Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Award Chart Changes in March 2024 - An Asia Pacific Perspective
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles used to offer plenty of sweet spots for redemption flights but the program has undergone a few rounds of changes since then. Alaska Airlines has just announced some major changes to the Mileage Plan program which will go live in March 2024 - the number of required Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for a redemption flight will soon be determined by a distance-based chart based on region.
Photo Credit: STARLUX Airlines
In summary, there will be a new award chart determining the number of required Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles based on actual flight distance - these charts are different for the following three regions:
Americas
Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
Asia Pacific
Obviously, there is quite a bit to go through and you are welcome to digest the entire bit of information on your own but I am going to focus primarily on award flights in the Asia-Pacific region on some popular routes. The newly-published award chart for the Asia Pacific region shows the number of required miles in Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First depending on the actual distance flown in miles. Previously, the number of required Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles was determined based on the region and the airline but the unified award chart will make it a much simpler process.
Japan Airlines Business Class: Singapore to Japan will Require 60,000 Miles (from 50,000 Miles)
Using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for Japan Airlines Business Class seats has long been one of my favourite ways to get the most out of the program - you used to be able to fly from Singapore to Japan, and then back to a nearby city (just not Singapore) for just 25,000 miles but this 'trick' has long been discontinued. Currently, a redemption flight from Singapore to anywhere in Japan requires 50,000 miles each way but seeing as how SIN-HND and SIN-NRT are 3,288 and 3,324 miles each way, the number of required miles for this redemption will start from 60,000 miles from March 2024.
Cathay Pacific Economy/Business Class: Singapore to Hong Kong (and Asia) will require 25,000/50,000 Miles (from 12,500/22,500 Miles)
If you do not mind a layover at Hong Kong International Airport (and why wouldn't you, since it is one of the world's best airports), you can currently redeem 12,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for a one-way flight on Cathay Pacific between Singapore and most Asia cities in Economy Class - obviously, you may also redeem a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong for the same number of miles. With the upcoming changes in March 2024, you will soon be required to fork out 25,000 miles for the same flight(s) since SIN-HKG is 1,587 miles which puts you in the second band for redemption.
While you do not really see any actual award space for Business Class flights on Cathay Pacific right now, they are priced at only 22,500 miles currently - this will move to 50,000 miles in March 2024. When I flew from SIN-KIX via HKG earlier this month, I managed to get a Business Class redemption for just 22,500 miles per person - this same route will soon require 60,000 miles since the SIN-HKG-KIX is 3,126 miles and that pushes the redemption into the third band.
STARLUX Airlines Economy/Business Class: Taipei to Japan and Vietnam will Require the Same Miles
One of the best ways to use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles right now is on STARLUX Airlines in Business Class between Taipei and Japan/Vietnam - this will only require 15,000 miles on the right days. To get the most time in the air to experience the highly-rated Business Class product, you may choose to fly from Taipei to Narita or Ho Chi Minh City. Thankfully, both of these flights are under 1,500 miles and will therefore still be priced from 15,000 miles from March 2024.
Conclusion
The new award charts are definitely a devaluation in Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles if you are planning to use them within Asia Pacific and while it is not detrimental, I highly encourage you to lock in those rights as quickly as possible since I would expect award inventory to fall once the news get around with more people making actual redemption bookings. The new award charts which state 'starting at' also hint at a possibility where the actual number of miles may be higher than what is being published.
It is not all doom and gloom - Alaska Airlines hints at more global redemptions (which may be good news for us who are based in Asia), and they will also open up Premium Economy redemption options on American Airlines and Japan Airlines. There will also be quarterly partner award sales with up to 50% off the number of required miles on specific routes and destinations (much like Spontaneous Escapes with the KrisFlyer program). I would personally try to clear out my bank in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program in the meantime while waiting for more information.
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