We learned in September that the award charts would be changed later in the year. In September, Alaska added a note to its website.
"Starting late December, the way you view award charts online is changing. We’ll have a simplified award chart to show you where award levels start based on which regions you’re traveling from and to. With this change, similar to awards on Alaska, partner award levels may vary depending on multiple factors including route, distance, or demand. You’ll continue to be able to enjoy great value for your miles. As always, the best way to view pricing and availability for the routes you’re interested in flying is to search for your specific travel dates and destinations."
The new award charts are live right now. There is an award chart on the Alaska Mileage Plan page.
The starting rates for the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada are not higher than they have been in the past. American-operated awards were being priced based on distance.
The price is not a maximum price. When doing live award searches, the award rates should begin at the rates listed.
There are ways to maximize redemptions with the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
I'm concerned about the international award chart. Alaska's award charts used to allow you to input origin and destination regions before showing you the rates. Some airlines charge less for travel between the same regions than others.
The online award chart is not as useful as it used to be. The international award chart can be found here.
It's all done. The award chart page only shows award rates for flights from the US or Canada. For award levels to and from points outside of the US and Canada, search for your desired destination and dates on the website.
The starting amount is the estimated minimum award prices on one or more of our partner airlines. You cannot stop on awards within international regions, according to the terms.
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The starting rates for some of the best Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots are not affected. I hope that Alaska stopped adding new partners to its award charts and that we won't see higher award prices for some of our favorite partners.
You can still fly business class from New York to Hong Kong for 50,000 miles, even if you don't win an award.
Business class can be flown from the U.S. to Australia for 55,000 miles.
You can still book business class on LATAM for over 50,000 miles.
There is no guarantee that these award rates will stay and Alaska Mileage Plan just changed how it displays its award charts.
The ability to charge higher award pricing for partner awards has been unlocked by these changes. That isn't good for award travelers. You can redeem your Alaska miles to get some of the program's best award tickets.
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