Mauibaby2008

My goal is to reach MVP Gold this year and trying to calculate what I will need to fly. My question is, does the MVP 50% bonus ONLY count towards redeemable miles(I think so)?

Thank you

ucdtim17

Correct. Only butt-in-seat miles count towards elite qualification.

jsguyrus

There is also a 500 mile minimum, so shorter flights (say PDX-SEA) count as 500 elite qualifying miles.

martonikaj

That's correct. On Alaska, the actual miles flown are what matters for elite status qualification. The one exception is flights under 500 miles will give you 500 miles. Plus, there are situations in which booking more expensive coach tickets or first class tickets will result in bonuses that are applicable to your elite status.

See the chart here: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...on-alaska.aspx

Aside from that, your bonus from your MVP/Gold/75k status will always simply apply for redeemable miles, and not future status.

Kufat

Also, AA flights booked through Alaska's site (codeshares with AS flight numbers) will earn at Alaska flight rates but still count toward the 25/50/90 partner miles qualification rather than the 20/40/75 Alaska miles qualification.

WrightHI

It's particularly worth looking at Delta P fares, which can be fairly reasonable and count for double EQM on AS.

milypan

Wait, what? I have little experience with AS, but it clearly states on https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...on-alaska.aspx, "Earned flight miles and premium cabin bonuses on Alaska Airlines count towards elite status." (emphasis added)

I interpret this as saying that, for example, you'd receive EQM equal to 150% of BIS miles when booking in Y fare class, or EQM equal to 175% of BIS miles when booking in P fare class. Is this wrong?

PDXPremier

The OP was specifically asking about elite bonus miles counting toward elite qualification and no, those don't count, but yes, premium cabin bonus miles DO count as EQMs.

Madone59

+1 These are always a great way to rack up EQM on AS.

ucdtim17

Yes I neglected to mention that, as several other people above you pointed out. Generally, it's butt-in-seat and the elite bonus miles don't count.

beckoa

However premium cabin bonuses *do not* count towards MM'er on AS.

martonikaj

Yup definitely. Most non-transcon DL flights still sell the F cabin as a P fare which gives 100% bonus EQMs — a great deal. Last week I found a DL P fare SEA->DTW->EWR r/t for only $90 more than AS was charging for coach and snapped it up for the huge boost in EQMs.

On the other side of things, the only issue is right now is DL's new "Delta One" F cabins are now being marketed as "business" class instead of "first," which are an "I" fare — and because Alaska hasn't changed its partner earning chart, they equate that to the former "Business Elite" class that was a step below First ... so you only earn 50% bonus EQMs.

Since DL is moving solely to two-class planes and doing away with international "first" class, and Business Elite will soon be completely dead, I'd assume AS would readjust its earning charts. But for now you can at least boost up your EQMs flying Delta P class while it's around.

Mauibaby2008

thank you guys, your input is wonderful. I have another probably more complicated question.

I see a great fare out of YYZ to LIM, one leg is JFK-GRU LATAM flight #8103 which is on TAM metal. Currently Alaska's partner page says that only "LAN" flights with the following flight numbers count

1–1343
1400–1943
2000–2943
4000–4943

How has Alaska been treating this merger? I only want to book this if the JFK to GRU leg counts, it is obviously the biggest ! Thanks so much, major kudos to the person who can point me in the right direction. (Actually it looks like LATAM flight # 8103 is actually YYZ-JFK-GRU)

lg20

I have a feeling this issue will continue, just like the Delta "W" class issue. If it's not already in the contract, they aren't going to change it.

xliioper

DL has not had an international F product and has been exclusively two class for many years. Business Elite disappeared with when DL branded it Delta One in December 2014. It was a wholesale replacement not a gradual process. The cabins may have still had the Business Elite branding, but DL still called them Delta One, not Business Elite.

The JCDIZ fares which are used for Delta One routes are also used for a number of non-Delta One routes. But there is nothing special about these routes. They are not Delta One, nor Business Elite, nor Business, nor anything other than domestic F. They include domestic continuation flights of international flights (which have the same flight number, but almost always different equipment), the JFK-SEA/PDX/LAS/DEN/PHX/SAN non-stop's (which used to get lounge access, but no longer), and flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.