Silver Elite Status
• $95 annual fee
• Marriott Silver Elite Status is the lowest status tier
• Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
• Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
• Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
• 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Card.
• Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite status, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Your points don't expire as long as you make purchases on your card every 24 months.
• Member FDIC
• APR: 21.49%–28.49% Variable

A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card.

The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

• Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
• 2x points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services
• 5 Elite Night Credits each year
• Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
• Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier
• Earn 60,000 Bonus Points plus 1 Free Night Award after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Free Night valued at 50,000 points. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Pay no annual fee with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card from Chase ® !
• Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Card.
• New! Earn 2X points for every $1 spent at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services.
• 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• New! Travel now, pay later – Break up purchases into equal monthly payments with no interest plus no plan fees on qualifying travel purchases. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.

A great option for business owners who stay in Marriott hotels and want automatic elite status.

Business travelers who opt for Marriott as their hotel chain of choice will definitely want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Business ® American Express ® Card . The card offers great benefits to cardholders like a complimentary hotel night once a year, complimentary Gold Elite status, and multiple point redemption options.

• 6x Marriott Bonvoy points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy ® program.
• 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
• Moderate annual fee of $125 ( rates and fees )
• No premium perks like airport lounge access
• WELCOME OFFER: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
• Receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy ® member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business ® American Express ® Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate.
• 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
• Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Marriott Bonvoy Business ® American Express ® Card.
• Terms apply.
• APR: 20.99% - 29.99% Variable

As mentioned, Alaska’s new award charts have begun rolling out and some are now officially in effect. Alaska Airlines now has 3 separate award charts:  One for redemptions in the Americas, one for Asia Pacific redemptions, and another for redemptions to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Here is the award pricing for flights within the Americas :

Here is the award pricing for flights to Asia Pacific :

Lastly, here is the new award pricing for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Alaska is still using a “starting from” pricing method, so these rates aren’t what you will always see.

These rates reflect the lowest-priced “saver” award availability. While the award chart may list a required number of points, you will likely see a higher rate when you begin the award search.

However, this is not all bad news as now all partners have the same award pricing, assuming there’s saver award availability. This is a major improvement to Alaska’s old award charts, where different partners had different pricing.

Alaska’s Mileage Plan loyalty program  offers excellent value for its miles, particularly when redeeming on its many partner airlines.

Alaska is keeping its incredibly generous stopover policy , which can effectively allow you to visit 2 destinations for the price of 1.

When searching for reward availability for partner flights, simply search your dates with the Use miles option checked. After you click to search, you may filter the results by airline using the sidebar that appears to the left of the search display.

Here are 10 suggestions to maximize the value of your Mileage Plan miles on Alaska Airlines and partner flights, especially for those who fly in business or first-class.

1. Short-Haul Awards Within the Americas

As with any distance-based award program, there is immense value when redeeming miles for short-haul flights on expensive routes.

Flights in the Americas region will start at 4,500 Alaska miles one-way for short-haul flights of 700 miles or less , down from the previous minimum of 7,500 Alaska miles. While this new award pricing won’t amount to crazy savings, it will make shorter flights more affordable.

Best of all, this pricing is for flights within the Americas region, which includes Central and South America.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Seattle (SEA) – San Francisco (SFO) one-way for 4,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Miami (MIA) – Cancun (CUN) one-way for 4,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

If you’re short on Alaska miles, you can transfer points from Marriott Bonvoy or Bilt Rewards.

2. Longer Short-Haul Awards Within the Americas

Similar to the previous redemption, slightly longer flights between 701 and 1,400 miles can be booked for as little as 7,500 Alaska Airlines miles one-way on both Alaska and partner American Airlines.

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Mexico City (MEX) one-way for 7,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Miami (MIA) – Cartagena (CTG) one-way for 7,500 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

3. Starlux Business Class for 75,000 Miles

An excellent way to get to Taipei is on Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines. Despite being a newer airline, Starlux Airlines has quickly become a favorite thanks to its premium service and luxurious offerings . It has established itself as a major airline offering excellent customer service and modern amenities.

From the West Coast, you can fly nonstop to Taipei for 75,000 miles, a redemption that remains unchanged from the previous Alaska Airlines award chart.

