If you’ve been racking up Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, you’ve probably asked the question “How many Alaska Airlines miles do you need for a free flight?” With airlines utilizing dynamic award pricing (no more set award redemption rates), the world of airline award travel can be tricky. Understanding the mileage requirements for an award redemption is crucial for getting the most out of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program.
So, whether you’re a frequent flyer or just getting started with the Mileage Plan program, knowing how many miles you need for an award flight is essential. In this post, we’ll dive into how many miles you need for an Alaska Airlines award ticket and take a look at some of the best ways to use Mileage Plan miles.
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How Many Alaska Airlines Miles Do You Need for an Award Flight?
The answer to this question depends on where and when you want to fly. There is a short answer to the minimum number of miles you need to book an award flight on Alaska Airlines. To book an award flight using Mileage Plan miles on Alaska Airlines, you will need a minimum of 4,500 miles. However, as you will soon find out, 4,500 miles won’t get you that far.
4,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles will usually score a seat on a relatively short domestic flight in economy. That’s great if you’re hoping to get from Seattle (SEA) to Spokane (EGE) but less so if you’re hoping to get from the United States to Europe.
Here’s how many miles you will need to book different award flights with Alaska Airlines.
Does Alaska Airlines Have an Award Chart?
Miraculously, Alaska Airlines still published award charts. The airline publishes award charts for flights operated entirely by Alaska Airlines and for partner flights. It has become increasingly rare for US airlines to publish award charts so, this is great news for Mileage Plan members.
Having access to regularly updated award charts makes planning award redemptions quite easy. It also allows you to determine whether or not a redemption is a good value. Let’s take a closer look at the Alaska Airlines award charts.
Related: How Many American Airlines AAdvantage Miles Do You Need for a Free Flight?
How Does Alaska Airlines Price Award Flights?
Alaska Airlines prices award charts based on distance flown. Both Alaska Airlines and partner award charts are broken down by distance. There are 6 distance-based zones for flights operated by Alaska Airlines and 6 zones for flights operated by partner airlines. Partner award flights are also broken down by region.
You will also want to factor in the cabin in which you want to travel. First class awards are, unsurprisingly, priced significantly higher than economy class awards.
Mileage Plan Award Chart for Flights on Alaska Airlines
As previously mentioned, the least expensive award redemption for travel on Alaska Airlines is 4,500 miles one-way in economy. Alaska Airlines awards can run significantly higher than this, especially during peak travel periods like the summer months.
One example of the wide range in award pricing on Alaska Airlines can be seen in flights from Seattle (SEA) to Spokane (GEG). At just 223 miles, the flight is well within the first zone on Alaska’s award chart. This means that these flights should start at 4,500 miles one-way in economy. This is the case but you’ll have a rather tough time finding a 4,500 mile award flight during the peak summer travel months.
A quick search shows plenty of 4,5k award flights in October but not a single flight priced below 5k miles in July with many flights priced at 12.5k one-way.
Nevertheless, the award chart for flights operated entirely by Alaska Airlines is super simple if you accept the fact that pricing varies depending on the time of year.
| Contiguous US (including Alaska) and Canada to: | Economy (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|
| Distances less than 700 miles | 4,500 miles | 12,500 miles |
| 701-1,400 miles | 7,500 miles | 25,000 miles |
| 1,401-2,100 miles | 10,000 miles | 25,000 miles |
| 2,101 miles and above | 12,500 miles | 30,000 miles |
| Hawaii (all distances) | 15,000 miles | 40,000 miles |
| Mexico, Central America and Caribbean (all distances) | 10,000 miles | 30,000 miles |
Related: Alaska Airlines Embraer 175 First Class Review
Mileage Plan Award Chart for Partner Flights
Alaska Airlines award flights on partner airlines start at just 4,500 miles. This is for partner flights in North America under 1,500 miles. In this zone, you’ll be able to use Alaska Airlines miles to book flights on American Airlines and Ravn Alaska. The most expensive zone for partner flights is flights over 10,000 miles to or from Asia Pacific in first class with these awards starting at 195,00 miles one-way. That being said, the range of the number of Mileage Plan miles you will need for partner award flights is pretty significant.
