Alaska Airlines is in the process of joining Oneworld Alliance on March 31, 2021, and is making changes to its Mileage Plan frequent flier program to align itself with partners better.
Mileage Plan no longer requires you to earn a higher number of Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) from partners to earn status in 2021, but there is now a minimum requirement of two, four, or five Alaska segments.
You can access Alaska’s page for earning status here.
2021 Status Requirements
There was no Alaska Airlines flight requirement previously to earn the status, although you had to earn a higher number of elite qualifying miles.
2020 Status Requirements
Conclusion
There is no difference whether you earn the elite qualifying miles on Alaska or partner flights in 2021, but you must have two, four, or six Alaska flights (or at least marketed flights once Oneworld kicks in) to earn status.
Let’s see what changes Alaska makes to its partner airlines’ mileage earnings and redemption charts before March 31, 2021.