The cost of everything in life now seems to be on the up and up, including British Airways awards on Alaska Airlines. Great! Awesome! Wonderful! Just what we wanted. (Sorry, I’ll dial down the sarcasm.)
A new partner award chart published recently by Alaska Airlines for Mileage Plan partner redemption includes only starting award rates for flights that originate in the US or Canada. Members of Mileage Plan may “search for destinations outside the US or Canada to view pricing.”
With dynamic pricing, Alaska Mileage Plan can charge whatever price it chooses. The “simplified” award charts were widely expected to signal a massive devaluation of Alaska Mileage Plan rewards, making Alaska’s devaluation of British Airways’ rewards not surprising.
What does this change look like?
As of now, award prices appear unchanged for departures from JFK in New York, IAD in Washington DC, and MIA on the East coast, but Alaska Mileage Plan charges more for non-East coast departures. Award prices are changing as follows:
Economy class: 32,500 miles 
35,000 miles.
Premium economy: 42,500 miles 45,000 miles.
Business class: 57,500 miles 65,000 miles.
Due to dynamic pricing, travelers might find different prices when searching. They’ll also likely need to redeem more Alaska miles to fly on British Airways on nonstop departures from airports like Chicago’s ORD, New Orleans’ MSY, Houston’s IAH, and LAX airport in Los Angeles. Additionally, some connecting flights will have more miles, and other partner flights will be more expensive.
What is the gist here?
Mileage Plan partners may require travelers to redeem more Alaska miles to reach destinations in Europe and Asia. Alaska miles, which have historically been some of the most valuable airline miles, are negatively impacted by this. Before redeeming your Alaska miles for your next big trip, it is best to check award rates on other Oneworld partners like American Airlines AAdvantage and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
by travelers, for travelers.