• San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 75,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 75,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

4. Northeast U.S. To Ireland or England for 45,000 Miles in Business Class

Now, we have a great redemption option for those wanting to visit Ireland or England. If you’re based in the Northeast (or don’t mind flying from the area) you can book a one-way business class award ticket for as little as 45,000 miles.

Looking at the award pricing for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa , flights less than 3,500 miles can be booked for just 45,000 miles in business class.

• Boston (BOS) – Dublin (DUB) one-way for 45,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Newark (EWR) – London (LHR) one-way for 45,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• New York (JFK) – Dublin (DUB) one-way for 45,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

5. Business Class to Europe for 55,000 Miles

Another excellent redemption is for those in the Eastern half of the U.S. wanting to visit destinations in Europe.

Looking at the award pricing for flights to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa , flights between 3,501 and 5,000 miles can be booked for just 55,000 miles one-way in business class

• New York (JFK) – Madrid (MAD) one-way in Iberia business class for 55,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Toronto (YYZ) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Condor business class for 55,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way in Condor business class for 55,000 Alaska miles + taxes and fees.

6. Fly Qatar Airways Qsuites to the Middle East

If you’ve ever wanted to enjoy a double bed on a flight, look no further than Qatar Airways Qsuites. Not only can you experience a comfortable flight to the Middle East starting at 70,000 Alaska miles, but you can experience one of the absolute best business class products in the world .

Flights from the U.S. to Doha that fall in the 5,001-7,000 mile distance band can be booked for 70,000 miles one-way in business class.

Here are some flights you can consider booking:

• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways business class from 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways business class from 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways business class from 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees

Check out our guide on The Best Ways To Book Qatar Airways Qsuites With Points and Miles .

Need help booking?  See our step-by-step guide to booking Qatar Airways Qsuites .

7. Fly Japan Airlines Business Class

Although flights between North America and Japan are quite long, there’s 1 particular sweet spot worth mentioning. Flights between Seattle (SEA) or Vancouver (YVR) and Tokyo clock in just under 5,000 miles, so these flights can be booked for just 60,000 miles one-way in business class.

Almost all other flights between the U.S. and Japan are longer than 5,000 miles, so they will fall in the next distance band. Those flights can be booked starting at 75,000 miles one-way in business class.

• Seattle (SEA) – Tokyo (NRT)  one-way in Japan Airlines business class for 60,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees
• Vancouver (YVR) – Tokyo (HND)  one-way in Japan Airlines business class for 60,000 Alaska Airlines miles + taxes and fees

8. Business Class on Partner Airlines in Asia

A silver lining of the award charts changing is that certain routes will be priced for significantly fewer miles compared to Alaska’s older award charts .

For example, a Japan Airlines business class award ticket between Tokyo and Shanghai is now priced starting at 15,000 miles one-way. The same is true for a Malaysia Airlines business class award ticket between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Under the previous Alaska award charts, these redemptions would consistently price at 65,000 Alaska miles one-way.

9. Fly on Fiji Airways to Fiji

Another excellent way to redeem your Alaska miles is on Oneworld Connect partner Fiji Airways.

You can fly nonstop between Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) and Nadi (NAN) for just 37,500 Alaska miles one-way in economy . This is because both West Coast cities are between 5,001 and 7,000 miles away from Fiji’s capital city.

Under Alaska’s previous award chart, these flights would cost 40,000 Alaska miles one-way — the new charts will save you 2,500 miles.

If you wanted to fly in business class instead, the same flights would cost 75,000 miles one-way.

10. Domestic Flights in Australia on Qantas

Alaska Airlines’ Oneworld partner Qantas has an extensive domestic network in Australia.

Flights less than 1,500 miles can be booked for just 7,500 miles one-way in economy or 15,000 miles in business class.

• Melbourne (MEL) – Sydney (SYD) one-way in Qantas economy for 7,500 miles + taxes and fees
• Sydney (SYD) – Brisbane (BNE) one-way in Qantas economy for 7,500 miles + taxes and fees
• Adelaide (ADL) – Brisbane (BNE) one-way in Qantas business class for 15,000 miles + taxes and fees

With Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan’s new distance-based award charts in effect, the best ways to redeem Alaska miles have changed significantly. While not all award prices increased, many sought-after redemption options have been eliminated.

