Alaska Airlines is giving travelers more control over how they earn rewards, allowing members to choose an earning method based on how they travel.
Starting with flights departing next year, Atmos Rewards members will be able to earn points based on distance traveled, the price of their ticket, or the number of flight segments they take.
Brett Catlin, Alaska Air Group’s senior vice president of network, partnerships and loyalty, said the airline designed the program to work for different types of travelers while continuing its focus on rewarding longtime customers.
“This is an innovation; we’re the first to bring them to market. And our ethos, this has always been true at Alaska Air Group going back to the mileage plan and the many decades of kind of love for that program, is that we wanted to offer outsize rewards,” Catlin said.
Sean Cudahy, senior aviation reporter at The Points Guy, said the added flexibility could especially benefit travelers whose habits may not fit into a traditional mileage-based loyalty program.
“If you’re someone who takes a lot of short flights, you have the chance to earn a bunch of points by counting, earning points based on how many individual flights you take,” Cudahy said.
Atmos Rewards is also adding six travel communities that offer benefits based on members’ travel interests and habits.
Cudahy described the communities as smaller loyalty programs within Atmos Rewards, with opportunities for travelers interested in things like food, international travel, or family trips to earn additional benefits.
“If you travel with family members a lot, there’s some great ways to kind of tap into some bonus points, maybe save some money along the way, get some deals,” Cudahy said.
One example is the Families on the Go community.
Catlin said members of the free community who redeem Atmos points for children 12 and younger will get 20% of those points back. He offered the example of a child’s ticket costing 10,000 points, which would result in 2,000 points being returned to the member.
“My personal favorite, I have kids, my personal favorite community is the Families on the Go,” Catlin said.
Changes come as Alaska grows internationally
The loyalty changes also come as Alaska expands its international reach from Seattle, with plans to serve at least 15 international destinations by 2030.
Catlin pointed to destinations including Tokyo and Seoul, as well as London, Reykjavik and Rome. He said Paris and Athens are also planned for next summer.
Cudahy said it remains to be seen whether other airlines will follow Alaska’s approach.
“I think they’re really kind of looking at their loyalty program as a way to kind of stand out from the rest of the industry,” Cudahy said.
More choices could also mean more decisions for travelers
With multiple ways to earn, members will have to decide which option best fits the way they travel.
Catlin acknowledged there is a balance between offering more choice and keeping a loyalty program easy to understand.
“We’re constantly balancing this idea of ‘make it simple, super easy to use,’ which we’re fully committed to, but also giving consumers choice so that they can design the program that’s right for them and the way they travel,” Catlin said.
Members will be able to change their earning selection once a year. Current Atmos Rewards members who do not make a selection will continue earning based on distance.
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