Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe
Searching for Alaska Airlines award flights is now done through Atmos Rewards, the loyalty program that replaced Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan in August 2025. Former Mileage Plan members kept their existing account numbers, and their miles became Atmos Rewards points at a one-to-one ratio. The booking process still starts on the Alaska Airlines website, but current award charts, partner categories, fees, and terminology have changed.
Quick Answer
To search Alaska Airlines award flights, sign in to Atmos Rewards, open the Alaska booking tool, select “Use points” and, for flexible travel, “Award calendar.” Enter your route and dates, compare points plus taxes, and verify the operating airline, cabin, connections, partner fees, and cancellation terms before booking.
Key Takeaways
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is now Atmos Rewards, and existing members normally use the same account number.
- Select “Use points” when searching and use the award calendar when your dates are flexible.
- Partner award charts show starting rates, not guaranteed prices. The live search result is the price that matters.
- Partner itineraries generally include a nonrefundable $12.50 fee per traveler, each way, plus taxes and possible carrier-imposed charges.
- Check the operating airline, cabin on every segment, connection times, baggage rules, and refund summary before paying.
At a Glance
| Time Required | About 5–15 minutes for a simple search; longer when comparing partner routes |
| Difficulty | Easy for Alaska flights; moderate for international partner awards |
| Tools Needed | Atmos Rewards account, route, travel dates, passenger count, and a payment card for taxes and fees |
| Cost | Atmos Rewards points plus government taxes, possible carrier charges, and applicable partner-award fees |
What Happened to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan?
Alaska Airlines launched Atmos Rewards on August 20, 2025, combining the former Mileage Plan program with Hawaiian Airlines’ HawaiianMiles program. Existing Mileage Plan members automatically became Atmos Rewards members, kept their account numbers, and received one Atmos Rewards point for every Mileage Plan mile.
Points do not expire under the current program rules. Members can earn and redeem points through Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, eligible oneworld airlines, other participating airline partners, credit cards, hotels, rental cars, shopping, and other program partners.
Note: You may still see older articles, bookmarked pages, and search results that use “Mileage Plan miles.” On the current Alaska website, the program is Atmos Rewards and the currency is called points.
Setting Up an Atmos Rewards Account
New members can create an account through the official Atmos Rewards enrollment page. Enter your name exactly as it appears on the government-issued identification you use for travel. The enrollment form also requests your date of birth, contact information, mailing address, user ID, and password.
After enrollment, sign in and confirm that your profile displays the correct name and contact information. You can then view your point balance, recent activity, saved trips, status progress, and available promotions.
If you previously had a Mileage Plan account, do not create a second account merely because the program name changed. Try your existing account number, email address, or user ID first. Use Alaska’s account-access tools or contact customer care if you cannot sign in.
Prepare Before Searching for an Award Flight
A few minutes of preparation can make the search faster and reduce booking mistakes. Have the following details ready:
- Your departure airport and any nearby alternatives
- Your destination and acceptable alternate airports
- Your preferred dates and the number of flexible days on either side
- The exact number of travelers
- Your preferred cabin
- Your current Atmos Rewards point balance
- A payment card for taxes and fees
- Passport details when required for international travel
For example, a traveler visiting the Los Angeles area might compare Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood Burbank Airport, Long Beach Airport, John Wayne Airport, and Ontario International Airport. A wider airport search may uncover lower point requirements or better partner connections.
How to Search for Alaska Airlines Award Flights
Use the following process for Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and eligible partner awards:
- Visit the Alaska Airlines booking tool.
- Sign in to your Atmos Rewards account so your balance and member details are available.
- Select a round-trip, one-way, or multi-city search.
- Choose Use points.
- Enter the departure airport, destination, dates, and number of travelers.
- Select Flexible dates or Award calendar when your schedule allows.
- Submit the search and review all available itineraries.
- Open the flight details before selecting an option.
- Confirm the operating airline and cabin for every segment.
- Review the total points, taxes, partner fees, carrier-imposed charges, and ticket conditions.
- Enter passenger information and complete payment only after checking the final summary.
