Alaska Airlines to remove earning on basic economy tickets, increase ticketing fees
Alaska Airlines is removing the ability to earn miles and status when purchasing basic economy tickets in addition to increasing partner award booking fees, as first reported by AwardWallet and confirmed by the carrier.
It now joins American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in adding new restrictions to basic economy tickets, which have gotten increasingly restrictive and punishing in the past few years. United even rolled out a new "basic business" fare back in April.
But changes to its basic economy tickets aren't all that's new at Alaska Airlines. Travelers will also need to pay more when redeeming Atmos Rewards points for partner award flights.
Here's everything to know about the latest changes made by the Seattle-based carrier.
Earning on saver fares is ending
Known as "saver" fares, Alaska Airlines' basic economy fares already come with heavy restrictions like the inability to choose a seat in advance, but these budget-friendly tickets are about to get even more restrictive. Later this year, travelers will no longer earn Atmos Rewards points when booking saver fares.
For flights leaving by July 31, you'll still earn 30% of the points flown for saver fares. You'll also still get 30% of the points flown for saver fares for future travel booked before June 11 — even if the travel dates come after July 31 — so you still have a few days to lock in cheaper tickets for summer travel.
Know, though, that for flights booked after Aug. 1, you will not earn any Atmos Rewards points or status points when purchasing saver fares.
"This targeted change helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the program while maintaining strong earn opportunities on Main Cabin and higher fares," according to an Alaska Airlines statement shared with TPG.
No changes to how Atmos Rewards members earn points and status on other pricier fares will be made.
Fee increases are coming to partner award flight bookings
Alaska Airlines is also raising the fee you'll be charged when making partner award bookings via Atmos Rewards.
From July 1 on, the fee attached to booking partner awards will increase from $12.50 each way to $20 each way. That's a whopping 60% increase. Ouch.
"This targeted change supports the long-term sustainability of Atmos Rewards while maintaining competitive redemption rates and broad access to our airline partners," a statement from Alaska Airlines about the change said. "This is a more balanced approach than alternatives such as reducing partner award availability or increasing the number of points required for redemptions. Atmos Rewards remains a transparent program with published partner award charts and strong global partner access."
The one piece of good news is that if you hold the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card, that partner award booking fee is waived.
Bottom line
It's not terribly surprising to see Alaska Airlines match the competition by implementing new restrictions for basic economy fares.
Still, it's a frustrating (and unwelcome) change for budget-minded flyers who regularly choose these tickets. This latest news is just another reason why we at TPG generally don't recommend booking basic economy fares.
The additional costs for booking partner awards is also painful, though there are still plenty of great opportunities to book partner flights via Alaska Airlines. It will just cost a bit more if you don't have the premium Atmos Rewards Summit card.
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