But, with Alaska Airlines’ partner airlines, there are far more sweet spots allowing you to maximize the value of your miles.
Alaska Airlines Partner Award Chart for The Americas
| Travel to/within the Americas | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 700 miles | 4,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 13,500 |
| 701–1,400 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| 1,401–2,100 | 12,500 | 17,500 | 25,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,101–4,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 35,000 | 52,500 |
| 4,001–6,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 6,001 and above | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
Europe, Middle East, and Africa Alaska Airlines Partner Award Chart
| Travel to/within EMEA | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 miles | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,500 | 22,500 | 30,000 | 45,000 | 67,500 |
| 3,501–5,000 | 27,500 | 35,000 | 55,000 | 82,500 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 | 105,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 55,000 | 72,500 | 110,000 | 165,000 |
Asia Pacific Alaska Airlines Partner Award Chart
| Travel to/within APAC | Economy (starting at) | Premium Economy (starting at) | Business Class (starting at) | First Class (starting at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1,500 miles | 7,500 | 10,000 | 15,000 | 22,500 |
| 1,501–3,000 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 |
| 3,001–5,000 | 30,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 |
| 5,001–7,000 | 37,500 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 110,000 |
| 7,001–10,000 | 42,500 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 |
| 10,000 and above | 65,000 | 85,000 | 130,000 | 195,000 |
Alaska Airlines Partner Award Sweet Spots
Use Alaska Airlines Miles on Short-Haul Flights in the US, The Caribbean
With mileage redemptions starting at just 4,500 miles one-way in the Americas, there are plenty of sweet spots throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and The Caribbean.
Fly from the US to Europe in Business Class from 45,000 Alaska Airlines Miles
Another great way to get maximum value from your Alaska Airlines miles is to book award flights from the Northeast US to Europe in business class. You can book award flights on Alaska Airlines partners including American Airlines, British Airways, Condor, Icelandair, and other Oneworld carriers. Keep in mind though, that British Airways charges hefty carrier-imposed fuel surcharges.
Related: Review of American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Business Class from London to Los Angeles
Travel from the US to South America from 7,500 Alaska Airlines Miles
Book Intra-Asia Business Class from 15,000 Alaska Airlines Miles
For additional Alaska Airlines award chart sweet spots, check out this guide from AwardWallet.
Does Alaska Airlines Charge Fees on Award Flights?
Alaska Airlines itself does not charge any fees beyond any applicable taxes. On partner award flights (e.g., British Airways), you may have to cover carrier-imposed fees like fuel surcharges. If you stick to domestic award flights, you won’t have to pay more than $6 in taxes to redeem Alaska Airlines miles.
Alaska Airlines Partner Award Fees
But, if you decide you want to fly in British Airways business class, or any cabin of service, you will need to cover significant carrier-imposed fees. These fees vary by route but are more heavily influenced by the cabin you book. Here are some examples of the fees imposed by British Airways on Alaska Airlines and other partner award flights:
Other airlines may also have their own fees on award redemptions. However, none come close to British Airways. Icelandair also charges carrier-imposed fees on award bookings made with Alaska Airlines miles but these fees will only run you at most a few hundred dollars.
The Bottom Line
The answer to how many Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles you will need for an award flight is not straightforward. With dozens of partners across the globe, Alaska Airlines publishes a few different award charts. However, since members still have access to these award charts (unlike with some airlines) it’s pretty clear whether or not an award flight is a good deal.
While domestic award flights start at 4,500 miles, this only applies to flights covering 700 miles or less. Partner flights offer a greater variety of valuable sweet spots, such as short-haul flights in the US and business class to Europe. Just keep in mind that some partner airlines (British Airways) charge hefty carrier-imposed fees on long-haul award flights.
What is your favorite Alaska Airlines award redemption? Which routes do you get the most value from your Alaska Airlines miles?
