alaska adds more elite qualifying mile partners

i wrote about alaska airline's mileage plan program in the past. i touted it as a great backup program to credit all the otherwise orphaned oneworld and skyteam points. for my own personal case, all of my star alliance flights are credited to asiana airlines, whereas all of the accidental oneworld or skyteam partners would be credited to alaska airlines.

according to their website, and discussed online, beginning january 15th, all international partners will now offer elite qualifying miles, not just regular miles. this means that the journey to status on alaska airlines just got a little bit easier.

of course, the benefits of status are limited on a smaller airline. the benefits are the greatest for alaska airlines itself (complimentary upgrades, lounge access, priority boarding, luggage allowances). the benefits on delta airlines as an alaska elite are less generous (priority boarding, extra luggage allowances, limited complimentary upgrades). the benefits are even less on american airlines (priority boarding, luggage allowances, access to main cabin extra). there are no additional benefits on the other airline partners).

but all this being said, some status is better than no status at all.