Hello,

I am asking your thoughts on how a frequent elite flyer with Alaska Airlines might best plan a withdraw from the Alaska Air Mileage Plan.

Alaska Airlines has been making changes that significantly devalue my benefits of being a frequent flyer on Alaska.

Of course as a customer, I seek the best value for my travel dollars. And I naturally seek to use the value of benefits. So, that means a change to my family's travel purchasing for 2019. Specifically, I will no longer be first looking at Alaska Airlines options and I will certainly no longer tilt my travel decisions in favor of Alaska Airlines. And because I can no longer trust Alaska Airlines to uphold their promises of future benefits, I will reduce my risk and actually tilt decisions away from Alaska Airlines.

I am looking for the best logical way to maximize my accrued benefits for 2019.

I have:
>MVP Gold status.
>300K miles accrued.
>The credit card.
>Board Room lounge membership through March.
>Dozens of trips to do. Mostly in the continental US plus in Alaska, and Europe.

For a plan to become an non-frequent flyer on Alaska and become a frequent flyer on other airlines, I am thinking of the following:

1. Spend all the Alaska frequent flyer miles. (and by doing so I will not accumulate elite status miles towards 2020).
2. Keep the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan credit card through the issuance of my next companion pass. Then, use the pass and cancel the card.
3. Use up my Gold Guest Upgrades ASAP (if Alaska has any flights where this is actually available )
4. Not renew the Board Room membership.
5. Status match on likely substitute airline and fly that as much as makes sense.

This is a question about making rational decisions. I appreciate your experience and thoughts on this matter.

Thanks!