Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, is an airline operating flights within North America – the US, Mexico, Canada, and select international destinations such as Costa Rica. The beauty of Alaska Airlines is their fantastic mileage program, which offers incredible redemption rates on most of their partners.

Alaska Airlines Partner Airlines

Alaska Airlines partners with many airlines and you can earn and redeem miles on all of their partners. To find award space on these airlines, simply use Alaska’s website. The only two exceptions are Cathay Pacific and LATAM Airlines. Keep in mind that Alaska may not always see the same award space that British Airways shows.

Alaska Airlines Award Routing Rules

Alaska Airlines only allows one partner airline + Alaska on an award ticket. You cannot mix partners. For example, you can fly Seattle – Los Angeles on Alaska and Los Angeles – Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, but you cannot fly Seattle – Los Angeles on American Airlines and later connect on Cathay Pacific. Only one partner airline is allowed.

Alaska Airlines is generous in that you can have a stopover on an award ticket, even on a one-way. So you could fly Vancouver to Hong Kong to Singapore on Cathay Pacific and stop in Hong Kong for however long you’d like. Most stopovers are limited to hub cities of their partner airlines, however, sometimes when calling to book an award over the phone other cities can be inserted as a stopover as long as the routing is direct.

Alaska doesn’t charge any close-in booking fees, but they do charge a $12.50 partner booking fee and a $15 phone booking fee.

Collecting Alaska Airlines Miles

Alaska Airlines miles are very easy to collect. Due to Alaska’s unique partnerships and generous routing rules on award tickets, Alaska miles are valued very high. Here are a number of ways to earn Alaska Airlines miles:

• Flying with Alaska Airlines
• Flying with Alaska’s Partner Airlines
• Purchasing or Sharing Miles (frequently on sale)
• Alaska Airlines Signature VISA Credit Card
  • Personal and Business versions

The quickest way to earn miles is either buy purchasing them (or transferring them from a different Alaska account).

Miles from Alaska flights generally post to your account a few days after the flight. Miles from partner airlines can take up to 14 days to post.

All in All

Alaska Airlines miles are very valuable. Being able to fly Cathay Pacific First Class with a stopover in Hong Kong for just 70k miles one-way is a great deal. You can also fly Cathay Pacific to Africa via Hong Kong for the same price in First Class… that’s amazing.

It is important to note that Alaska miles may sometimes not be redeemed on all routes operated by the partner airline. For example, you can’t fly British Airways Europe to Asia – only Cathay Pacific.

If you have any questions about earning or redeeming Alaska miles, please post them below! Happy Booking!

The post Alaska Airlines Miles: Partners, Routing Rules and Best Ways to Earn appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Cathay Pacific

Based in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific is one of the world’s most luxurious airlines, especially in First Class. With just six private suites in the sky and unlimited bottles of champagne, you’re guaranteed a great flight. Booking Cathay Pacific First or Business Class with Alaska or American Airlines miles is incredibly easy.. it simply involves searching online and then calling Alaska or American Airlines to book.

Cathay Pacific North American Routes

Cathay Pacific flies to the following North American destinations:

• Vancouver
• Toronto
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Chicago
• New York (EWR and JFK)
• Boston

Some of these routes do not feature a First Class cabin. The easiest way to check is by searching on Google Flights and selecting “First Class”, if the Cathay Pacific option does not show on your desired date/route then Cathay probably doesn’t operate First Class on that flight.

Searching Cathay Pacific Award Space

The best way to search for Cathay Pacific award space is by using the British Airways website. You will need to create a free Executive Club account if you don’t already have one. Once you do, simply go to this website:

https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/executive-club/spending-avios

You will need to scroll down and click on “Book a reward flight” under the “Reward flights” section.

Search for oneworld flights using BA

Once you click the button, the website will ask you to login to your British Airways Executive Club account (if you aren’t already logged in). Once you have logged in, you will be presented with the “Book flights with Avios” page where you can type in your desired route and date. You will want to also check the box that says “One way only” – searching one-way at a time is much simpler and quicker. Finally, select your desired class of service.