How to Read Alaska’s Award Search Results
The lowest number of points is not always the best option. Compare the complete itinerary before choosing a flight.
| What to Check | Why It Matters |
| Total points | The live result may be higher than the published starting rate. |
| Cash taxes and fees | International and partner awards can require meaningful cash payments. |
| Operating airline | The operating airline controls the aircraft, seat, onboard service, and many baggage rules. |
| Cabin by segment | A result labeled Business may include one or more economy segments. |
| Connection time | Short or overnight connections may make a low-point itinerary inconvenient. |
| Airport changes | Some itineraries require traveling between airports at your own expense. |
| Change and cancellation terms | Partner fees and some other charges may not be refundable. |
Using the Alaska Airlines Award Calendar
The award calendar displays a broader range of travel dates than a standard one-day search. It is especially helpful when your schedule is flexible and you want to identify dates with lower point requirements.
Enter the route, choose “Use points,” and select the award-calendar or flexible-date option. Compare several days before and after your preferred date. Repeat the search in both directions because the lowest outbound date may not match the lowest return date.
Pro Tip: Search one-way flights separately when the round-trip calendar looks expensive. You may find a low-point outbound flight on one date and a better return flight on another date or airline.
A low calendar price should be treated as a starting point. Open the result and confirm that the available flight has an acceptable cabin, schedule, connection, and cash charge.
Understanding the Atmos Rewards Award Charts
The current Atmos Rewards award charts use distance bands for partner award travel. The partner charts are grouped into three broad regions:
- The Americas
- Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
- Asia Pacific
Qualifying short partner awards can start at 4,500 points one way. Longer routes and premium cabins require more points. However, the numbers shown in the charts are starting rates rather than guaranteed fixed prices.
The actual requirement may vary because of the route, origin and destination combination, partner pricing, market demand, number of segments, cabin, and availability at the lowest tier. Always use the live booking result as the final price.
A published “starting at” rate tells you the lowest possible level within a distance band. It does not guarantee that your route or date will be available at that price.
Mixed-Cabin Awards
Inspect the cabin listed for every flight segment. Under the published partner-award terms, a mixed-cabin itinerary may be priced according to the highest cabin included in the trip. A short business-class segment can therefore cause the complete itinerary to price at a business-class award level even when the longest segment is in economy.
Do not rely only on the large cabin label at the top of the result. Expand the itinerary and verify each flight individually.
Current Alaska Airlines Partner Categories
Atmos Rewards provides access to Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, oneworld airlines, and additional global partners. The current airline partner page divides airlines into categories because benefits differ.
Oneworld Alliance Partners
Current examples include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines.
Other Earn-and-Redeem Partners
Current examples include Aer Lingus, Air Tahiti Nui, Condor, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, Korean Air, Porter Airlines, and STARLUX Airlines. Availability and eligible cabins can change, so check the individual airline’s page before planning around a specific redemption.
Book-Direct or Earn-Only Relationships
Some airlines shown on Alaska’s partner page may allow point earning on eligible flights without offering the same award-redemption access. Do not assume that every airline logo represents a bookable award partner. Use the comparison chart on the official partner page to confirm whether you can earn points, redeem points, or receive status benefits.
Note: Delta Air Lines and Emirates appeared in older Mileage Plan content but are not listed as current Atmos Rewards partners. Use the live official partner page rather than an old blog post or saved chart.
Searching for Partner Airline Award Flights
Start with the same Alaska Airlines booking tool used for Alaska-operated flights. Select “Use points,” enter the route, and search your preferred date. Eligible partner results normally appear with the operating airline identified in the itinerary details.
Partner award space can be more limited than Alaska-operated availability. A partner may release only a small number of seats to Atmos Rewards even while selling many seats for cash on its own website.
Warning: Seeing a cash seat on a partner airline’s website does not mean that the seat is available as an Atmos Rewards award. Do not buy points, reserve hotels, or arrange separate positioning flights until the award reaches a bookable checkout page.
Search One Traveler First
When searching for a family or group, start with one traveler. A flight may have one or two award seats but not enough seats for the entire party. After identifying a possible flight, repeat the search with the correct passenger count.
If fewer seats are available than you need, consider whether splitting the group across separate reservations is acceptable. Separate reservations can complicate changes, seating, upgrades, and disruption handling, so weigh the risks before booking.
Search Segment by Segment
If a connecting itinerary does not appear, search each segment separately. For example, search your home airport to the partner gateway and then the gateway to the final destination.
This can show which segment is blocking the complete itinerary. However, booking separate tickets can create baggage, missed-connection, and rebooking risks. A protected single award itinerary is usually safer than unrelated reservations.
Try Nearby Airports and Different Gateways
International partner space may be available through one gateway but not another. Compare major gateways such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Vancouver, Honolulu, or the partner airline’s primary hub when they are practical for your trip.
Taxes, Partner Fees, and Other Cash Charges
Award travel is not completely free. You redeem points for the fare, but you must still pay applicable government taxes, airport charges, service fees, and carrier-imposed charges.
Official award terms state that taxes and carrier-imposed charges can start at $5.60 per person, each way. International itineraries with select partners can require substantially more cash.
An itinerary containing one or more partner award segments generally carries a $12.50 nonrefundable fee per person, each way. A round trip for two travelers could therefore include $50 in partner fees before taxes or other charges.
Always compare the complete cash total on the final payment page. A redemption that uses fewer points may still be poor value when it includes high carrier-imposed fees or an inconvenient routing.
International Partner-Award Rules
Eligible Stopovers
Atmos Rewards permits one en-route stopover of up to 14 days on an eligible international one-way award. An eligible round-trip international itinerary may include two stopovers, with one in each direction.
Not every route or combination qualifies. Use a multi-city search when appropriate and confirm that the proposed stopover prices as one award rather than separate awards.
Lap Infants
Lap infants are not accepted on international partner awards under the published award terms. Travelers with an infant must arrange a separate eligible ticket at the applicable price and confirm the operating airline’s documentation, seating, and safety requirements.
Warning: Do not assume that an international partner award allows an infant to be added later. Confirm the infant’s ticket before booking the adults’ nonrefundable arrangements.
Booking Your Alaska Airlines Award Flight
After selecting an itinerary, proceed to the passenger and payment pages. Enter each traveler’s name exactly as it appears on the identification or passport that will be used for the trip.
Before confirming the reservation, review:
- The travel dates and local departure times
- Every origin, destination, and connecting airport
- The marketing airline and operating airline
- The cabin on every segment
- The number of points withdrawn
- Government taxes and airport fees
- The nonrefundable partner fee, when applicable
- Carrier-imposed charges
- Baggage rules for the operating airline
- Seat-selection availability
- Change and cancellation conditions
- Passport, visa, transit, and entry requirements
After payment, save the confirmation email and verify that the reservation appears under Trips in your Alaska account. For partner flights, obtain the partner airline’s confirmation code when available. That code may be needed to select seats, provide passport details, or manage special requests on the operating airline’s website.
How to Get Better Value From Atmos Rewards Points
Compare the Award With the Cash Fare
Check the cash price for the same or a similar itinerary before redeeming points. Subtract the award’s taxes and fees from the cash fare, then divide the remaining amount by the number of points required.
For example, suppose a flight costs $450 in cash or 30,000 points plus $50 in taxes and fees. The points replace $400 of the cash cost:
$400 ÷ 30,000 = about 1.33 cents of value per point.
This calculation is only a comparison tool. The best redemption also depends on your point balance, travel needs, cancellation flexibility, and whether you would actually pay the cash fare.
Be Flexible With Dates
Search several days before and after your preferred date. Midweek departures, shoulder seasons, and less popular flight times may require fewer points than weekends and holidays.
Compare Nearby Airports
Alternative airports can produce better award space, but include the cost and time needed to reach the alternate airport. A lower point price may not be worthwhile after adding a long transfer, hotel night, parking charge, or separate flight.
Book When the Complete Itinerary Works
Award space can change quickly. Waiting may produce a better flight, but it may also cause the available seat to disappear. Book when the points, fees, cabin, schedule, and cancellation conditions meet your needs.
Watch for Global Getaways
Atmos Rewards periodically offers discounted international awards through Global Getaways. These offers have restricted booking dates, travel dates, routes, cabins, and availability. Read the promotion terms and compare the discounted itinerary with ordinary award-calendar results before booking.
Earn Status Points on Award Travel
Eligible award flights can earn Atmos Rewards status points based on the distance flown. This means an award trip may help you progress toward status or a milestone even though you paid with points.
Troubleshooting Award Search Problems
No Flights Appear
- Search one-way instead of round trip.
- Try one traveler.
- Move the date forward or backward.
- Use the award calendar.
- Check nearby airports.
- Search each segment separately.
- Try a different partner gateway.
The Award Disappears at Checkout
The seat may have been booked by another traveler, removed by the partner, or displayed because of delayed inventory synchronization. Return to the search results, refresh the search, and try another flight.
If the same itinerary repeatedly fails, search the individual segments. You can also contact Alaska Reservations, but an agent generally cannot book partner space that the partner has not made available.
The Result Says Business Class but Includes Economy
Expand the itinerary and inspect every segment. Decide whether the premium segment is long enough to justify the business-class point requirement. Avoid paying a premium-cabin price for an itinerary where the important long-haul flight remains in economy.
A Partner Flight Is Missing
Confirm that the airline currently supports point redemption rather than only point earning. Next, verify that the route, flight number, and cabin are eligible. Partner agreements and available routes can change, so use the current official partner page.
Changing or Canceling an Award Flight
Sign in and open the reservation through Alaska’s Manage Trip page. Eligible reservations can be modified or canceled online.
When changing an award, compare the original point requirement with the new itinerary. A higher-priced flight may require additional points, while a lower-priced flight may produce a point adjustment according to the displayed ticket rules.
Before confirming a cancellation, review the refund summary carefully. Verify how many points will return to the account, which taxes will be refunded, and which fees are nonrefundable. The $12.50 partner-award fee is identified as nonrefundable in the published award terms.
Some reservations cannot be changed online. Alaska’s online eligibility information specifically excludes certain partner awards, including Cathay Pacific and LATAM award tickets, from online changes. Reservations containing special services, checked-in passengers, or other restricted elements may also require assistance from Alaska Reservations.
Note: Change, refund, waiver, and schedule-disruption rules can be updated. Treat the refund summary shown for your specific ticket as controlling and complete any change or cancellation before departure.
Plan the Rest of Your Trip
After securing your award flight, you may also want to compare a carry-on suitcase with a USB charger, review these softside carry-on luggage options with wheels, or choose from these portable phone chargers for travel. Check current airline baggage limits before purchasing luggage because size and weight policies vary by operating carrier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Alaska Airlines award flights?
Alaska Airlines award flights are tickets booked with Atmos Rewards points. Points can be redeemed for eligible travel on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, participating oneworld airlines, and other eligible global partners. Taxes, fees, and possible carrier-imposed charges still apply.
Is Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan still available?
No. Alaska Airlines replaced Mileage Plan with Atmos Rewards on August 20, 2025. Existing Mileage Plan members became Atmos Rewards members automatically, retained their account numbers, and received one point for each former Mileage Plan mile.
How do I search for Alaska Airlines award flights?
Open the Alaska Airlines booking tool, sign in, select “Use points,” enter your airports and travel dates, and submit the search. Select “Flexible dates” or “Award calendar” when you can adjust your schedule.
Can I book partner-airline award flights online?
Many eligible partner awards can be searched and booked through Alaska’s website. Availability depends on the airline, route, date, cabin, and inventory released to Atmos Rewards. Some reservations or later changes may require Alaska Reservations.
How many points are needed for an Alaska award flight?
The requirement varies by itinerary. Qualifying short partner awards can start at 4,500 points one way, but award-chart figures are starting rates. The live search price depends on the route, distance, cabin, partner, demand, number of segments, and available inventory.
What fees apply to partner award flights?
Partner award itineraries generally include a nonrefundable $12.50 fee per traveler, each way. Government taxes, airport fees, and carrier-imposed charges may also apply. Review the complete cash total before confirming the reservation.
Do award tickets include free checked bags and priority boarding?
Not automatically. Checked-bag and boarding benefits may come from Atmos Rewards status, an eligible credit card, the booked cabin, route-specific benefits, or the operating airline’s rules. Redeeming points alone does not guarantee those benefits.
Can I change or cancel an Alaska Airlines award flight?
Eligible reservations can usually be managed through Alaska’s Trips or Manage Trip page. Review the point adjustment and refund summary before confirming. Some partner awards require Reservations, and the partner-award service fee is nonrefundable.
Do Atmos Rewards points expire?
Atmos Rewards points do not expire under the current program terms. Members should still keep their account information secure and review program updates before planning a future redemption.
Sources
- Alaska Airlines: Introducing Atmos Rewards — program rename, account transition, point conversion, and expiration policy
- Atmos Rewards airline award charts — distance bands, starting rates, fees, stopovers, mixed cabins, and international-partner restrictions
- Atmos Rewards airline partners — current partner categories and redemption eligibility
- Alaska Airlines booking tool — use-points, flexible-date, and award-calendar search options
- Atmos Rewards enrollment — current account-registration requirements
- Atmos Rewards flight earning information — current point and status-point earning details