Alaska Airlines Enhances Mileage Plan Program, Members Can Earn Elite Qualifying Miles on All International Partners

SEATTLE, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting Jan. 15, 2014, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members will be able to earn elite qualifying miles on all 12 of the carrier's international partners, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Korean Air and Qantas. Mileage Plan members already earn elite qualifying miles on AeroMexico, Air France, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, KLM and LAN.

"Thanks to our terrific group of international airline partners, Alaska Airlines is able to connect our customers to more than 700 destinations worldwide," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "Starting next month, it will be much easier for our customers to earn elite status on Alaska when flying the world on these other great airlines."

Alaska Airlines offers three levels of elite status: Most Valuable Passenger (MVP), MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVPs are given flight mile bonuses; complimentary upgrades; priority check-in, boarding and seating; discounted airport lounge membership; and fee waivers on Alaska Airlines, among other benefits. MVP members also enjoy priority check-in, boarding and seating, and baggage fee waivers on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, as well as complimentary upgrades on Delta. Learn more and sign up for Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan at http://bit.ly/1ksSepK.

Alaska Airlines' airline partners include:

• American Airlines
• AeroMexico
• Air France
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta Air Lines
• Emirates
• Era Alaska
• Fiji Airways
• KLM
• Korean
• AirLAN
• PenAir
• Qantas

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members can find and book award travel easily on www.alaskaair.com using the carrier's one-way award calendar shopping. Customers can mix and match award shopping in a variety of ways, including: shopping for one-way or roundtrip award travel; shopping the award calendars for 12 of 14 airline partners; and combining airlines in one reservation.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves nearly 100 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction Study^SM for six consecutive years from 2008 to 2013. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines