Here’s Why Alaska Airlines Is Keeping Its Generous Frequent Flyer Program
Photo Credit: Alaska Airlines will continue to reward miles based on the distance passengers fly. Alaska Airlines
Skift Take
It's easy to be skeptical when an airline says it is making passenger-friendly decisions, but this appears to be the real deal. Many travelers will be much closer to a free ticket now that Alaska is retaining its miles-earning policies for the foreseeable future.
Just after closing its acquisition of Virgin America, Alaska Airlines surprised travelers — and some loyalty experts — by making a simple announcement about its frequent flyer program: Passengers will continue to earn one mile for every mile they fly.
Not long ago, that was normal for all U.S. airlines. Travelers on most airlines who flew one-way from Seattle to Chicago, earned roughly 1,720 miles in the carrier's loyalty program, regardless of whether they bought a cheap ticket or an expensive one.
But that's no longer the case. In the past two years, American, Delta and United have joined Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin America in adopting a revenue-based system, awarding miles not for distance flown, but for money spent. That's good new for business travelers who buy four our five figure fares — on United, a high-level elite frequent flyer on a $6,000 business class ticket from Frankfurt to Newark earns 66,000 miles, roughly three times more miles than in the old paradig
