Emirates First Class Awards with Alaska Miles are again bookable online, yay! Today, April 3 is also the last day to buy Alaska miles with a 40% bonus. This is great news for many TravelSort Clients planning trips to the Maldives, India, and especially the Seychelles and Africa, since AA would require two awards to get to Africa with Etihad.
While my own Emirates A380 First Class flight was pretty lackluster, except for the onboard shower and the very good seat massage function, my husband recently flew Emirates First Class from Dubai to San Francisco and apparently had a great experience, which he'll elaborate on in a future trip report:
“OMG…The Emirates lounge here is not named correctly. It is an entire floor of almost the whole airport (at least where most of the gates are). It is completely insane opulence…Emirates flight was unbelievable.”
Previously, back in mid-January, Emirates First Class Awards couldn't be booked online on Alaska's Web site past the end of March, 2015, which was an effective devaluation of Alaska Mileage Plan miles. It was possible for awhile to Hang Up, Call Again (HUCA) to try to get an agent to manually request the seats (see Emirates A380 First Class Award Booked), but then that also petered out, as agents were more strictly instructed not to do any manual selling.
It's a relief, then, that finally Emirates First Class awards are bookable online. While of course there aren't awards available every day, I can see dates with awards for two people into February 2016, for example NYC JFK to Dubai, San Francisco SFO to Dubai, and Houston IAH to Dubai:
As noted, through today, April 3, you can buy Alaska miles with a 40% bonus. With taxes, it comes to 2.1 cents per mile. This isn't cheap, but it's as good as it gets for Alaska buy miles offers, and can be a good deal if you use the miles towards Emirates First Class awards. While you can only purchase up to 40,000 miles with a 16,000 miles bonus at a time, you can do multiple transactions.
FAQ
Can I Earn Airline or Travel Category Bonuses When Buying Alaska Miles with a 40% Bonus?
Unfortunately not, since these transactions are processed by Points.com, and not by Alaska. So it's best to use a credit card where you're working to meet high minimum spend for the signup bonus.
How Many Alaska Miles Will I Need for Emirates First Class?
You'll need 90,000 Alaska miles each way for Emirates First Class between North America and the Middle East, India and the Maldives, and 100,000 Alaska miles each way for Emirates First Class between North America and Africa.
Can I Redeem for Emirate First Class or Business Class Between Non-North American Cities?
No; when using Alaska miles, your award must depart from or return to North America. For awards that don't touch North America, you'll need to redeem other miles, such as Emirates Skywards or JAL Mileage Bank miles.
What Fees Are Charged to Change or Cancel an Alaska Miles Award?
A nice benefit of using Alaska miles is that changes and cancellations done online are free if over 60 days before departure. If within the 60 days, any change or cancellation incurs a $125 change/cancellation fee. But note that the $25 partner booking fee is non-refundable, as is the $15 call center fee if you make a booking by phone.
If I Book Emirates First Class as An Award Ticket, Do I Receive Complimentary Chauffeur Service?
Unfortunately, you no longer receive Emirates Chauffeur service on award tickets; see Emirates Devaluation: Retroactive No Chauffeur for Partners
Do you plan to book Emirates First Class awards now that they are again bookable on Alaska's Web site?
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