As of March 2021 Alaska Airlines joined the alliance. This was a significant development. The airline has joined the alliance but the Mileage Plan program still requires award redemptions for all oneworld partners. We now have a view from the Wing of the timeline and future award charts.When will Alaska Airlines oneworld award awards be available?Alaska Airlines began offering reciprocal oneworld miles earning right after it joined the alliance. However, the airline didn't initially offer reciprocal mileage redemptions. These are being added to the program and yesterday we saw Qatar Airways award redemptions via Mileage Plan.Many people are curious about what the future holds for Alaska Mileage Plan miles. The introduction of additional oneworld awards via Alaska Mileage Plan seems to be being delayed even furtherThese awards were initially supposed to go live in the summer 2021The timeline was then rescheduled for 2021.The process of adding awards to all oneworld partners has not been completed yet in 2021.This means that we may see redemptions added to more oneworld partners over the next few months, but don't expect redemptions for all partners this year. A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines had stated in the past that they aim to give at least 90 days notice about any changes to award charts. I would expect this to continue.This is, fortunately, a non-issue at the moment due to travel restrictions. You can redeem Mileage Plan miles on many oneworld partners via existing bilateral agreements. This includes travel on American Airlines and British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airlines, Finnair Japan Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways.Alaska miles can be redeemed on Japan Airlines alreadyAlaska Mileage Plan will offer different partner award chartsAlaska Mileage Plan uses a unique approach to partner pricing. This is what makes the program so valuable for redemption.Alaska Mileage Plan allows for stopovers on single-way awardsAlaska Mileage Plans award pricing for partner airlines is generally very attractive. Each airline has its own award chart.Many people have been wondering what the new award chart would look like after Alaska Airlines joined oneworld. Is Alaska Airlines going to keep its current award chart, which is used by each partner airline? Or will it be replaced with a unified chart that all partners can use? It appears that both are possible.As we can see, each partner airline will have its own award charts. Whether or not current rates are devalued in certain cases is anybody's guess.A chart will be available that allows you to combine multiple partners into one award. However, there is no timetable.This solution is my favorite of the two.Mileage Plan should continue to offer attractive single-partner awards that allow for stopovers on one-way flights.For those who want to combine airlines, the multiple partner chart is useful. However, pricing will likely not be as appealing.I am really happy to see Mileage Plan choosing this direction.There is a reason for the separate charts and discrepancy between award pricing among partners. All oneworld airlines allow reciprocal redemptions. However, each airline sets its own reimbursement rates. Cathay Pacific, for example, charges business class seats to anyone who redeems American AAdvantage points. These rates can be set on a bilateral basis where different partners pay different amounts.Mileage Plan may charge more if you book Japan Airlines instead of Cathay Pacific for a particular route. These reimbursement rates will generally affect mileage award costs. The multi-partner award chart is likely to be more expensive, as Mileage Plan takes on more risk.Alaska Mileage Plan will maintain separate award chartsBottom lineAs of March 2021, Alaska Airlines joined oneworld. The airline introduced reciprocal miles earning with all oneworld members immediately, but has not yet offered reciprocal mileage redemptions for all oneworld members.The current plan is to release individual chart for partner award in the next few months. However, don't expect all partners will have published charts by then. We can then expect a multi-airline chart that allows you mix-and-match with partners at some point in future.I would consider award-type options to be a positive thing. Personally, I don't think the slow rollout is a problem since current redemption rates for partners can be kept longer.What do you expect from Alaska Mileage Plan Oneworld Awards?