Search for Cathay flights using BA

When you click “Get flights” the website will ask you if you would like to add a stopover, simply skip this step by selecting the “NO” option and clicking “Continue“. You will then be brought to a results page:

Available Cathay Pacific Flights using Miles

As you can see, on our desired route and date that we initially typed in, we have 1 First Class seat and 2 Premium Economy seats available using miles. If there is no availability on your desired date, simply click on the calendar above and check other dates.

Booking Cathay Pacific Flights using Miles

Once you have located your availability, you will want to either call Alaska Airlines or American Airlines and book the flights. When redeeming Alaska or American Airlines miles, you will have to call the mileage department and book over the phone – you can’t do it online.

To find out how many miles are required, simply visit the award charts below:

• View Alaska Airlines Award Chart
• View American Airlines Partner Award Chart

You will need to look at your starting and ending region as well as the class of service you have selected to view the cost in miles. Keep in mind that you will also need to pay taxes/fees in addition to the required amount of miles. Thankfully, neither Alaska nor American Airlines charge fuel surcharges for travel on Cathay Pacific – meaning that your taxes/fees should be lower than $100 USD per ticket per direction of travel.

Once you are connected to an agent, you will want to provide them the route, date, class of service, and number of passengers. The agent will search and should be able to find the flight you have previously found on the British Airways website.

Booking Cathay Pacific with Alaska Airlines Miles

My favourite way to book Cathay Pacific is using Alaska Airlines miles since they’re so easy to earn and Alaska doesn’t charge as many miles as American Airlines does. When redeeming Alaska Airlines miles:

• you can book one-way awards
• you can add on Alaska Airlines flights for free (for example: Seattle to Los Angeles in order to connect to your Cathay Pacific flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong)
• you can add a stopover in Hong Kong for FREE, even on a one-way ticket (you can stay in Hong Kong any number of days and then fly elsewhere on Cathay Pacific)

Important: Alaska Airlines does not have access to ALL Cathay Pacific award space that you find on the British Airways website. That being said, if the British Airways website shows at least two seats available, Alaska should see the award space. This isn’t always the case and sometimes even if one seat is available, Alaska might see it.

Also Important: Alaska Airlines allows you to only have ONE partner airline on an award ticket in addition to any Alaska Airlines flights. This means that you cannot fly from Los Angeles to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific and then from Hong Kong to Tokyo on Japan Airlines, even though Alaska Airlines partners with both airlines.

Booking Cathay Pacific with American Airlines Miles

The other option is to book using American Airlines miles, which will cost you more and you aren’t allowed a free stopover in Hong Kong. You can still book one-way awards using AA miles and you can also add on domestic flights to get you to your Cathay Pacific North American gateway city.

The major advantage to booking with American Airlines miles is that you can mix & match oneworld airlines on the same ticket – you can’t do this with Alaska Airlines. For example, you could book Cathay Pacific from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines. Since American Airlines partners with Alaska Airlines, you can even add on a segment from Seattle to Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines when redeeming American Airlines miles.

In Conclusion

Cathay Pacific First and Business Class are amazing and easily the best way to travel to Asia. My favourite way to fly Cathay Pacific is by redeeming Alaska Airlines miles as they are very easy to earn and Alaska has a generous award chart. The free stopover in Hong Kong is always a plus.

The post Booking Cathay Pacific with Alaska or American Airlines Miles appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Qantas Airways

Alaska Airlines has been partners with Qantas Airways for quite some time – which means you can earn and redeem Alaska Airlines miles on Qantas flights. Alaska sometimes also has bonus miles promotions for travel on Qantas (QF). QF is the flag-carrier of Australia and transports people to/from/around the wonderful country in the South Pacific.

Redeeming Alaska Airlines miles for travel on Qantas Airways has always been a great deal… when redeeming for Business Class or First Class. Economy and Premium Economy Class redemptions are also available, but aren’t as good of a deal as the premium cabins.

Qantas Airways Information

Qantas features four cabins (First, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy Class) on their Airbus A380, which they operate to Los Angeles, Dallas, etc. Other Qantas long-haul aircraft only feature three cabins – Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class.

QF operates flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Honolulu, and Vancouver to Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. These are the only long-haul Qantas flights you can redeem Alaska Airlines miles for.

