Originally Posted by
navydevildoc
You guys are all letting Alaska sleep past you all. Still distance based earning, C-Suite said on a recent investor call that it's a market differentiator for them which would seem to indicate they are not going to change it.
Unfortunately they nerfed partner flight earnings that aren't booked through Alaska (which is a problem because they have really restricted inventory they can sell). Redemptions are kind of a pain in the ... as well, with limited inventory if you don't want to fly AS. They don't limit mileage redemption on their own metal.
But they now award EQMs on mileage tickets, just merged with HA which includes intercontinental routes from the west coast to Asia, have a great individual partnership with American for comp upgrades here in the states,
It really is worth looking at.
It might work if a substantial proportion of your flying touches the USA. For someone whose main focus is within Europe or between Europe and somewhere else than North America (Europe-Asia and/or Europe-Africa), it is not really attractive. You cannot really book intra-European, Europe-Asia or Europe-Africa itineraries on alaska.com (if you try, it will give you ridiculous routings at ridiculous prices such as, e.g., LHR-MRS on RAM via CMN rather than BA direct) so you end up with rather unattractive earning rates if you book a more reasonable itinerary elsewhere.
For someone with a large proportion of US-centered traveling, however, it probably makes a lot of sense.