Still, the Alaska Miles Mileage Plan program allows you to fly on some of the best airlines in the world, including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas. Best of all, Alaska has kept its stopover policy intact, including one-way award redemptions.

The information regarding the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature ® credit card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding Alaska Airlines Visa ® Business Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business ® American Express ® Card, click here .

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This bonus value is an estimated valuation  calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

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Travel Codex

Your Resource for Better Travel

How to Book Alaska Mileage Plan Award Tickets

Compare Award Prices

Alaska Airlines presents a complication for those trying to optimize their frequent flyer miles. They have a separate award chart for every partner, so it is not as easy to say what a particular award will cost or if it is better than, say, booking it with American Airlines miles instead. It really depends on which airline you fly. That makes it a great use of the award chart search tool that I created, which displays a separate price for each partner.

Compare award prices from Alaska Mileage Plan and other programs.

To give you a head start, the “best” partner for a particular itinerary tends to be an airline that has a large presence in the region (think British Airways or KLM for Europe, and Cathay Pacific for Asia).

Estimate Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges

Because the same award space is generally available to all partners, consider the possible fees and surcharges that will apply before you redeem your miles. If you have miles with both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, for example, they probably have different award prices for the same ticket. But they will also have different fees. I recommend that you familiarize yourself for these fees before you begin searching for award availability.

Learn more about taxes, fees, and surcharges when booking through:

• American AAdvantage
• Alaska Mileage Plan
• British Airways Executive Club

Review the Award Routing Rules

One last thing before you start searching: make sure you are familiar with the Alaska Mileage Plan routing rules. They are actually quite simple, and because the Alaska Airlines website displays most partners and builds these rules into its search logic, you probably won’t have any challenges. But because they are so simple they also open up creative opportunities.

Generally speaking, the award chart is the only routing rule you need. If it says you can fly from one region to another, then you can take almost any path. If it doesn’t say you can fly from one region to another, then that award is not possible — at least not with Alaska’s miles. Also remember that you are permitted one stopover in each direction.

You may get lucky and find results on your first try, searching from your origin to your destination. In many cases, however, it’s easier to find the flights you want if you break up your search and look one leg at a time. For example, if you want to travel from the U.S. to Europe, create a list of all the gateway airports in each region. (Gateway airports are international departure and arrival points. They may be big hubs like New York or smaller cities like Portland.)

The logic here is that when you submit a search the airline’s computers will consider all possible connecting points and then look to see if there is award space on all segments of your journey. But computers take shortcuts and sometimes miss things. If you do the work yourself you will be more certain that you have exhausted every option. So if you live in Seattle you might look for flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, and even New York. Then from each of those cities you might look for flights to London, Paris, Madrid, and so on. (Don’t forget to look for flights from Seattle to each of these European cities, too!)

As you find routes with availability, you can piece together an entire trip. You can visit an airline’s website or  OpenFlights.org to get more information about which airlines serve which cities.

However, there are specific rules about how you may combine flights on multiple carriers in the same award. You should try to understand these and other routing rules before you start finding flights that may not be permitted.

Learn more about the Alaska Mileage Plan routing rules .

Find Award Availability

There are five primary locations where you might search for award space on Alaska Airlines and its partners: AlaskaAir.com ,  AA.com , BritishAirways.com ,  Qantas.com , and  FlyingBlue.com . In addition, you might find it useful to use  ExpertFlyer.com for some purposes. ExpertFlyer is a paid service; the rest are free to use.

Find Award Space Using Alaska Airlines

In most cases the Alaska Airlines website is able to search for and book award travel on all partners, including:

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Delta Air Lines
• Fiji Airways
• Hainan Airlines (avaialble March 30, 2016)
• Ravn Alaska

Learn more about how to find award space using the Alaska Airlines website .

Keep in mind that Alaska will only display award space for eligible routes. Space may be available but will not be shown if Alaska doesn’t offer that particular award.