QF hubs include:

• Sydney (SYD)
• Melbourne (MEL)
• Brisbane (BNE)
• Perth (PER)
• Adelaide (ADL)

Alaska Rules for Award Travel on Qantas Airways

You cannot redeem Alaska miles on Qantas flights to Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, etc. You can only redeem for North America/Hawaii flights and domestic Australian flights. You can also fly to New Zealand on Qantas if you combine a North American flight on the same booking (for example: Los Angeles – Sydney – Auckland).

You can also book Australian domestic flights on QF in Economy or Business Class. You cannot, however, book Australia – New Zealand flights (unless you combine it with a long-haul flight on the same booking).

You can have a stopover on an international booking, even on one-way trips. You can have a stopover anywhere in Australia or anywhere Alaska operates flights to. For example, you can fly: New York – Seattle (stopover) – Los Angeles – Sydney on Alaska and Qantas. Or you can fly: Seattle – Los Angeles – Sydney (stopover) – Perth. Remember you can only combine Alaska with Qantas on the same booking.

You cannot have a stopover on domestic trips. Furthermore, you can’t even have an overnight layover on domestic trips (so you can’t stop in one city overnight, even if the layover is less than 24 hours).

Alaska Airlines

QF Award Chart

You can redeem Alaska Airlines miles on Qantas Airways at the following rates (all are one-way):

• North America/Hawaii <-> Australia/New Zealand
  • Economy Class: 42,500 miles
  • Premium Economy Class: 47,500 miles
  • Business Class: 55,000 miles
  • First Class: 70,000 miles
• Australia <-> Australia
  • Economy Class: 12,500 miles
  • Business Class: 20,000 miles

As you can see, redeeming for Economy Class or Premium Economy Class on long-haul flights doesn’t really make sense as you can add a few thousand more miles and fly in Business or First Class. Qantas premium cabins are harder to book using miles, but not impossible.

Qantas Lounge Access

Naturally, all QF Business Class and First Class passengers automatically have lounge access to Qantas Lounges.

Alaska Airlines Lounge Members and Alaska Airlines MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K elite members have access to select Qantas Lounges.

QF First and Business Class

Qantas Airways First Class is only offered on the Airbus A380. The best route you can redeem miles for (in terms of maximising your experience) is Dallas – Sydney, which also usually has the most First Class award availability.

You will want to avoid the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 if you decide to redeem for Business Class as these aircraft feature the old Business Class product. You will want to fly Business Class on the Boeing 787 and select Airbus A330s to experience the new Business Class product. Note that Qantas does not fly the A330 to North America.

Sydney, Australia

Qantas Award Availability

Award Availability in Economy on domestic Australian flights is excellent. Business Class is available on most shorter routes with lots of availability, but availability drops on the longer routes (for example, Sydney – Perth). However, you can find Business Class availability if you are flexible and book in advance.

On long-haul flights Economy Class and Premium Economy Class are usually open and easily bookable. Business Class is harder to book, but not impossible – just be flexible and book in advance. First Class is very hard to book… especially on the Los Angeles – Sydney route. Dallas – Sydney is often available in First Class and so is Los Angeles – Melbourne… however, again, you have to be very flexible to find award seats.

In Conclusion

If you are planning your Australian adventure and have Alaska miles, you should redeem them on Qantas as you can see more of Australia with a free stopover. Remember that if you book round-trip, you can have two stopovers (because you can have one stopover on a one-way ticket).

You can book QF flights right on Alaska’s website without issue. However do note that some of the regional flights operated by select Qantas partners will error when trying to book. Alaska frequently has issues booking partner airlines of their partner airlines, so if you are getting an error booking a regional Qantas flight, chances are you won’t be able to book it using Alaska miles (even if it shows as available).

If you found award availability in First Class – book it right away and think later. These seats disappear in a matter of seconds after they are released due to high demand and cabin capacity. If you are lucky to book a First Class seat, you will be in for a great flight down under!

Happy Flying!

The post Redeeming Alaska Airlines Miles on Qantas appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines may not be the world’s #1 airline, but they do have one powerful aspect to them – their frequent flyer program, which is by far the best frequent flyer program in the United States. What makes Alaska’s Mileage Plan so incredible are the unique partnerships that Alaska Airlines has introduced – the Seattle-based airline is partners with airlines from every major airline alliance and then some more.

