Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

I first read on TravelSkills that Alaska Airlines is adding 3 new non-stop flights from its Seattle Hub.  The airline will shortly be offering direct flights from Seattle to

  • Nashville, TN (starting Sep 23)
  • Raleigh / Durham, NC (starting Oct 1)
  • Charleston, SC (starting Nov 16)

Alaska is offering for a limited-time only fares as low as $139 on their website

alaska-fare-sale

Still stuck in the Alaska dead zone..

But… I’m still stuck in the Alaska dead zone

alaska-airlines-mileage-partners-dead-zone

While these 3 new destinations do close up the Dead Zone circle a bit, for me (in Cincinnati), the closest Alaska Airlines flight is probably a 4 hour drive to Detroit (i.e. too far)

Alaska Airlines mileage partners

I used to think that living in the Alaska Airlines dead zone meant that Alaska Airlines miles weren’t that useful to get, but that was before I realized the huge value of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan partners.

alaska-airlines-mileage-partners-list

Although they are not in an airline alliance, they are partners with several useful airlines, and have some pretty attractive award charts.  I’ve got my eye on maybe some First Class with Emirates, now that availability is showing again on the Alaska website.

The big downside though is that you can only use 1 partner on any given award ticket.  So while they do partner with both, say, American and Emirates, I couldn’t use an American flight from Cincinnati (CVG) to Chicago (ORD) and then an Emirates flight from Chicago to Dubai (DXB).


Points With a Crew has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Points With a Crew and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them

User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.

BoardingArea