Alaska Airlines announced on Wednesday that effective June 1, Alaska would no longer offer miles on Icelandair flights. The news comes just a few months before regular service begins between Anchorage and the Iceland capital of Reykjavik.
Why the breakup? No details from Alaska except for a short statement that sends travelers to other, bigger carriers, including Alaska partner American Airlines, Air France, British Airways, Delta Air (an Icelandair competitor on the New York-Reykjavik route) and others:
Effective June 1, 2013, Icelandair will no longer be a Mileage Plan™ partner. Tickets purchased on or after June 1, 2013, will not earn Mileage Plan™ Miles. Tickets purchased on or before May 31, 2013, will continue to earn miles for travel through February 28, 2014.
Existing award travel, and award travel booked by May 31, 2013, will be honored for travel through February 28, 2014. Award travel on Icelandair cannot be bookedor changed after May 31, 2013.
To earn and redeem Mileage Plan™ Miles to Europe, please consider our other partners – Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, and KLM.
But don't let the mileage plan blues spoil an opportunity to see the "Land of Fire and Ice." Icelandair will offer a nonstop, seven-hour flight from Alaska to Reykjavik starting in mid-May. Icelandair travelers can layover for free in Reykjavik before continuing on to any of more than a dozen European destinations that are serviced from Iceland.
Kick back in a lagoon, enjoy a spa treatment or two, or go sightseeing: here's an insider's look at what Iceland offers.