In addition, Alaska does not display any award space for Cathay Pacific or LAN. This does not mean that award space is not available. Instead, you must call an agent to book these flights; it may even be possible to request a waiver for the additional fee for manual reservations.

An agents should be able to pull it up.

Be sure to record the exact date and flight number. Although you could just provide the agent with dates and cities, their computer may not search all possible options. If you have a specific flight in mind, provide the agent with specific information.

Find Award Space Using British Airways and Qantas

British Airways offers one of the most comprehensive tools for finding award space on other oneworld Alliance members. However, it does not display award space on Alaska, which may limit your ability to find connecting flights within the United States. British Airways may also display award space on airlines that are not partners with Mileage Plan, and it may display award space that does not satisfy Alaska’s award routing rules.

Award space for these airlines should be visible on the British Airways website and are also Alaska Mileage Plan partners. You can then call Alaska Airlines to book:

• Cathay Pacific
• LAN Airlines
• Qantas Airways

The British Airways website is most useful for finding awards on Cathay Pacific and LAN, which are not displayed on Alaska’s website. Note that British Airways will display award space on Dragonair, a  one world affiliate carrier that provides regional service for Cathay Pacific. However, Dragonair is not an Alaska Mileage Plan partner.

The Qantas website is a good backup to British Airways, and it does include award space on Alaska Airlines. It also displays award space on Emirates, which is a parter of both Qantas and Alaska Airlines.

Learn more about how to find award space using the British Airways and Qantas websites .

Find Award Space with American Airlines

Alaska Airlines and American Airlines share many of the same partners, and in some cases one offers a better search tool than the other. One system may do a better job of finding the same award space, or it may offer a better way of displaying results. That really depends on the kind of award you’re looking for and your preferences. I generally prefer using the Alaska Airlines website for awards that will be booked using Alaska’s miles. Still, you can consider using the American Airlines website to find award space on these airlines:

• Alaska Airlines

Learn more about how to find award space using the American Airlines website .

Find Award Space with Air France Flying Blue

Several of Alaska’s partners are members of SkyTeam, another alliance similar to one world. Although you should be able to find award space on the Alaska Airlines website, some people prefer to search on the Air France (Flying Blue) website instead. Like the difference between British Airways and Qantas, it depends on what you like best. The following Alaska Airlines partners are displayed on the Air France website:

Learn more about how to find award space using the Air France website .

Find Award Space with ExpertFlyer

ExpertFlyer is a paid service that some people use, although there is at least one free option discussed above for each of Alaska’s partners. If you choose to use ExpertFlyer, it can find award space on the following carriers:

Learn more about how to find award space using ExpertFlyer. (coming soon)

Find Award Space with Delta Air Lines

I do not recommend searching for award space on the Delta Air Lines website. Because Delta does not publish an award chart, it can be difficult to know when you have found the cheapest “saver” awards that are made available to partner airlines like Alaska. You should be alright using the Alaska Airlines website to find space on SkyTeam partners, or using the Flying Blue website if you really need a second opinion.

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About Scott Mackenzie

Scott is a former scientist and business student who created Travel Codex to unravel the complexity of travel loyalty programs. After 11 years in Seattle, he now lives in Austin with his wife and flies over 100,000 miles every year.

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How to find award seats on any Alaska Airlines partner flight

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Did you know that Alaska Airlines miles are useful for much more than flights on Alaska Airlines?

Alaska Airlines has built a unique and valuable alliance with key airlines around the world to help you reach just about anywhere. You can find and book award seats on most partners directly on  alaskaair.com . Simply enter your route and travel dates and you’ll see if an award flight is available on its partner airlines, including American Airlines, Japan Airlines and Emirates.

Unfortunately, you can’t use the Alaska Airlines website to find award seats on every single partner — but it’s still possible to redeem your miles for award flights on these airlines, too. I’ll show you how to find award seats you can book using Alaska Airlines miles .

Redeem Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on partner airlines

Alaska Airlines will enter the oneworld alliance by mid-2021. But they’ve already got a You can redeem Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on these partner airlines :

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Fiji Airways
• Hainan Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• LATAM Airlines
• Ravn Alaska
• Singapore Airlines

Partner award flights have  no fuel surcharges  (except for flights on British Airways). Just remember, the number of Alaska Airlines miles required for an award flight varies by route and airline partner. You can find the cost of an award flight by entering your departure and destination region here . Read our guide of the best ways to redeem Alaska Airlines miles for more information.

