Did you know that it’s possible to earn elite status on an airline you’ve never even flown? Thanks to airline status matching, travelers with elite status with an airline can apply for a status match on another airline. There are so many incredible perks of having elite status with an airline, including free upgrades, lounge access, waived cancellation and change fees, free checked bags, early boarding, free seat selection, and more. However, not all airlines participate in status matching.
In the brief video below we talk about which airlines participate in status matching as well as status challenges, which requires you to the fly a certain number of miles or flights with that airline in order to gain elite status faster than the traditional method. Alaska Airlines is one of the easiest airlines to get a status match.
Our experience having elite status with Alaska Airlines saved us hundreds of dollars thanks to waived change fees when making multiple changes to our flight bookings for a family vacation. We’ve never even flown Alaska Airlines, but thanks to our elite status, were able to reap the benefits of Alaska Airlines MVP Gold status when flying with their partner airlines, which was Japan Airlines in our case.
The following airlines are partners of Alaska Airlines: Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Condor, Emirates, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Latam Airlines, PenAir, Qantas, Ravn Alaska, and Singapore Airlines.
It is so easy to apply for an Alaska airlines status match. You can simply send an email to elite.flyer@alaskaair.com or can fill out an online form. Have the following information ready to apply for your Alaska status match:
- A screenshot of your online elite account showing your name, current status, and your year-to-date miles flown
- Your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number. If you’re not already a member, you can join for free.
However, not every airline elite status will qualify you for an Alaska status match. Here’s the breakdown of airline statuses that will qualify you to status match with Alaska Airlines, as well as what status you will receive.
You can match to Alaska MVP status from any of the following airline statuses:
- Aeromexico Gold
- Air Canada Altitude 25K (Prestige) and 35K
- American Airlines AAdvantage Gold
- Delta Silver Medallion
- Frontier Elite
- Hawaiian Pualani Gold
- JetBlue TrueBlue Mosaic
- Southwest A-List
- United Premier Silver and Premier Associate
You can match to Alaska MVP Gold status from any of the following airline statuses:
- Aeromexico Platinum
- Air Canada Altitude 50K
- American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum
- Delta Gold Medallion
- Hawaiian Pualani Platinum
- Southwest A-List Preferred
- United Premier Gold
You can match to Alaska MVP Gold 75k status from any of the following airline statuses:
- Aeromexico Titanio
- Air Canada Altitude 75K and 100K
- American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum
- American Airlines ConciergeKey
- American Airlines Platinum Pro
- Delta Platinum Medallion and Diamond Medallion
- Southwest A-List Preferred & Companion Pass (must hold both)
- United Platinum, 1K, and Global Services
It’s important to know that an Alaska Airlines status match is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so only apply if you plan on using the elite status. Once approved, it is valid for the remainder of the year in which you earn it. However, if you apply after October 1, it is valid for the remainder of the year and the following year. That makes October a great time to apply for an Alaska status match. Check out our video for more information about airline status matching and how we used our Southwest Airlines A List Preferred and Southwest Companion Pass status to apply for the Alaska MVP Gold 75K elite status. Thankfully Alaska Airlines offers one of the easiest status matches available.
