Alaksa Airlines’ Mileage Plan Frequent Flyer Program: The Simple Flying Guide

Everything you need to know about the Alaska Airlines frequent flyer program.

Photo: Simple Flying | Vincenzo Pace

MIleage Plan is the frequent flyer program of Alaska Airlines and has been running since 1983. Back then, it was known as Gold Coast Travel, but it was renamed in 1989. Members of the program who had racked up some miles or earned status with Alaska got a huge boost in 2021 when Alaska Airlines joined oneworld as its newest member.

Being in oneworld means the opportunities for earning and spending miles have increased massively. All in, 15 airlines are members of the alliance, including British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc. Some of these airlines had partnerships with Alaksa prior to it joining oneworld, but many did not, opening up new routes and options to members of the Mileage Plan scheme.

Alaska also has partnerships in place with several other airlines that are either not members of alliances or are members of alliances other than oneworld. These include Air Tahiti Nui, Aer Lingus, Singapore Airlines and Korean Air, among others. In terms of network reach, Mileage Plan has some of the best and most extensive options out there, but does that make it a good program? Let’s take a look.

Mileage Plan pros and cons

There are definitely some strong positives for members of Mileage Plan. These include:

Earning and redeeming miles on a wide range of partner airlines, 24 carriers in total
Options to earn miles through retail, car rentals and hotel stays too
Unique stopover benefit on award tickets – very few other programs offer this
Relatively easy to earn elite status, which opens up excellent MVP benefits

Of course, there are some downsides too, which it’s worth being aware of before you commit to this program:

No partnerships with any of the major transferrable points currencies – Citi, Capital One, Chase and Amex – making it harder to earn points that with some other programs
Easy to overlook cabin classes when booking award tickets, which can see you ending up paying premium cabin mileage for a mixed cabin itinerary
Some gaps in the network, notably on the East Coast. These can somewhat be filled by using partner airlines, but earning will be much lower

This brief overview of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan is helpful to get started, but to really get to grips with this formidable frequent flyer scheme, check out our in-depth guides below.

Mileage Plan Status Tiers

There are four levels within Mileage Plan, earned with increasing flying (measured using “elite qualifying miles”). The top level was just added in 2022 and is designed to reward the most frequent flyers, mainly with a higher chance of upgrades.

Mileage Plan Tier Levels
How To Earn Mileage Plan Points

Mileage Plan is the frequent flyer and mileage program from Alaska Airlines. It has long been a favorite among travelers for its generous earning and redeeming rates. Things have changed for the better since Alaska Airlines joined the oneworld alliance – miles can now be earned and used on all alliance airlines.

Earning Mileage Plan Miles
Spending Mileage Plan Miles

Mileage redemption rates for Alaska Airlines flights are now variable and can change based on demand. They are not necessarily directly linked to the underlying price of the flight, but you would expect them to increase as the ticket price increases.

Spending Mileage Plan Miles
Hidden Perks Of Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan stands apart from other major US airline programs with its distance-based earning and redeeming methods. This may change in the future, but for now, it helps make the program one of the most popular with frequent flyers. This guide takes a look at some of the best parts of the program and the best value you can get with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, arranged as a series of tips around earning miles, redeeming miles, and holding elite status.

Mileage Plan – Hidden Perks