Alaska Airlines supercharges Mileage Plan for 2025 with enhanced benefits and choices including new ways to earn elite status faster than ever

Rhea-AI Summary

Alaska Airlines is enhancing its Mileage Plan for 2025 with new benefits and faster ways to earn elite status. Key changes include:

1. New milestone rewards starting at 10,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs)
2. More ways to earn EQMs, including on award travel redemptions and credit card purchases
3. Simplified earning with global partners, offering up to 350% bonus miles for premium cabins
4. Multi-carrier redemptions for international travel
5. Upgrade waitlist prioritization based on loyalty

The airline is also working on a single loyalty program as Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines combine. Members can already transfer miles between accounts at a 1:1 ratio and book flights on both airlines' websites.

Positive

• Introduction of milestone rewards starting at just 10,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs)
• New ways to earn EQMs, including on award travel redemptions and credit card purchases
• Simplified earning with global partners, offering up to 350% bonus miles for premium cabins
• Introduction of multi-carrier redemptions for international travel
• Upgrade waitlist prioritization based on loyalty
• 1:1 mile transfer ratio between Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines loyalty accounts

Negative

• None.

Insights

Loyalty Program Analyst

Alaska Airlines' revamped Mileage Plan for 2025 represents a significant enhancement to their loyalty program, potentially boosting customer retention and acquisition. Key improvements include:

• More frequent milestone rewards starting at just 10,000 EQMs, broadening the program's appeal
• New EQM earning opportunities, including award travel and credit card spending
• Simplified partner airline mileage earning and upcoming multi-carrier redemptions
• Upgrade prioritization based on long-term loyalty

These changes could drive increased engagement and spending, particularly with the Alaska Airlines Visa card. The integration with Hawaiian Airlines and the promise of a unified loyalty program later in 2025 may further strengthen Alaska's competitive position in the Pacific region. However, the true impact will depend on how these enhancements compare to competitors' offerings and whether they can offset potential integration challenges with Hawaiian Airlines.

Airline Industry Expert

This loyalty program overhaul is a strategic move by Alaska Airlines to solidify its market position following the Hawaiian Airlines acquisition. The changes address several key industry trends:

• Personalization: Offering choice in milestone rewards caters to individual preferences
• Accessibility: Lower EQM thresholds for rewards make the program more inclusive
• Partner integration: Simplified earning and redemption across partners enhances the program's value proposition
• Credit card synergy: Tighter integration with the co-branded Visa card could boost non-airline revenue

The focus on long-term loyalty in upgrade prioritization is particularly noteworthy, as it may help retain high-value customers. However, the airline must carefully manage the transition to a single loyalty program with Hawaiian to avoid alienating either customer base. Overall, these enhancements position Alaska well against larger competitors, potentially driving $5.7B market cap growth if executed effectively.

• Members are rewarded sooner at new milestones and can choose from various perks
• Members can rack up elite-qualifying miles to reach milestones and status when they redeem award travel, make credit card purchases and more
• We'll offer new options for earning and redeeming worldwide with our global partners
• As Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines combine, a new single loyalty program is on the horizon

SEATTLE, Oct. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The most generous loyalty program in the industry is about to reward our members with even more. Beginning in January, Alaska Airlines' award-winning Mileage Plan is launching elevated benefits, choices and enhancements that make it faster than ever to secure elite status. As members rack up elite-qualifying miles next year in new ways, they can choose the perks they care about the most when reaching new milestones, along with new options to earn and redeem miles for traveling the globe.

"We're on a multi-year journey to make the industry's most generous loyalty program even more rewarding," said Brett Catlin, vice president of loyalty, alliances and sales at Alaska Airlines. "In 2025, Mileage Plan members will have access to all-new, more frequent perks along with expanded ways to earn elite status, including on award travel. As we invest in a single loyalty platform with Hawaiian Airlines, there is even more to come later in the year."

In September, Hawaiian Airlines officially joined Alaska Airlines, beginning our journey of maintaining both beloved brands – a first for a U.S. airline. We're working on enhancements as Alaska and Hawaiian combine, including a new single loyalty program. Even now, our guests can take advantage of benefits: Miles can be transferred between Alaska and Hawaiian loyalty accounts at a 1:1 ratio for no charge, and flights on both airlines can be purchased on both websites. In November, Hawaii residents can start signing up for a new travel program with exclusive discounts and benefits.

All Mileage Plan members can hit milestone moments

As our members earn elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) in 2025, they can choose from a selection of perks when they hit various EQM milestones between elite status levels. With milestones starting at just 10,000 EQMs, these perks are accessible to a broader range of Mileage Plan members – not just those who have elite status.

At each milestone, members choose the reward that means the most to them – perks that include bonus miles, lounge access, trying an elevated status for a trip, rollover EQMs, and access to exclusive events and unique experiences. Additional milestones happen at 30,000; 55,000; 85,000; 150,000; 200,000 and 250,000 elite-qualifying miles on the journey to MVP (20,000 EQMs); MVP Gold (40,000 EQMs); MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K status levels.

Soar to elite status with even more ways to earn EQMs

Mileage Plan members achieve elite status quicker than on any other airline. Now we're introducing even more ways to secure perks and status by earning valuable EQMs – in the air and on the ground. Don't forget: With Alaska, Hawaiian and our global partners, members receive at least 100% of their miles flown when flights are purchased at alaskaair.com or on our app, and those miles are counted as EQMs*. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, here are the new ways our guests can earn EQMs:

• Award travel redemptions: Traveling the world is getting more rewarding. When members fly on an award trip with us or our global partners, they'll earn elite-qualifying miles based on the distance flown. All award trips flown on or after Jan. 1, 2025, will earn EQMs. We'll begin posting those EQMs to members' accounts starting this spring.
  • For example, a guest redeems a roundtrip award ticket between Seattle and Tokyo-Narita which covers 9,538 miles. That translates to earning 9,538 EQMs – a sizable leap toward attaining elite status or the next milestone.
• The Alaska Airlines Visa® card: In 2025, cardholders will earn one elite-qualifying mile for every $3 spent on qualified purchases (up to 30,000 EQMs). No sign-up is needed – we'll take care of it.
• Earn more with our eligible, everyday travel partners: Members can earn 1,000 EQMs for every 3,000 miles earned with our growing number of eligible non-airline partners. Just think: All those Mileage Plan miles earned taking Lyft rides can get you to elite status quicker.
• Rollover EQMs as a milestone choice: When hitting the 85,000 elite-qualifying miles milestone, a new perk is the ability to roll over 10,000 EQMs to the following year – offering a head start to keeping status.

Go global with new options for earning and redeeming

We proudly partner with 30 domestic and international airlines, including our fellow oneworld Alliance members. We can take our guests to more than 1,200 destinations around the world. In 2025, we're streamlining how miles are earned and redeemed with our partners:

• We've simplified how to earn miles with our global partners: When a flight is booked with one of our 23 book direct partners at alaskaair.com – flights for other airlines that can be purchased directly on our website or through our app – members always earn 100% of the miles they fly*. For travel in a premium cabin on any of our partners, the earning of miles gets even greater starting next year: 150% mileage bonus of the distance flown in Premium Economy, 250% in Business Class and up to 350% in International First Class. That's a mountain of miles. Get more details here.
• We're adding multi-carrier redemptions: Rolling out this winter, members can mix and match from our global partners to travel around the world. For example, a journey can combine an American Airlines flight and a British Airways flight for a dream trip to Rome. We'll begin multi-carrier redemptions on flights between the U.S. and Europe, and then expand to other regions and partners throughout next year.
• Use miles for exclusive events: Coming in 2025, we'll offer members access to Extras – an opportunity to redeem miles on exclusive experiences and events.
• Travel the globe with fewer miles: We'll offer additional Global Getaways in 2025 to international destinations. These seasonal discounts on award redemptions can take you farther for less. Since last April, we've helped our members save nearly 50 million miles with Global Getaways.

Upgrades for loyalty

We're making upgrades better for our members and their travel companions. Later in 2025, we'll prioritize our upgrade waitlist based on a member's recent and long-term loyalty:

• Million Milers will receive the highest priority within their tier. After Million Milers, guests will be prioritized by how many elite-qualifying miles they've earned – not by how much they paid for their ticket.
• With these changes, a guest with an MVP member will now be eligible for complimentary, space-available upgrades when traveling on the same reservation.
• Members with upgrade certificates will also be the first to know when confirmable upgrade space opens for their flight. We'll send them an alert so they won't miss out.

Learn more about the new enhancements to our Mileage Plan program here.

*Saver or basic economy tickets are excluded.

The Alaska Airlines credit card program is issued and administered by Bank of America, N.A. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and is used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. 

About Alaska Air Group
Alaska Air Group, Inc. is based in Seattle and comprised of subsidiaries Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., Horizon Air and McGee Air Services. With our recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, we now serve more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Central America, Asia and across the Pacific. We are committed to safety, remarkable customer care, operational excellence, financial performance and sustainability. Alaska Airlines is a member of the oneworld Alliance. With oneworld and our additional global partners, our guests have more choices than ever to purchase, earn or redeem on alaskaair.com across 30 airlines and more than 1,000 worldwide destinations. Book travel throughout the Pacific on Hawaiian Airlines at hawaiianairlines.com. Learn more about Alaska Airlines at news.alaskaair.com and Hawaiian Airlines at newsroom.hawaiianairlines.com/blog. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as "ALK."

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SOURCE ALASKA AIRLINES

FAQ

What are the new ways to earn elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) in Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan for 2025?

In 2025, Alaska Airlines (ALK) Mileage Plan members can earn EQMs through award travel redemptions, Alaska Airlines Visa card purchases (1 EQM per $3 spent, up to 30,000 EQMs), and eligible non-airline partners (1,000 EQMs for every 3,000 miles earned).

How will Alaska Airlines change its upgrade waitlist prioritization in 2025?

Alaska Airlines (ALK) will prioritize upgrades based on recent and long-term loyalty. Million Milers will receive the highest priority within their tier, followed by guests ranked by earned elite-qualifying miles, rather than ticket price.

What new redemption options will Alaska Airlines offer in 2025?

In 2025, Alaska Airlines (ALK) will introduce multi-carrier redemptions, allowing members to mix and match flights from global partners. They will also offer 'Extras' for redeeming miles on exclusive experiences and events, and additional Global Getaways for discounted international award redemptions.

How will Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan changes affect earning miles with partner airlines in 2025?

Starting in 2025, Alaska Airlines (ALK) Mileage Plan members will earn 100% of miles flown on book direct partners, with increased bonuses for premium cabins: 150% for Premium Economy, 250% for Business Class, and up to 350% for International First Class.