Atmos Award Inflation and Scarcity - More Points Chasing Fewer Premium Awards
Mar 15, 2026 | 2:47 pm
#46
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: Alaska MileagePlan MVP
Posts: 208
I think there's something funky going on. I'm still seeing more or less "correct" pricing, but it seems to be more dynamic than usual, and higher where there are connections to carriers other than AA. We know that they're trying to move to O/D pricing instead of segment-based pricing for cash and award fares, so maybe this is a step in that transition.
Hopefully the coverage will yield some transparency from the people down at Angle Lake.
Hopefully the coverage will yield some transparency from the people down at Angle Lake.
Mar 15, 2026 | 2:48 pm
#47
Join Date: May 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AA, AS, AC, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG
Posts: 203
Good point. So it seems JFK-FRA yields mixed results. Premium at 35k, which is expected but Business still elevated at 3x original at 185k. That connecting itinerary inflation seems to make things go something like 2x the price? But it does not make sense, it's still way more than individual sector pricing. Granted the FRA-VIE sector is also priced way higher, than the standard 7.5k for this 386 mile hop.
Mar 15, 2026 | 3:04 pm
#48
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,314
Reimbursement rates for partner saver-level awards should be contractual, not subject to market dynamics. However, fuel surcharges, which AS absorbs, may increase the cost to AS. We probably should check with ITAMatrix to see what the increases in fuel surcharges are on the routes we saw significant increases in award prices, but my guess is that it probably wouldn't explain the magnitude of the award price increases. Besides, AS always has the alternative to block those awards that it deems too expensive.
Mar 15, 2026 | 3:10 pm
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS Plat, AA EP, Bonvoy Plat, Hilton Dia, Hyatt Glob, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 21,289
Mar 15, 2026 | 3:14 pm
#51
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,314
Mar 15, 2026 | 5:20 pm
#53
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PDX/SJC (formerly CHI and STL)
Programs: AS, DL, AA, UA, WN
Posts: 1,118
I'm leaning toward a glitch as well, specifically tied to how the system is identifying price for partner connections.
Mar 15, 2026 | 7:01 pm
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, AS MVP Gold, MR LTT, HH Dia, IHG Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 37,033
Mar 16, 2026 | 2:26 am
#56
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: New York
Programs: Bonvoy LifetimeTitanium, UA Plat 2MM, LHW LeadersClub, IHGPlat, HiltonDiamnd, AtmosTitm, WyndDiamnd
Posts: 1,306
Can't tell if things have (or will) sort themselves out, but saw NYC-VIE about 330 days out at 55,000 miles each way on AA connecting to BA (and return) with fees of $63/$150 in Business which is a very good deal and better than the past Condor offerings with the last leg in Y. Of course, if you really want to fly BA transatlantic, it will cost you over $1,000 in fees.
Mar 16, 2026 | 8:38 am
#57
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Saarbruecken, Germany
Programs: AY, AS, BA, OZ, SK
Posts: 219
From experimenting with routes I’ve redeemed before and what I’ve wanted to book, it seems something is either broken or they’ve made a stopover booking completely devalued. E.g. FRA-CMN, CMN-DSS booked separately as 2 one-way tickets are priced at 7.5k/15K for Y/J redemptions per segment respectively. Searched as a multi-city ended up pricing the exact same flights as 55K/110K total trip for Y/J. I’ve experimented with EU-Asia itineraries, intra-US etc and it shows multi-city bookings pricing out higher than combining 2 one-ways most of the routes I’ve tried. I hope this is a glitch and that they haven’t completely gutted “Free” stopovers on award bookings altogether. Not holding my breath though.
Mar 16, 2026 | 11:28 am
#58
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: AS Silver, UA, AA, Hyatt Globalist, and Marriott Silver
Posts: 534
Ben updated his post on One Mile at a Time with the following statement from Alaska.
"An Alaska spokesperson has confirmed that there was a technical issue affecting the prices of some connections on partner flights involving Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and that issue has been resolved. There are no changes to the award charts."
Hopefully things are better moving forward. Now the 300k awards, that's a different story. LOL
"An Alaska spokesperson has confirmed that there was a technical issue affecting the prices of some connections on partner flights involving Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and that issue has been resolved. There are no changes to the award charts."
Hopefully things are better moving forward. Now the 300k awards, that's a different story. LOL
Last edited by dayone; Mar 16, 2026 at 11:30 am Reason: DMR.
Mar 16, 2026 | 12:05 pm
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: KARB
Programs: DL 2MM
Posts: 26,646
Reimbursement rates for partner saver-level awards should be contractual, not subject to market dynamics. However, fuel surcharges, which AS absorbs, may increase the cost to AS. We probably should check with ITAMatrix to see what the increases in fuel surcharges are on the routes we saw significant increases in award prices, but my guess is that it probably wouldn't explain the magnitude of the award price increases. Besides, AS always has the alternative to block those awards that it deems too expensive.
Last edited by xliioper; Mar 16, 2026 at 12:14 pm
. Good