New award redemption opportunities: Alaska Airlines partners with Philippine Airlines
Alaska Airlines has a new global airline partner that will allow its Mileage Plan members to redeem miles on flights to and from destinations in the South Pacific, Asia, Australia and beyond.
The Seattle-based carrier announced a new loyalty tie-up with Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier of the Philippines that's based in Manila.
It's a full "earn and burn" partnership, which means travelers with a Mileage Plan account can book PAL flights through Alaska's booking channels, earn Alaska miles, and redeem miles on flights operated by either airline.
"Philippine Airlines is a terrific addition to our roster of global airlines, offering world-class service and amenities," Alaska Vice President of Loyalty, Alliances and Sales Brett Catlin said in a statement announcing the news. Here's what to know about the new partnership.
Book Philippine Airlines flights with Alaska miles
The new partnership should be good news for Alaska loyalists with a stash of miles to redeem — or the right credit card points that can be transferred to its Mileage Plan program.
PAL currently flies to four U.S. airports from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in Manila, including:
- Twice-daily flights to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Daily flights to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Three weekly flights to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Five weekly flights to Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Notably, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Honolulu are all hubs for the new, combined operation that is Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, which it acquired in 2024.
Now, beyond the chance to visit Manila and the Philippines, travelers can use this partnership to connect onward to an extensive list of destinations the airline flies to — from the South Pacific to throughout Asia and Australia.
PAL operates a fairly diverse long-haul fleet of planes, from the Boeing 777-300ER to the Airbus A350-900 and A330. Plus, this airline offers lie-flat business-class accommodations on many of its wide-body jets.
One of the reasons this is an exciting partnership is that Alaska offers one of the most valuable loyalty currencies of any U.S. airline. Therefore, the chance to redeem miles on a new international carrier should present new ways to travel to a far-away destination at a decent redemption rate.
Alaska uses a distance-based award chart — broken into three separate zones — for its partner awards. Though Alaska uses an award chart, the redemption rates are a "starting at" price, which means the cost of an award ticket could be greater.
With this new partnership, you could fly one-way in economy from the U.S. to the Philippines starting at 37,500 Alaska miles, or 75,000 to 85,000 miles in business class.
How to earn Alaska Airlines miles
While these redemptions are not yet live, it's never too soon to start earning Alaska miles. Aside from earning Mileage Plan miles when flying on Alaska-operated flights or its partners, you can also earn miles through the Mileage Plan Shopping portal and cobranded credit cards.
Plus, as part of Alaska and Hawaiian's merger, you can now seamlessly transfer HawaiianMiles to Mileage Plan once your accounts are linked. However, this transfer will eventually end once the two carriers form a single, joint loyalty program.
Therefore, for now, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles, and then move those miles to Alaska. Even simpler: If you have Bilt Rewards Points, you can transfer them to Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio.
Be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on all of the ways you can earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles.
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