The unfortunate Alaska Airlines devaluation is upon us, with many of the anticipated changes taking place as we speak. While any devaluation is bad news, not all hope is lost, as there are still some winners coming out of this and some new "sweet spot" redemption opportunities.
This article will outline the new Alaska Airlines sweet spot redemptions where you can still maximize the value of your hard-earned Alaska miles.
Seattle <> Tokyo (HND/NRT) In Business Class For 60k Miles
The new award chart clocks in partner business bookings to/from Asia & the US starting at just 60,000 miles for flights traveling 3,001-5,000 miles. While flights from SFO/LAX to Japan clock in just over 5,000 miles, flights from Seattle just sneak in right under that threshold. This means that you still score some fantastic pricing with Alaska Airlines partner business class bookings over the Pacific through Seattle.
Northeast US <> British Isles + Europe In Business Class (Some Routes) For 45k Miles
For partner flights traveling 1,501–3,500 miles, business class seats cost just 45,000 Alaska miles each way. There are several transatlantic flights to/from several Northeast US airports that just meet the criteria before jumping into the next price band:
- BOS <> MAD: 3,410 miles
- BOS <> LHR: 3,265 miles
- BOS <> DUB: 2,993 miles
- JFK <> LHR: 3,451 miles
- JFK <> DUB: 3,179 miles
While some changes are still being rolled out, it's also important to note that some of these prices are theoretical until we can actually see them take place. For example, although BOS <> MAD clocks in under 3,500 miles according to Great Circle Mapper, we might find that Alaska disagrees with that distance.
Some new pricing is already being reflected. However, be wary of extreme award taxes when booking tickets flying into/from the United Kingdom.
US <> Iceland & Europe Via Business Class For 35k Miles
Icelandair business class is essentially domestic first class / premium economy on international flights—the seats do not go lie flat but are larger than economy. Consequently, Alaska Airlines is pricing these flights as "premium economy" despite their categorization as business class. However, given that Alaska only charges 35,000 miles for premium economy flights flying 3,501–5,000 miles, this means you could fly from the US to Iceland to Europe (with a free stopover) for a reasonable price.
For instance, a flight from Boston to Iceland to Madrid in Icelandair business class with a multiday stopover in Iceland would cost just 35,000 miles (flying ~4,211 miles). That's not too bad all things considered and can really make Alaska's free stopover program extremely powerful. In theory, since you have a cap of 5,000 miles before reaching the next price band, you could add an economy leg on another partner intra-Europe to continue maximizing the value of this ticket.
Intra-North America Economy Flights
For short-haul flights traveling within North America, there can be significant opportunity for tremendous value:
- 701–1,400 miles: 5,000 miles
- 1,401–2,100 miles: 10,000 miles
- All distances for Mexico, Central America and Caribbean: 10,000 miles
Notably, these are all "starting at" prices, meaning these are the lowest possible fares you'll see for these routes. However, for what it's worth, these prices can be valuable and give you significant opportunity to extract just a few more percentage points out of your miles when needed.
Short Haul Flights In Asia
Interestingly, the Alaska changes also prove quite favorable to short haul flight pricing within Asia. For flights traveling less than 1,500 miles in Asia, business class flights start at just 15,000 miles one-way. This is quite fantastic pricing considering some of the opportunities:
- Tokyo <> Beijing / Shanghai on Japan Airlines business class: 15,000 Alaska miles
- Doha <> Mumbai on Qatar Airlines business class: 15,000 Alaska miles
Stopovers Remain
Alaska has always had one of the most generous stopover policies around, enabling you to easily book free stopovers on your award redemptions. However, one big change is that award pricing is going to based on the cumulative distance, so a stopover may push you into a new pricing band.
Conclusion
Overall, this Alaska Airlines devaluation is not great. Once the dust settles and the best possible redemption opportunities fade away, some newer gems will emerge. However, the days of the old extremely high value Alaska Airlines redemption opportunities will be missed as we get replaced with more high-value short-haul award flights.
