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Alaska Airlines & Japan Airlines (JAL) have announced that they plan to commence codesharing from 29 June 2016 (subject to government approval) and, with that, Alaska Airlines has taken another big step towards even closer ties with the OneWorld Alliance.
Alaska Airlines has an impressive, cross-alliance, set of airline partners on which Alaska Mileage Plan members can earn and burn miles and, while Alaska has steadfastly stuck to its independence from any one alliance, it is looking more and more like a OneWorld affiliate to me.
Alaska already partners with five OneWorld airlines (including all the big hitters)….
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- LAN
- Qantas
…and now, with the addition of JAL, there really isn’t much Alaska MileagePlan members are missing out own by their chosen airline remaining outside of OneWorld – that’s a great position to be in.
The announcement from Alaska Airlines and JAL reads:
With the new codeshare agreement, to take effect June 29 pending government approval, customers flying on Alaska Airlines and JAL will enjoy:
- Seamless reservations and ticketing
- One-stop check-in, baggage checked to final destination
- Smooth flight connections
- The ability to earn miles on the other airline and outstanding customer service
Image courtesy of Japan Airlines
Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines’ executive VP & CCO, is quoted as saying:
As a premium Japanese airline, JAL is a great addition to Alaska’s line-up of high-quality global partners, giving our Mileage Plan members more ways to earn and redeem miles for travel from the West Coast to Japan and beyond.
For the first time, our members will be able to earn and redeem miles within Japan, taking advantage of 600 daily flights on JAL’s broad domestic network.
The press releases goes on to say that Mileage Plan members will be able to earning miles on JAL early this summer with award redemptions commencing later in 2016.
JAL’s codeshare will be on Alaska Airlines routes from JAL’s California gateways as well as Vancouver.
Bottom Line
This is more good news for Alaska’s MileagePlan members and makes the loyalty program even more enticing than it was before.
With Alaska’s takeover of Virgin America the airline will become a true west coast powerhouse and, with the addition of JAL as a partner (to go along with Cathay Pacific, Korean Air & Hainan) the airline has some great options for its flyers looking to fly across the Pacific.