How to search for available seats on most Alaska Airlines partner award flights

Step 1. go to the alaska airlines website and enter flight details.

Visit alaskaair.com and enter your origin, destination, travel dates, and number of passengers. Be sure to check “ Use Miles” to search for award flights.

I typically recommend searching for one-way award flights to make things simpler. And you don’t need to be logged into your Alaska Airlines account ( free to join !) to search for awards.

Step 2. View available partner flights

Alaska will show a list of available award flights for your itinerary and dates. Filter by airline and number of stops to narrow down your results. For example, on a sample search from Los Angeles to Dubai, the results show an Emirates flight with available award seats in coach, business class, and first class.

Step 3. Select flights and book

Once you find the flight you want, select it and book as you normally would for any other Alaska Airlines award flight. If you prefer to book by phone, call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522. But keep in mind, if the award flight is bookable online, you’ll pay a $15 call center ticketing fee.

Find award seats on Cathay Pacific LATAM

You can’t see award seats on LATAM flights through the Alaska Airlines website. Instead, use the  British Airways website (sign-in required) . Then, call Alaska Airlines to book the flight. Here’s a guide to checking for award seats on Cathay Pacific and LATAM.

Step 1. Log into your British Airways Avios account

Log into your  British Airways account . It’s free to sign-up if you don’t already have an account.

Step 2. Search for award flights

Next, search flight routes operated by Cathay Pacific or LATAM to see if award seats are available.

For example, I searched for flights from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. And the results show plenty of Cathay Pacific flights with open award seats.

I also found award seats on LATAM flights between Miami to Lima.

The award flight cost using British Airways Avios points can be more or less than what you’ll pay booking with Alaska Airlines miles. It’s a good idea to check the Alaska Airlines award charts  to confirm the cost and compare.

Step 3. Call Alaska Airlines to book the flight

If the British Airways website shows there are available award seats on Cathay Pacific or LATAM, you can book them using Alaska Airlines miles. Just call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522 and provide them with the flight details you found from your search.

Because these seats can’t be booked online, you can ask them to waive the phone ticketing fee. You might have to pay anyway, but it never hurts to ask.

Want more Alaska Airlines miles?

A quick way to earn Alaska Airlines miles is to sign-up for:

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card  – Limited-time offer: Get a $100 statement credit, 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles, plus Companion Fare™ from $121 ($99 fare, plus taxes and fees from $22) after making $2,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
• Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card – 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from just $22) with this offer. To qualify, make purchases of $2,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account

You can also transfer Marriott points to airlines , Alaska included. Alaska Airlines doesn’t partner with points programs like  Chase Ultimate Rewards points  or  Amex Membership Rewards points , but you can transfer Marriott points at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000 mile bonus for every 60,000  Marriott points you transfer .

Read our full guide to learn how to earn Alaska Airlines miles .

Bottom line

Use  alaskaair.com  to search and book award seats on most of  Alaska Airline’s partner airlines . This includes flights on Emirates, Icelandair, Japan Airlines and many others. For the time being, you won’t find available award seats on Cathay Pacific or LATAM using the Alaska Airlines website. Instead, search on the website of another oneworld airline, such as  British Airways . When you spot available seats, call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522 to redeem miles for your flight. Have your flight number, dates, times, etc. ready to feed the phone agent.

Before you search for award flights, check the  Alaska Airlines award charts  to confirm the cost.

If you’re looking to earn Alaska Airlines miles , you can sign-up for the  Bank of America Alaska Airlines  card or transfer transfer Marriott points to your Alaska Airlines account.

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Would you rather relax on the beach or explore an urban jungle? With stopovers, you can do both on your next award trip.

You’re all set to redeem your Mileage Plan miles – but wait! Did you know that Alaska Airlines allows you to include a free stopover on many award tickets? They allow you to stop in another city on the way to your final destination, squeezing in two trips for the price of one. You can spend days or even weeks before continuing the trip.

