Alaska Airlines announces major Mileage Plan award chart changes in 2024

15.11.2023 - 14:04 / thepointsguy.com / Brett Catlin

If you're a loyal Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan member, buckle up. The carrier has just announced a new award chart set to take effect in March 2024. Alaska leaders are touting this as a major enhancement, but our preliminary research shows that it's a mixed bag compared to current award rates — especially if you're looking to book Alaska partners in 2024. However, it does offer some notable simplicity that was previously missing, with different partners having wildly different award rates when traveling between the same regions.

"Mileage Plan has long been known for offering great value on global redemptions with access to some of the most aspirational premium products and destinations," Brett Catlin, vice president of loyalty, alliances and sales at Alaska Airlines, said in a press release. "We're excited to provide a more straightforward award proposition while doubling down on the opportunities our guests will have to find amazing values."

So, what "amazing" changes is Alaska Airlines making to its Mileage Plan award chart?

Related: The best websites for searching Oneworld award availability

In March 2024, the Mileage Plan award chart will have a new distance-based structure and will be divided into three region-based charts: the Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific. The chart will show redemption rates that will vary based on the distance being flown.

The first region is the Americas — which includes North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. These prices apply to flights flown between (or within) these areas.

Note that Hawaii, the Caribbean and Central America are no longer included as separate regions (as they are on the current award chart). Instead, flights to or from these areas will follow the above pricing.

The next region is Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The prices below apply to flights within these three areas and for flights from the U.S. to any of these areas.

The final region is Asia — which includes Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Japan, Korea and the South Pacific. These prices apply to flights within these areas, between these areas and EMEA, and between the U.S. and these areas.

There's a lot to unpack here, so let's take a closer look at some of the regions.

Under the current award chart, most award flights within the Americas are already distance-based (excluding those to South America). For example, an economy award flight within (or between) the contiguous U.S. and Alaska or Canada that is less than 700 miles currently starts at 5,000 Mileage Plan miles. In the new award chart (effective March 2024), flights less than 700 miles in economy will start at 4,500 miles. Meanwhile, flights that cover between 701 and