Alaska Airlines announced broad changes when it announced its new Atmos reward loyalty program last month. But one of the biggest wins for frequent travelers is something that the airline simply doesn’t change: its popular award list.
Looking ahead, the redemptions through Atmos Rewards look like they did in the airline’s former Alaska Airlines Mileage Program plan.
Welcome the news to dozens of long-time treasured Alaska fixed, predictable redemption prices, a structure that has always unleashed some of the best reward deals for any American airline on Alaska and its partner network.
Today, with Atmos bonus points (formerly Alaska mileage), you can book a OneWorld Alliance partner’s short domestic flight for just 4,500 points, a deal that personally saved me millions, thousands of dollars and took me on Interstate 95 for more than a few hours this summer.
You can also use Atmos Rewards Points to book transatlantic flights from the United States to Europe for only 22,500 points, including tens of thousands of days in competitor reward pricing.
Alaska’s plan can also unlock stylish seats: Earlier this year, some TPG employees used Alaska’s plan to fly to London for 55,000 minutes in a new flagship corporate suite in the U.S.
Stick to industry trends
Alaska’s reward pricing advantage comes in largely from its reward chart, a reward graph based on distances whose prices ride miles instead of unpredictable factors such as demand or travel dates.
This approach is becoming more common throughout the industry, making Atmos rewards a little outlier. Many airlines have turned to dynamic reward pricing, the points or mileage you need may fluctuate like cash fares – and take a bite in the process.
Industry experts, points and fans of Myers fear Alaska might launch a new loyalty program with merger partner Hawaiians. Even though last year’s operator promised it wouldn’t depreciate its mileage (now the point), those concerns continued to decline, a commitment that helped ensure Biden Administration’s approval of the acquisition.
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Then on August 20, when Alaska Airlines Group announced Atmos’ rewards, executives made it clear that the company would abide by its promise and its rewards form.
“As an industry, our guests who already have the conditions can expect the worst,” Brett Catlin, Alaska’s largest loyalty executive, told me. “That’s not how we connect.”
Partner Awards Pictures are refreshed in 2024
In addition to this spirit, we should also point out that: Alaska just refreshed its Partner Awards in April 2024 about a year and a half ago.
Since then, the airline’s setup has often led to its loyalty currency rankings among the most valuable points and monthly updated mileage valuations of any American airline that are the most valuable in TPG data-driven points (although American Airlines Aadvantage Miles nearly led in September 2025).
The value of these points, along with the increasing amount of Alaska’s reward space, in turn enhances the program’s overview, from its credit card lineup to a 1:1 transfer partnership with Bilt Rewards. Even among East Coast pilots who rarely fly with Seattle Airlines.
“We created a proposition that resonated with our guests. We have seen [program] In the past year, usage has increased dramatically. ” Catlin said.
A lingering question?
Of course, in the long run, the rewards that Atmos rewards resonate with travelers will depend heavily on the airline’s future points plan. Although executives didn’t make a pricing promise (no carrier or…company…never), Catlin offers this extensive assurance:
“At the moment we have no plans, fundamentally changing the way we construct redemption,” he said.
These guarantees do not completely eliminate all concerns. My colleague, TPG senior writer Zach Griff, is still worried that pricing hikes may eventually come – at least on some flights.
“If I were a bet person, I would say that Alaska’s existing reward rates don’t stay here,” he wrote in an analysis of the new Atmos rewards program. “In many cases, they are already lower than competition; Alaska may not be able to maintain these rates forever.”
The airline does not rule out some pricing adjustments online. This includes potential changes to one’s (non-partner) reward charts to illustrate its increasingly global route network.
“And there are always nuances that you have to revisit from time to time,” Catlin added.
But, a bigger picture?
“We are not going to blind anyone,” he said. “So, I think the mindset continues.”
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