When to use stopovers

Stopovers are often used during international travel. Say you’re flying from Los Angeles to Bali. Alaska Airlines partners with Cathay Pacific, which serves many Asian markets. However, you’ll need to connect in Hong Kong along the way. Let the Alaska reservations agent know when you book your ticket that you’d like to book a stopover in Hong Kong. Now you can try some of the city’s excellent dim sum before you resume traveling.

Alaska has a particularly generous policy for booking stopovers on award tickets. You get one stopover for each one-way ticket, which means two stopovers when you fly round-trip! Many other carriers allow no stopovers at all, or only one stopover on round-trip itineraries.

Here’s another great way to use stopovers: If you’re planning to visit Europe, you could make Munich your destination, stopover in London on your way there with British Airways, and then stopover in Paris on your way back with Air France. Adding stopovers will not change the number of miles you pay for your ticket, but the taxes and fees could vary.

Read more:  How to make the most of a stopover in Iceland

How to find stopovers

Searching for and booking travel that includes stopovers is a little more complex than your average award ticket. You can’t just search for a flight from Seattle to Munich, for example, because the booking tool will assume you want to minimize the connection.

Instead, you will need to search for two different trips : Seattle to London, and then London to Munich. Use the multi-city search option if you’re booking online and enter different dates for each flight; you can leave the return portion blank if you’re not ready to book that yet.

You could also call an Alaska Airlines reservations agent (1-800-252-7522 between 5 a.m. and midnight) and ask for assistance booking a stopover. Calling reservations is necessary in the case of Cathay Pacific and LAN, as they cannot be booked online.

Whichever path you take, I recommend that you start by performing a separate one-way search to your stopover destination. The long-haul flights to gateway airports, such as Seattle to London, will be more challenging to find award space. Shorter flights tend to be more plentiful. If you can find a flight to London, you’ll probably be able to pick any date you want to continue your journey to Munich.

Remember that you can’t combine multiple partners in the same award. If you need to fly British Airways between London and Munich, then you’ll also need to fly them from the U.S. to London. Different partners may provide better options for a stopover in certain cities.

Once you know which dates work, go back and add the connection as part of a multi-city search, or speak to an Alaska reservations agent and let them know you think you found some dates with award space.

With any luck, you’ll soon be visiting two or three destinations for the price of one. You worked hard for your miles. Make sure they work hard for you.

Award travel space is limited and subject to certain restrictions including blackout dates and other capacity controls. Alaska Airlines cannot ensure availability of award seats on any flight, route, or date.

Thanks for the tips!!

What is happening with AeroMexico? I wanted to book an award trip with them from Bellingham to Santiago, Chile, and back from Buenos Aires like I did last March, and they do not show up at all. LauraKritz

Laura – Due to technical difficulty, new award bookings or changes to existing award bookings for travel on Aeromexico are unavailable until further notice. We’re so sorry for the inconvenience.

You use to allow stopovers on the domestic regular coach RT tickets for I believe 25k miles. Why not now? I once had 7 legs on a RT first class FREE ticket between San Diego and Dutch Harbor. My stopover was Sitka. I also had “forced” stopovers in Juneau and Anchorage. Had plenty of people arguing that I couldn’t do it but I guess I knew the rules better than almost every airport agent.

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Can You Transfer Miles Between American and Alaska?

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Because of airline partnerships, travelers can redeem miles for flights on partner airlines to travel to destinations all around the world. For example, you can now redeem Alaska miles to fly Qatar Airways to the Maldives or redeem American miles to fly Air Tahiti Nui flights to Tahiti.

However, there's a limit to the flexibility of these programs. Airline partnerships typically don't let travelers transfer miles between the programs. Instead, you're limited to redeeming miles with that particular partner program. So, if you’re hoping to transfer Alaska miles to American or vice versa, there are some things you’ll want to know.

Can you transfer American Airlines miles to Alaska?

American Airlines AAdvantage miles can't be transferred to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles. Not only can you not transfer miles from American to Alaska, but American miles can't be transferred to any other airline or hotel loyalty program.

Instead, you're limited to redeeming American Airlines miles for:

Flights on American Airlines (or its partners, including Alaska Airlines).

