You can now earn Alaska status by buying sustainable aviation fuel credits
If you're looking for a feel-good way to boost your Alaska Airlines elite status, look no further than the carrier's latest initiative.
On Tuesday, the Seattle-based carrier announced that flyers will receive Mileage Plan elite status credit for sustainable aviation fuel credits toward their flights.
Effective immediately, you'll be able to choose to offset 5%, 10% or 20% of your carbon impact when you book a ticket on alaskaair.com. The airline will display these sustainable aviation fuel credits on the ancillary services page as part of the booking flow.
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To incentivize you to purchase SAF credits, Alaska will offer elite qualifying miles for your contributions. Mileage Plan members will receive 500 EQMs for every $100 they spend on SAF credits, up to a maximum of 5,000 EQMs per year.
EQMs will be deposited a few weeks after travel, and they'll count toward elite status for the year in which you purchased the SAF credits.
By making this a permanent benefit, Alaska becomes the first U.S. airline to create a link between engagement in SAF and earning elite status.
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Late last year, Alaska piloted this same offering for a few weeks, but it ended Dec. 31, with no word on whether or when it might return.
Now, it's back for good.
"Alaska is on a journey to make air travel more sustainable with an ambitious goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Now we are inviting our guests to join us on the journey," said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska's senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability, in a statement.
Alaska is partnering with climate technology company Choose to actually purchase the SAF credits.
The SAF credit calculation is based on carbon emissions associated with your flight and follows the industry standard formula for carbon emissions. This formula takes into account aircraft fuel consumption, flight path, seat configuration, cabin class and load factors, which are sourced directly from Alaska's operational data.
If you'd prefer to offset the full emissions of your flight, you can do so by visiting alaskaair.chooose.today.
While 5,000 EQMs may not be enough to level up your status without flying, it's certainly a nice benefit for those who choose to participate.
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