Alaska Airlines has confirmed that it recently celebrated a frequent flyer in its Mileage Plan program, making him the Seattle-based airline’s first-ever customer to reach the 3 million mile mark.
The achievement was unlocked on Wednesday, August 7, during a flight from Orlando to Seattle, and Alaska Airlines had a special reward in store for the frequent flyer.
The award will go to Stephen Routh, CEO of real estate software company NexTitle, who lives in Anchorage, Alaska and has obviously been busy collecting miles on his flights with his favorite airline.
In a Facebook post, Routh recounted how Alaska Airlines made his success special, even though Routh’s reason for flying was anything but a cause for celebration.
Unfortunately, Routh had been in Florida visiting his sick sister. However, on the flight home, the Alaska Airlines team in Orlando was informed that Routh was close to reaching the 3 million mile mark – a feat never before achieved in Alaska’s 91-year history.
“The staff at Orlando station were very friendly and brought a cake for the passengers and a clown hat for me (
), balloons, a ceremonial boarding before everyone else, a cool luggage tag, a 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 Alaska Airlines over the years. Although they have certainly grown, they have still maintained the friendly, helpful atmosphere of the Northwest,” Routh continued.
Alaska Airlines confirmed that the company recently celebrated its first three million mile flight, but an airline spokesperson said it would be several weeks before further details were announced.
This is consistent with what Routh was told. There will also be another celebration in the presence of senior airline executives and their families.
Earlier this year, WalletHub named Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan the best frequent flyer program in the U.S., beating United Airlines and its Mileage Plus program into second place.
According to a source, two other Alaska Airlines frequent flyers are also close to breaking the 3 million mile mark – a tremendous feat considering the program currently has nearly seven million members.
That’s nothing compared to some of the frequent flyers who regularly fly on some of the other major U.S. airlines. Delta Air Lines has some frequent flyers who have reached the 5 million mile mark, while American Airlines probably has a very small number of loyal customers who have flown an incredible 10 million miles on the airline.
Subscribe to our newsletter
No spam, just a weekly summary of the best aviation news you don’t want to miss