Alaska Airlines Award Ticket Rules

You can redeem Alaska Airlines miles to fly around the world on some incredible airlines such as Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines. Here are the basic rules:

• You cannot combine partner airlines on award tickets
  • You can only fly one partner airline and Alaska Airlines (if needed) on one ticket
• You can have one stopover on a one-way ticket or two stopovers on a round-trip ticket
• There aren’t many restrictive rules
  • You can transit via a third-region
  • You can backtrack.. a little bit (for example: fly New York to London via Dallas on American Airlines)
• Cathay Pacific and LATAM awards need to be booked over the phone
• A $12.50 USD partner booking fee will apply per person per booking

Rules of the Award Ticket Stopover

The most powerful aspect of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is that you can have a stopover on one-way tickets. A stopover is defined as a city in which you spend more than 24 hours in. While stopovers are powerful (because you can visit 2+ places for the price of one), there are some rules which apply to Alaska Airlines award tickets:

• Stopovers are allowed on one-way tickets
  • 2 stopovers on a round-trip ticket are allowed
• One partner airline is permitted on an award ticket
  • You can also add on Alaska Airlines flights to connect to/from the partner airline’s U.S. gateway city
• Stopovers are limited to hub cities of partner airlines
  • for example: Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, Japan Airlines in Tokyo, Korean Air in Seoul, etc.
  • there are reports of stopovers being allowed in non-hub cities if flying that partner airline to/from the desired city
• Stopovers on Alaska Airlines
  • for example: fly Los Angeles to Seattle to San Francisco and stopover in Seattle for however long you want
  • some restrictions apply (for example: you cannot fly Seattle – Honolulu – Los Angeles and stopover in Honolulu and have the entire ticket price out as a one-way award from Seattle to Los Angeles via Honolulu)

Booking Award Tickets Online

You can book award tickets online for all Alaska Airlines partner airlines EXCEPT Cathay Pacific and LATAM. You must call in to book these two partner airlines.

To search for award space and with a stopover, simply visit Alaska’s website and be sure to click the “All search options” link below the flight search box on the home page. Then you will redirected to a more advanced flight search:

Alaska Airlines Flight Search

Be sure to select the “Multi-city” and “Use miles” options on the left side and then type in your desired route with stopover city (in this case it would be Los Angeles to San Francisco with a stopover in Seattle), your desired dates of travel, and the number of passengers.

You will then be presented with a calendar for that week of travel with available flight options. Note that you may need to adjust your dates based on award availability.

Alaska Airlines Flight Search Results

When the search is complete, we will be presented with several flight options. You can play with the calendar, dates, and prices until you find your desired flight combination and desired cost.

Alaska prices out flights starting at just 5k miles + $5.60.. so why do two flights cost only 5k miles and not 10k? Because Alaska knows you are flying Los Angeles to San Francisco via Seattle (stopover in Seattle) all on one ticket… and since you can have stopovers on one-way tickets, they only charge you a one-way price. You do have to pay the TSA Security fee twice as you have a stopover in Seattle for multiple days and will leave the airport and need to pass through security again.

Alaska Airlines Flights

If you were to book these flights separately, it would cost 10k miles because you would be booking two one-way flights instead of a single one-way flight with a stopover.

You can follow this procedure to book flights with partner airlines. For example, say you want to fly from Los Angeles to London with a stopover in New York on American Airlines. Not a problem! You would simply type in Los Angeles to New York and New York to London and your desired dates of travel. You will be presented with flight options and will be able to select your desired combination.

In Conclusion

Alaska’s unique airline partners and powerful Mileage Plan frequent flyer program allows passengers to visit 2+ destinations for the price of one at very low award rates (especially if flying domestically). Keep in mind that it is always better to book two one-way awards instead of booking a round-trip award on Alaska since you would then be able to fly different airline partners on each ticket.

Happy booking!

The post Alaska Airlines Award Stopovers Explained appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Paradise

The Islands of Fiji are the most stunning place in this world – nothing is more majestic, captivating, and beautiful than these islands of paradise. Flying to exotic destinations on award tickets can be tricky – due to limited flights and lack of award availability on major carriers. I previously explained how to fly to Iceland on an award ticket… however, flying to Fiji is a bit trickier due to the location in the South Pacific.

If you are having trouble finding award availability on your desired dates of travel, my number one suggestion for you would be to spend some time in Australia or New Zealand before/after your trip to Fiji – this way you can match up the flights and explore even more destinations.

Flying to Fiji

The major international airport in Fiji is in Nadi (NAN), located on Fiji’s main island. The flag carrier of Fiji is Fiji Airways – which partners with American and Alaska Airlines, meaning you can earn and redeem miles on Fiji Airways. Airlines that currently fly to Nadi:

• Air New Zealand
  • Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington
• Fiji Airways
  • Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo–Narita, Wellington
• Virgin Australia
  • Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney

The only way to fly nonstop from North America to Fiji is with Fiji Airways from San Francisco or Los Angeles. If you wish to fly from Asia to Fiji, you can fly Fiji Airways from Hong Kong, Singapore, or Tokyo.

If you wish stay in Australia or New Zealand before/after your trip, then your best option is to either fly Fiji Airways or Virgin Australia to Australia or Air New Zealand or Fiji Airways to New Zealand.

Use Miles to fly to Paradise

Redeeming Miles on Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways partners with both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines – you can earn and redeem miles on flights with Fiji Airways. The one major exception is that you cannot redeem Alaska Airlines miles on Fiji Airways to/from Asia.

The cost in miles is:

• using American Airlines miles
  • North America to/from Fiji: 40k in Economy Class or 80k in Business Class (one-way)
  • Asia to/from Fiji: 30k in Economy Class or 40k in Business Class (one-way)
    • can route direct to Nadi on Fiji Airways
    • can route via Australia on Qantas Airways and Fiji Airways
• using Alaska Airlines miles
  • North America to/from Fiji: 40k in Economy Class or 55k in Business Class (one-way)
    • OR stopover in Fiji for however long you like and continue to Australia or New Zealand for the same price of 40k/55k (free stopover on Alaska Airlines award tickets)
  • Cannot use Alaska Airlines miles to fly Fiji Airways to/from Asia
  • Cannot mix Qantas and Fiji Airways on one ticket

You can also redeem American Airlines and Alaska Airlines miles for travel to/from Australia or New Zealand to/from Fiji – without touching North America. Please check each airline’s award chart for prices.

Searching Fiji Airways Award Space

How is Fiji Airways award space? In Economy Class, it is available on about half of the dates and in Business Class, it is rare (but not impossible). This applies to all Fiji Airways routes and not just on routes to/from North America. Fiji Airways does release a good amount of Economy Class award space, but Business Class awards are rare and will require extreme flexibility.

You should use Alaska’s website to search for award space on Fiji Airways if redeeming Alaska Airlines miles.

Redeem Alaska Airlines miles on Fiji Airways

If you are redeeming American Airlines miles, you can also use Alaska’s website to search for award space – however do note that Fiji Airways releases more award space to American Airlines than Alaska Airlines. Therefore even if Alaska’s website says there is nothing available, there still may be availability if redeeming American Airlines miles.

Flying to Fiji on other Airlines

To search for Air New Zealand award space, you can use United.com, though do understand that availability basically doesn’t exist on this route with Air New Zealand. If you do get lucky, you can search award space from North America and see if you can route all on one ticket from North America to Fiji via New Zealand.

In Conclusion

Fiji is paradise and while it can be tricky to fly there on an award ticket, it is possible if you have patience and are a bit flexible with your travel dates. If you can’t find any award space to Fiji from North America or Asia, I do recommend spending a few days in Australia or New Zealand as this should improve your chances of finding award space within the South Pacific.

Fiji is the most relaxing destination in the world and everyone needs to visit these islands of paradise at least once in their life. Please post questions if you need further assistance booking award tickets to paradise, I will be happy to guide you further!

The post Flying to Fiji on an Award Ticket appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

It’s often easiest to search segment-by-segment, so knowing the hubs is essential, especially when you’re looking for international flights.

