Alaska Airlines and Hainan Airlines are finally expanding their interline agreement to include frequent flyer benefits as the two airlines forge a deeper partnership to connect passengers between each airline’s network. Starting immediately, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members and Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club members can earn miles on both airlines. To celebrate the new partnership, each airline is offering double miles to members for flying the other airline through October 31, 2015.
“Alaska Airlines is enhancing its unique partner portfolio in Mileage PlanTM by adding China-based carrier Hainan Airlines. Hainan operates a modern fleet to over 90 destinations throughout the world. From Seattle, Hainan flies nonstop to Beijing and Shanghai, and offers an extensive network throughout China, including several top destinations for Pacific Northwest business travelers. Hainan also flies from San Jose, Calif. to Beijing.”
The new partnership comes at the perfect time, as Alaska’s partnership with Delta has quickly unraveled as Delta has built up their own transpacific hub in Seattle with West Coast feeder flights. The battle for Seattle has been hot, but Alaska is not letting Delta rain on it’s parade, and is instead forging new partnership to ensure Mileage Plan members can get to where they need to go, and their doing it with mainland China’s most prestigious airline!
“Hainan offers business class passengers 180-degree flat seats with turndown service, gourmet cuisine created with unique Chinese culinary skills and award-winning wines on trans-Pacific flights. Business class passengers also receive complimentary private limo service both at U.S. and China gateway cities.”
Hainan is a Skytrax 5 star airline joining the ranks of airlines such as Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Garuada, and ANA. The airline serves Beijing and Shanghai from Seattle, both city pairs currently served by Delta along with US Gateways such as Boston, Chicago, and San Jose. I would expect a San Diego annoucement from Hainan in the near future too, but that’s another story.
Miles on Hainian will be earned based on fare class:
Economy Cabin: Earn actual flight miles* flown in Y class of service, plus 25% Bonus Miles.
Earn actual flight miles* flown in B, H, K, L, or M classes of service.
Earn 50% of actual flight miles* flown in Q, X, W, U, V, or E classes of service.
Business Class Cabin: Earn actual flight miles* flown in C class of service, plus 50% Bonus Miles.
Earn actual flight miles* flown in D class of service, plus 25% Bonus Miles
Earn actual flight miles* flown in I class of service.
First Class Cabin: Earn actual flight miles* flown in R and F classes of service, plus 100% Bonus Miles.
Earn actual flight miles* flown in Z class of service, plus 50% Bonus Miles.
Earn actual flight miles* flown in A class of service, plus 25% Bonus Miles.
Alaska has yet to announce redemption rates for the airline but I would expect them to be similar to Catahy Pacific with redemption rates to Asia costing around 30,000 miles each way for a coach ticket and 50,000 miles for a business class ticket. This will be confirmed later this year when the airline starts taking award reservations in November.
