To the point
Porter and Alaska Airlines are teaming up to share their networks and enable passengers to earn points and miles in their respective frequent flyer programs, starting in early 2024.
Porter Airlines and Alaska Airlines are often in the news these days as they announce their expansion plans. Just a few weeks ago, Porter and Air Transat announced the launch of a joint venture to share their network. Last week, Alaska Airlines announced its intention to buy Hawaiian Airlines.
Today, the two airlines are announcing a strategic partnership to share their network, which will also give passengers the opportunity to earn miles and points through their frequent flyer programs.
Expanded network for both airlines
Thanks to this new interline agreement, passengers can now book combined flights, i.e. including Porter and Alaska Airlines flights on the same itinerary. With this, passengers departing from Canada will have easier access to major Alaska Airlines hubs such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, thanks to Porter’s new service between Toronto and the American West starting in January.
With the help of an Alaska Airlines connection, 18 markets in the American West will become accessible to Porter passengers, including cities such as Portland, San Diego, Seattle and Phoenix. Porter’s network will also help link the American West to Eastern Canada, via Boston and New York in particular. These connections should be available in early 2024.
“This partnership with Alaska Airlines is a significant win for passengers looking for more choice and better service when flying within Canada and the United States,” said Kevin Jackson, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Porter Airlines. “Alaska and Porter emphasize passenger service excellence on each and every flight. We’re excited about what this means for passengers across North America.”
VIPorter and Alaska Mileage Plan
What becomes interesting with this new partnership is, of course, the possibility of accumulating points and miles in each airline’s respective programs: VIPorter and Alaska Mileage Plan.
Starting in January 2024, Mileage Plan miles can beearned on Porter flights booked through Alaska Airlines’ website. And later in 2024, we can expect both Alaska Mileage Plan and VIPorter members to be able to earn miles and points for their respective loyalty programs, regardless of where flights are booked. We can therefore imagine that in the booking process (or while managing your booking), you will be able to add your VIPorter or Alaska Mileage Plan membership number to both reservation sites.
Collect Alaska Mileage Plan miles in Canada
With credit cards
MBNA credit cards affiliated with Alaska Airlines were completely withdrawn from the Canadian market last September, and the former Alaska Airlines cards were transformed into MBNA Rewards cards.
However, it will soon be possible to convert MBNA Rewards points to the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan at a rate of 1:1; the date has not yet been announced.
This ability to convert MBNA Rewards points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan will be open to all MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® or MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard® credit card holders once the agreement is established and in effect, according to MBNA.
In this way, holders of the MBNA Rewards World Elite® Mastercard® will be able to earn up to 5.5 Alaska Miles per dollar spent – taking into account the 10% annual bonus – and holders of the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® Mastercard® can earn up to 2 Alaska miles per dollar spent!
With transfer partners
It is also possible to convert Marriott Bonvoy points into Alaska Mileage Plan miles at a rate of 3:1, Alaska Airlines being a transfer partner of the Marriott Bonvoy program.
What’s more, when you transfer more than 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, a bonus of 5,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles is added.
Buying miles
Finally, it’s also possible to buy Alaska Mileage Plan miles directly, at a cost of US$0.032 (3.2 US cents) per mile. Promotions are frequent, so stay tuned if you’re considering buying miles in the future.
Bottom Line
This announcement, combined with the latest news from Alaska Airlines and Porter, tells us that the latter are gaining ground of late. For points hunters, this will give great opportunities to accumulate points or miles in the same program, whether VIPorter or Mileage Plan.
Since Alaska Airlines is part of the oneworld alliance, you can redeem miles for flights to destinations all over the world.
Read on for the latest news on these two airlines:
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