Keep in mind that if a particular airline doesn’t have a hub in a desired city, it doesn’t mean that the airline doesn’t fly to/from that city!

Here is a list of airline hubs for some of the US’s largest airlines:

United Airlines

International hubs are in bold

• Denver – Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Houston – George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• Los Angeles – Los Angeles International (LAX)
• Newark – Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• Chicago – O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• San Francisco – San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Washington – Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
• Guam – Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
• Tokyo – Narita International Airport (NRT)

American Airlines

• Charlotte – Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
• Chicago – O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Dallas – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Los Angeles – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Miami – Miami International Airport (MIA)
• New York – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• New York – LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
• Philadelphia – Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
• Phoenix – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Washington – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Delta

• Cincinnati – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
• Detroit – Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
• Atlanta – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• New York City – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• New York City – LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
• Boston – Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Los Angeles – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Minneapolis – Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
• Salt Lake City – Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
• Seattle – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Southwest airlines calls the airports where they have a large presence as operating bases.

Southwest

• Dallas – Dallas Love Field (DAL)
• Chicago – Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
• Houston – William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
• Baltimore – Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI)
• Atlanta – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Denver – Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Las Vegas – McCarran International Airport (LAS)
• Oakland – Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK)
• Orlando – Orlando International Airport (MCO)
• Phoenix – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

Jet Blue doesn’t have “hubs”, but rather Focus Cities

Jet Blue

• New York City – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
• Boston – Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Long Beach – Long Beach Airport (LGB)
• San Juan – Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (SJU)
• Orlando – Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Alaska Airlines

Focus Cities are in bold

• Los Angeles – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Portland – Portland International Airport (PDX)
• Seattle – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
• Anchorage – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
• San Diego – San Diego International Airport (SAN)
• San Jose – Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)

Conclusion

This list could come in handy to know how to plan your future travel.  It is also helpful so that you know which airline to pursue elite status with if that is one of your goals.  If you happen to live close to one of the airports that are listed as a hub for several airlines, then you have lots of options!

Which is your favorite airline hub?

The post List of Major Airline Hubs appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Using Alaska miles will allow you to fly to Fiji, then on to Australia or New Zealand for ZERO extra miles!  How awesome is that?!

The great thing about Alaska Airlines awards is that it allows you a free stopover on one way awards.  This allows you to continue your trip elsewhere without adding more miles to your award.  In this scenario, we will be flying from Los Angeles to Fiji for 55,000 miles.  Then after a few days we will fly from Fiji to Australia for zero extra miles.  This award including the stopover is 55,000 Alaska miles one way in business class.

Searching for Award Space

The way I like to search for award seats is to search by segment.  It makes it easier to pair up award seats when searching by segment.  So to do this, go to the Alaska Airlines website.  Within the search box, click on “All search options”.

Select “One way” and “Use miles” then enter in your first segment and click “Find Flights”

If award space is available on your desired date, it will show business class for 55K miles on Fiji Airways

Take a screenshot, or make note of the flight information, date, etc, as you will need this information later when you try to piece together the award.  Next, search for the second segment.  At the top, click on the “Change your search” option.

This will allow you to search for the next segment.  Make sure to select “One way” and “Use miles”, then enter in your flight information and click “Find flights”.  In this segment, make sure to enter in a date later than the one used in the first segment.  This will determine the length of your stay (stopover) in Fiji.  In this example, we will arrive in Fiji on August 26, so I will plan to fly out on September 1st from Fiji to Australia.

If award space is available on your desired date, it will show business class for 32.5K miles on Fiji Airways.  Don’t worry though, this will not be added to the 55K miles from the previous segment.  This is just to see if there is award space available.

Take a screenshot, or make note of the flight information, date, etc, as you will need this information in the following step.  Next, search for the entire award.  At the top, click on the “Change your search” option.

This will allow you to search for the entire award route.  Here you will select “Multi-city” and “Use Miles”.  Enter in your flight information for both segments that you found award space for and click “Find flights”.

Notice that the award pulls up for 55K miles, and includes the stopover!

Select the flight to put it into your cart.  Here you’ll see your award total.

Keep in mind that if you just wanted to fly to Fiji, the award would be 55K miles.  Just search for award space on the first segment shown above and add it to your cart when you find it.  I’m personally looking to book this award with a stopover for my wife and I soon.  If you’d rather fly to New Zealand instead of Australia, you’re able to do that as well.  Just search for Fiji to New Zealand on the second segment.  See below.

If award space is available on your desired date, it will show business class for 32.5K miles on Fiji Airways.

The entire award search from Los Angeles to Fiji (stopover) to New Zealand should look like this

If award space is available on your desired dates, you should see the flights available for 55K miles in business class

This should be your total

Pack your bags!  You’re on your way to the South Pacific in business class!!

Conclusion

Traveling to exotic islands and far flung places can be very expensive with either cash or miles.  However with this sweet spot you’re able to take out two birds with one inexpensive stone.  Maximizing awards with free stopovers increases the value of your miles and allows you to see more of the world than you thought possible.  Earning Alaska miles is pretty easy and the value you can get from them is amazing.

The post Planning Flights to the South Pacific using Alaska Airlines Miles appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Because it is such a long flight, you may be considering first class in order to make the flight more comfortable.  Many award charts charge an insane amount of miles to travel first class to India.  There is a gem that will get you excited if you’re interested in flying first class to India: Using Alaska Airlines MileagePlan miles.

Searching for Flights

MileValue shows that using Alaska Airlines MileagePlan miles to fly on Japan Airlines in First Class only costs 70K miles one way.  To make it even better, you’re able to include a stopover on that one-way award and it will still cost 70K miles one way.  That is amazing!  Japan Airlines has one of the best First Class products available.  This is definitely a high value redemption.

When searching for your flights, go to the Alaska Airlines website.  Within the search box, enter in your flight information, and make sure to check the “One-way” and “Use miles” boxes.  Then click “Find Flights”.

Look for flights operated by Japan Airlines, showing space in First Class for 70K miles.

Select the flight and proceed with the purchase if you are not wanting a stopover.  If you are wanting a stopover, an additional step is needed.  Note that this particular award has mixed cabin seats.  Click on “1 stop” to see the flight details to make sure you are comfortable with the cabins associated with this particular award before booking.

Searching for an Award with a Stopover

Ideally, if you’re wanting to take advantage of a free stopover on your one way flight, you will want to search for each segment separately to see if there is award space.  Once you verify that there is award space for each segment, then you’re able to call Alaska Airlines to book the award.  The first segment will be from Los Angeles to Tokyo.  You’re stopover will be in Tokyo for a few days.  Then the next segment will be from Tokyo to Delhi.  Here is how you search for each segment.  From the Alaska homepage, in the search box, enter in your flight information and select “One-way” and “Use miles”.  Then click “Find Flights”.

For this particular date, there is award space for this segment in first class.  Take a screenshot, or make note of the flight information such as flight number, date, time, etc.  You will need this when calling in to Alaska Airlines to book your award.

Now search for the next segment.  At the top click on “Change your search”.

Then enter in your flight information.  Make sure to select “One way” and “Use miles” then click “Find flights”.

There is award space in business class available.  Take a screenshot, or make note of the flight information such as flight number, date, time, etc.  You will need this when calling in to Alaska Airlines to book your award.

You may be wondering, “I thought this was a first class award?”.  If you check this flight information on SeatGuru, you can find the seat layout for this flight.  You’ll notice that this particular flight only has business class and economy.  It doesn’t have a first class cabin.  So in this scenario, you’ll be getting the highest cabin available.

To make sure that this award space was available, I also checked these same flight segments for availability on the British Airways website and they were available.  I suggest you do the same before calling.

Make sure that the flight information and the cabins the agent is booking for you matches to what you saw when searching for award availability.  Your total should come out to 70K Alaska miles plus fees.

Conclusion

MileagePlan is a great loyalty program where you can find some very high value redemptions with some of its partners.  Throw in a stopover on one way awards and it makes for an incredible trip!  70K miles to fly to Tokyo and Delhi in a premium cabin is an absolute steal.  Arrive to your destinations well rested and in luxury with this amazing award.  Are you planning on going to India?

The post How to Fly to India Using Alaska Airlines Miles With a Free Stopover appeared first on Travel Miles 101.