For years, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has been a solid loyalty program with valuable redemption options. But it had one major flaw: you could only book a single partner airline per award ticket. That meant if you wanted to fly Japan Airlines to Tokyo and then continue on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, you were out of luck.
Well, that limitation is officially gone. Alaska has quietly removed the one-partner rule, meaning you can now mix and match multiple Oneworld partners on a single award ticket. And this is a game-changer.
Why This Update Is Huge
With this change, Alaska Mileage Plan just became way more flexible and valuable. Here’s why:
More Flexibility: If you can’t find availability on one airline, you can now mix in other Oneworld partners to complete your trip.
Increased Award Availability: Finding award space is always a challenge, but now you have multiple options instead of relying on a single airline.
Better Routing Options: No more being forced to book separate tickets to piece together your journey.
Fewer British Airways Surcharges: If you’ve ever tried to book with BA, you know their fees can be outrageous. Now, you can avoid them by adding an American Airlines leg instead.
Real-World Examples
Let’s break it down with a practical example. Say you want to fly from New York to Milan using Alaska miles.
Before this update, you’d have to find award space with one single partner—let’s say British Airways. But if there was no space from the U.S. to London, you were out of luck. Now? You can fly American Airlines from New York to London, then British Airways from London to Milan—all on one booking.
That means:
Better availability since you’re pulling from multiple airlines
Lower taxes and fees since you can avoid BA’s hefty fuel surcharges
A more seamless booking process that doesn’t require splitting up your flights
How This Affects Award Pricing
Here’s the best part: Alaska Mileage Plan’s award pricing hasn’t changed. You can now mix and match partners without paying extra miles.
And in some cases, this update actually makes certain redemptions cheaper by allowing you to avoid costly airline surcharges.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning. As of now, not all Oneworld partners are available for mix-and-match bookings, but Alaska has been consistently rolling out new improvements to its loyalty program.
So if you’ve been hoarding Alaska miles, now is the time to start planning those bucket list trips. Whether you’re flying to Asia, Europe, or beyond, this update makes Mileage Plan one of the best programs in the game.