Mileage upgrades.

Booking cars, hotels or vacations.

Admirals Club lounge memberships.

Seat reservations.

VIP treatment through American Airlines Five Star program .

Or, if you don't want to redeem miles for travel, you can redeem miles for magazines or for charitable donations.

However, just because you can't turn your AAdvantage miles into Alaska Mileage Plan miles through a transfer doesn't mean you can't use American miles for travel on Alaska Airlines.

» Learn more: How do airline miles work?

Booking Alaska flights with American miles

Here's how you can redeem AAdvantage miles for Alaska flights even though you can't directly transfer American Airlines AAdvantage miles to Alaska.

When searching for a flight on the American Airlines site or app, select “Redeem miles.” Search results will include award travel on any available partner airline flight, and you can choose to filter the results for Alaska Airlines flights. From there, continue with your normal booking process to reserve an Alaska flight with your AAdvantage miles.

As both airlines are members of the Oneworld alliance , redemptions will be based on the AAdvantage award chart for Oneworld partners .

Within the contiguous 48 U.S. states or Canada. Fly Alaska Airlines for as few as 12,500 AAdvantage miles each way in economy or 25,000 miles each way in first class — which codes as business class for the sake of award redemptions. Or fly to Hawaii for as few as 22,500 miles each way for economy or 55,000 miles for business/first class.

Between the contiguous U.S. and Alaska. You can book an Alaska Airlines flight for as few as 15,000 AAdvantage miles each way in economy or as few as 30,000 miles each way in first/business class. (That might seem a bit steep for a flight between the West Coast and Alaska, but you can also pair it with a flight from the East Coast for the same price.)

The contiguous U.S. and the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. ​​ Fly Alaska Airlines for as few as 17,500 AAdvantage miles in economy or as few as 27,500 miles in business/first class each way.

Can you transfer Alaska miles to American?

Similarly, Alaska Mileage Plan miles can't be transferred to American Airlines AAdvantage miles. As with American, Alaska members can't transfer Mileage Plan miles to any other airline or hotel loyalty program.

To reiterate: While these two companies exist as partner airlines (as in, you can book a flight on the partner via the other's booking site), they are not transfer partners. This means you cannot transfer your points between the two loyalty programs.

Alaska is one of about a dozen airline and hotel programs that you can track through Points.com . For a handful of participating programs, you can use Points.com to "exchange" points between programs. However, Alaska Mileage Plan members can't currently transfer points to American or any other airline or hotel program through Points.com.

Even without a transfer to AAdvantage, Mileage Plan members can redeem Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on both Alaska or its partner airlines (including American). Miles can also be redeemed for hotel bookings, to get a discount on cash fares, to upgrade to first class on Alaska flights, to purchase magazines or to donate to charities.

Booking American flights with Alaska miles

To use Alaska miles to book an American flight, select “Use miles” while searching for a flight on the Alaska Airlines site or app. The results will include award travel on any available partner airline flight, and you can filter the results for American Airlines flights. Select the American award flight you want to book and continue the booking process to use your Alaska Mileage Plan miles.

Alaska Mileage Plan redemption rates depend on which partner airline you fly and what regions you're traveling between. Here's how those redemptions break down:

Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. Fly American Airlines for as few as 12,500 Alaska miles each way in economy or 25,000 miles each way in business/first class. Or fly to Hawaii for as few as 22,500 miles in economy or 40,000 miles in business class.

Caribbean, Central America or Mexico. Fly American Airlines for as few as 17,500 miles each way in economy or as few as 27,500 miles each way in business/first class.

Europe. Redeem as few as 22,500 Alaska miles in economy, 57,500 miles in business class or 85,000 miles in first class to fly American Airlines with Mileage Plan miles.

Asia. Fly American flights to Japan or Korea starting at 32,500 Alaska miles each way in economy, 60,000 miles each way in business class and 80,000 miles each way in first class. Alternatively, you can fly American to China, Hong Kong or other parts of Asia starting at 35,000 Alaska miles each way in economy, 70,000 miles each way in business class and 110,000 miles each way in first class.

