Alaska scales back partnership with American

Alaska Airlines will downgrade its partnership with American Airlines in 2020 because it is flying to more destinations itself. The changes from March 1, 2020, mean Alaska Mileage Plan members will no longer be able to earn Alaska miles on American international flights. READ: Korean Air celebrates 50 years of international flying. They will also not be able to redeem Mileage Plan points for travel on American’s domestic or international flights. International flights on American Airlines booked before October 2, 2,019, will still be eligible to earn Alaska miles but that will only happen on flights booked after this date unless travel is completed by February 29, 2020. American AAdvantage members trying to redeem miles on a flight operated by Alaska face similar prospects. Mileage Plan members will still be able to earn miles on eligible American domestic flights to select destinations in the US Midwest and the eastern US and Canada. However, those flights will need to have an AS flight number and must be marketed by Alaska. Some things will not change. Mileage Plan members will still be able to access  50 American Admirals Club lounges worldwide when traveling on an Alaska or American flight. Base miles earned and class of services bonuses on eligible American-operated flights will also count to Alaska elite status. It will also be business as usual for other airline partners, including oneworld members British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, JAL (Japan Airlines), LATAM and Qantas The Seattle-based airline said it the changes were necessary because it was now in a different position to when it first kicked off its partnership with American 20 years ago. “Back then, we flew just 18.6 million passengers compared to the 46 million passengers we flew in 2018,’ it said in an FAQ. “ We’re now the fifth largest airline in the United States and can now fly more people where they want to go when they want to go there. As we’ve grown and the industry has evolved, the structure of our partnership needed to evolve as well.”