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Alaska Airlines has added Icelandair as a partner for mileage earning effective October 1, 2015. You will earn Alaska Miles at a rate of 25% to 250% of mileage flown depending on the fare bucket and class of service of the Icelandair flight.
I’ve never been to Iceland, and I really want to go, but other than points that can be redeemed like cash toward any flight, there are no convenient miles to book Icelandair or WOW Air (another Icelandic airline) flights. If I were forced to book a trip with miles to Iceland today, I’d use United miles and route via continental Europe, which is a lot of backtracking.
By contrast, Icelandair has an amazing route network of direct flights from the United States to Iceland, with great connections to continental Europe if you want to see both on the same trip.
However, as of right now, Alaska Airlines miles can NOT book Icelandair flights, and there is no timetable for their gaining that power.
My guess is that Alaska Airlines will work out a deal to redeem miles for Icelandair flights, since you can redeem Alaska Airlines flights with all other partners, except Hainan Airlines, which is coming soon.
Icelandair adds to the impressive and eclectic group of partners for Alaska Airlines.
For more information on sweetspots, earning Alaska miles, and the Alaska program in general, see Basics of Alaska Mileage Plan.
Bonus
Alaska MVP Gold members will get free access to Icelandair’s flagship lounge in Reykjavik.
Bottom Line
Starting next week, you can get Alaska miles when you fly Iceland Air. No partnership for redeeming miles on Icelandair flights has been announced, but I am optimistic.
Right now, the options for awards to Iceland are terrible. Getting to use Alaska miles, which are easy to earn, on Icelandair’s amazing route network would be a boon.
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Can you give any detail on the different fare classes? Like M, B, K, Q? I just test-built an economy itinerary from Seattle to Reykjavik and could not find any mention of which fare class it would be. If I’m trying to get the promotional double miles this fall, i’d like to be doubling actual miles, instead of doubling 25% of miles…
I have never booked an Icelandair flight, so I don’t know where you can see the fare class. Usually on ITA Matrix or the airline’s site, it is plenty visible.
Can you give any detail on the different fare classes? Like M, B, K, Q? I just test-built an economy itinerary from Seattle to Reykjavik and could not find any mention of which fare class it would be. If I’m trying to get the promotional double miles this fall, i’d like to be doubling actual miles, instead of doubling 25% of miles…
I have never booked an Icelandair flight, so I don’t know where you can see the fare class. Usually on ITA Matrix or the airline’s site, it is plenty visible.
I don’t know what the mileage costs will be when Alaska starts to offer awards to Iceland, but I just got back from there on 9/23/15 by using a Delta Award in coach for 65,000 Miles RT.
Admittedly the dates I flew were the ONLY ones on their calendar at that rate when I booked it in May. All other dates showed it at 130,000 miles! Also they only offer service seasonally.
I don’t know what the mileage costs will be when Alaska starts to offer awards to Iceland, but I just got back from there on 9/23/15 by using a Delta Award in coach for 65,000 Miles RT.
Admittedly the dates I flew were the ONLY ones on their calendar at that rate when I booked it in May. All other dates showed it at 130,000 miles! Also they only offer service seasonally.
[…] a chance in 2016 or 2017. Right now, there is no good way to use traditional miles to get there. (Hopefully that changes if the Alaska/Icelandair partnership expands to allow redemptions.) The best deal is to use 9,900 Arrival miles for a one way flight on WOW Air when it offers $99 […]
[…] Airlines miles can now book Icelandair flights. This is something I have hoped for since September when the partnership was announced. Here is the award chart for Icelandair flights with Alaska Airlines […]