Oceania. Fly American Airlines to Australia or New Zealand (if you can find these rare award flights) for as few as 40,000 Alaska miles each way in economy, 80,000 miles each way in business class and 110,000 miles each way in first class.

» Learn more: Why the Alaska Airlines credit card is great for frugal West Coast travelers

Advanced points hack: Earn Alaska and American miles elsewhere

Both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines offer great credit cards for earning airline miles . However, if you feel stuck with airline miles that you don't know how to use, consider changing your earning strategy. Instead of earning airline miles directly through each specific airline, you may want to earn transferable points.

There are five major transferable point programs :

American Express Membership Rewards : 17 airline and three hotel loyalty partners.

Capital One Miles : 16 airline and two hotel loyalty partners.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® : 11 airline and three hotel loyalty partners.

Citi ThankYou Points : 17 airline and one hotel loyalty partners (including American Airlines as a temporary partner ).

Marriott Bonvoy : 40 airline loyalty partners.

Of the transferrable currencies, only Marriott Bonvoy allows point transfers to both American and Alaska. Bonvoy members can transfer points to either airline at a 3:1 transfer ratio. Plus, you can earn a 5,000-mile bonus for transferring at least 60,000 points to Alaska. That means a 60,000-point transfer would yield 25,000 Alaska miles. American is not eligible for this transfer bonus.

You also have options when you fly. Since American and Alaska are partners, you can credit American flights to Alaska Mileage Plan or Alaska flights to American Airlines AAdvantage. The same is true for flights on other partner airlines. The choice of which airline miles to earn from your flights can be a complicated one, but some research can really pay off.

» Learn more: The best airline and hotel rewards loyalty programs this year

You can’t transfer miles between American and Alaska, but you can use points with either airline to book flights with the other

Unfortunately, most airline programs don't allow transfers to other airline or hotel programs. So, no, you can't transfer miles from Alaska to American or from American to Alaska. However, travelers can redeem Alaska miles for flights on American and vice versa. And you have the option to earn miles from flights on a wide variety of airlines through the Oneworld alliance.

Just choose carefully when earning miles through airlines directly or through transfer partners, as you'll be limited in how you can redeem those miles.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

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No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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75,000 Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.

Alaska Airlines award tickets now bookable on British Airways website

After months of anticipation, Alaska Airlines officially joined the Oneworld alliance today, March 31, 2021. This means Alaska Airlines is now a partner with all Oneworld airlines, so members of any Oneworld airline loyalty program can earn and redeem miles on Alaska Airlines flights.

Alaska Airlines and British Airways have actually been partners since long before Alaska joined Oneworld. However, British Airways members couldn't redeem their Avios for Alaska-operated flights online. Instead, the process involved finding Alaska saver award space via another airline website and then calling British Airways to book the award ticket. There was often some hold time involved and it was a time-consuming process.

But that all changes today.

Alaska Airlines award tickets are now bookable on the British Airways website and display alongside other Oneworld partner awards. This change was noticed early this morning and likely rolled out shortly after Alaska's official Oneworld admittance.

You can book Alaska award tickets with Avios through the "book with Avios" page . You will search there like you would for any other British Airways award ticket and you should be presented with all flights with open award space. That said, BA.com is known to exclude certain partner flights, so it's worth cross-checking with another Oneworld search tool .

You can still call British Airways to book awards not listed on its website.

Remember, you can use British Airways Avios to book short-haul flights for a very reasonable award price. Nonstop flights of up to 651 miles in length are 7,500 Avios in economy while flights up to 1,151 miles are 9,000 Avios per BA's distance-based award chart . You can use this to score great deals on short-haul flights and — in some cases — get a better deal than if you were to redeem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles on the same flight.

Remember, you can earn BA Avios with an Avios co-branded credit card or by transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards .

Related: Alaska joining Oneworld brings hotly contested Seattle hub to the limelight

Bottom line

It's great to see British Airways add Alaska Airlines flights to its award booking engine. This makes it even easier to get a great deal on Alaska Airlines award flights without investing the time it takes to call and secure awards over the phone. We're hopeful that other Oneworld carriers will follow suit in the coming weeks by adding Alaska flights to their own award search engines.

Feature photo by Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images