Alaska Airlines has confirmed that it recently celebrated a frequent flyer in its Mileage Plan program, becoming the Seattle-based carrier’s first-ever customer to reach the 3 million mile milestone.
The achievement was unlocked on Wednesday, August 7, during a flight from Orlando to Seattle, and Alaska Airlines had a special treat in store for the very frequent flyer.
The accolade is believed to belong to Stephen Routh, the chief executive of NexTitle, a real estate software company, who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and has clearly been racking up the miles flying with his favorite airline.
In a Facebook post, Routh shared his story of how Alaska Airlines made his achievement extra special, although the reason for Routh flying was anything but a celebration.
Unfortunately, Routh had been in Florida to visit his ailing sister, but on the return flight home, the Alaska Airlines team at Orlando had been made aware that Routh was set to hit the 3 million mile mark – an achievement that has never before been reached in Alaska’s 91-year history.
“The Orlando station crew was very gracious and had brought in a cake for passengers, a clown hat for me (
), balloons, a ceremonial boarding ahead of everyone else, a cool luggage tag, boarding pass signed by the crew, and lots of care and attention,” Routh wrote in his Facebook post.
“I have received such good service from the Alaska Airlines over the years. Although it has certainly grown, it still retains the friendly, helpful, Northwest vibe,” Routh continued.
Alaska Airlines was able to confirm that it has recently celebrated its first-ever 3 million miler, although a spokesperson for the airline said it would be several weeks before more details would be released.
That tallies with what Routh has been told, with a further celebration set to be held with senior airline executives and family members in attendance.
Earlier this year, WalletHub declared that Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan was the best frequent flyer program in the US, beating out United Airlines and its Mileage Plus program, which came in close second place.
According to one source, there are two other very frequent Alaska Airlines flyers who are also close to breaking the 3 million mile mark – a massive achievement when you consider than the program currently has nearly seven million members.
That’s nothing compared to some of the frequent flyers that regularly fly with some of the other big US carriers. Delta Air Lines has some frequent flyers who have hit the 5 million mile mark, while American Airlines is believed to have a very small number of loyal customers who have flown a staggering 10 million miles with the carrier.
There is a Delta flyer that has over 20 million miles.