Alaska Blocks Partner Awards T-72 Hours From Departure

Intro

There is an interesting development when it comes to Alaska Airlines and, quite possibly, an overall trend in the aviation market going forward. Alaska Airlines has decided to "temporarily" suspend the majority of partner bookings when booked less than 3 days before departure. Let's get into it.

The Details

As of November 11th, 2024, Alaska Airlines had applied a safety measure when it came to last-minute awards. If you are somebody who banks on last-minute awards, this might be an issue.

For the time being, Alaska Airlines has restricted space on all partners minus American Airlines when booking 72 hours before departure.

Yes, you can still book American Airlines

Alaska Airlines claims that this is to "prevent fraud." In the past, we have seen cases where fraud is an issue closer to departure, where hackers will get into other accounts and book travel for others. By the time it is caught, the flights have already been flown. In the past, we have seen this limited, more specifically in Asia, to carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.

However, this is the first time that we have seen an airline block partner awards in such a manner. Blocking off tens of partners could prove to be quite catastrophic for users, or will it?

Relief: This Is Temporary

Thanks to OMAAT for reaching out to Alaska, as we have finally gotten a word back from the airline stating:

The 72-hour restriction we currently have in place for award redemptions with our partners is short-term – it’ll last only days and not months. We understand its impact on some of our guests’ travel planning, and we apologize for the confusion. We’re always focused on ensuring we have the most compelling proposition in the market. We know that’s not possible with a limitation on close-in bookings.

Alaska is in a league of its own (in the US) in terms of customer service. Presumably, there must have been a recent influx, and the airline had to block partner awards before they could figure out what method was best moving forward to stop this fraud.

In the wise words of whoever said this: don't worry, this will all be over soon.

Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 Domestic First

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, for the time being, Alaska Airlines has restricted all partner award bookings (minus AA) when booking T-72 hours before departure. This is a big shame as booking close to departure is one of the great benefits of award travel. However, we should soon see this reversed in the coming week (is my guess), as if it goes any longer, people will have stuff to say.