Alaska Airlines Partners with Expedia to Launch Stays by Alaska Vacations

Alaska Airlines Partners with Expedia to Launch Stays by Alaska Vacations

By Nishang Narayan

Published on August 25, 2024

Alaska Airlines is taking its commitment to customer satisfaction to new heights with the launch of Stays by Alaska Vacations, a collaboration with Expedia Group. This new platform allows guests to explore exclusive deals on over 900,000 unique hotel and vacation rental properties worldwide, all while earning and redeeming miles through Alaska’s award-winning Mileage Plan.

Starting today, guests can take advantage of top deals on accommodations through Stays by Alaska Vacations. Alaska Mileage Plan members will earn one mile per dollar spent on all bookings, while Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® cardholders can earn an additional three miles per dollar spent on eligible prepaid stays, maximizing their rewards and saving on travel costs.

Stays by Alaska Vacations not only offers incredible value but also makes it easier than ever for guests to redeem their miles for their next hotel room or vacation rental. For Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® cardholders, preferred redemption rates make the experience even more rewarding.

"Our Mileage Plan is the most generous in the industry, with the fastest path to elite status," said Courtney Lansing, Managing Director of Business Development and Products at Alaska Airlines. "Through our partnership with Expedia Group, we're empowering our guests with choices for every part of their trip—from flights to where they're staying. Stays by Alaska Vacations combines convenience and affordability, unlocking special savings while earning status on an award-winning airline."

Earlier this year, Alaska Airlines announced Packages by Alaska Vacations, where guests can access package-only discounts on airfare, hotel rates, car rentals, and activities. Powered by Expedia Group's robust technology, the travel portal allows guests to easily customize and bundle their vacation packages, ensuring they save money and earn miles every step of the way.

"We are excited to expand our partnership with Alaska Airlines, underscoring our commitment to seamless, end-to-end traveler experiences backed by proven, reliable tech," said Stephen Cheng, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Expedia Group. "Stays by Alaska Vacations unlocks our vast lodging supply and offers incredible value for Alaska Mileage Plan members to earn and redeem miles across various trip elements."

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Alaska Airlines continues to enhance its guest experience with premium offerings such as the most legroom in First Class* and Premium Class, global connectivity to thousands of international destinations through its Global Partners, and no change fees. Guests can also enjoy high-quality West Coast-inspired food and a premium selection of beverages.

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico. With the support of oneworld Alliance members and additional Global Partners, Alaska Airlines offers guests even more choices, making it easier than ever to purchase, earn, or redeem miles across 30 airlines and more than 1,000 worldwide destinations.

For those who haven’t yet joined, now is the perfect time to become an Alaska Mileage Plan member and start earning miles on the most rewarding loyalty program in the industry. Alaska Airlines’ loyal flyers, affectionately known as MVPs, earn more miles on average than with any other airline, making every flight count.

*Out of any U.S. legacy airline excluding lie-flat seats.

About Alaska Airlines:
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico. Known for offering a premium flying experience with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program, Mileage Plan, Alaska Airlines ensures a memorable travel experience for its guests. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for the latest updates.

About Expedia Group:
Expedia Group, Inc. is a global travel platform that powers travel for everyone, everywhere. With a strong belief that travel is a force for good, Expedia Group helps people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. The organization is composed of three pillars: Expedia Brands, Expedia Product & Technology, and Expedia for Business, each focused on providing industry-leading technology solutions and memorable travel experiences. Visit www.expediagroup.com for more information.


IndiGo Integrates with Digi Yatra for a Seamless Digital Boarding Experience

IndiGo Integrates with Digi Yatra for a Seamless Digital Boarding Experience

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on October 20, 2025

IndiGo and Digi Yatra have announced a new app-to-app integration that allows IndiGo flyers to share boarding passes directly with the Digi Yatra app. The collaboration enhances contactless, biometric-enabled travel while ensuring user consent, data privacy, and faster passenger processing at airports.

IndiGo, India’s leading airline, has partnered with Digi Yatra, the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)-based ecosystem that uses facial biometric technology for contactless passenger processing, to enable this direct integration between their mobile applications. The initiative eliminates the need for passengers to manually scan or upload boarding passes on the Digi Yatra app.

After completing web check-in, IndiGo flyers can now simply click “Share with Digi Yatra” within the IndiGo app to securely transfer their boarding pass. This process ensures that passenger consent is obtained at every step and that only essential data is shared with authorised Digi Yatra verifiers at airports.

Designed with privacy by design principles, the transaction occurs entirely offline through deep linking between the two apps, without involving any cloud or server processing. This ensures data integrity, authenticity, and enhanced security while improving convenience for travellers.

Commenting on the development, Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation, said,

“Our mission is to transform air travel into a seamless, secure, and paperless experience for every passenger. This collaboration with IndiGo marks a significant milestone in that journey. By integrating our technology directly with IndiGo’s app, we are enabling travellers to enjoy faster check-ins, smoother boarding, and enhanced convenience. As more airlines and airports embrace our ecosystem, we will continue to innovate and support India’s vision for digital transformation in travel.”

Neetan Chopra, Chief Information and Digital Officer, IndiGo, added,

“Every year, we fly millions of customers who trust us for our promise of safe, on-time, and hassle-free travel. This partnership with Digi Yatra takes our commitment to customer convenience a step further by enabling a smooth, contactless boarding journey. We are thrilled to be among the first airlines to adopt this technology and remain focused on leveraging innovation to make air travel simpler, faster, and more enjoyable.”

This collaboration underscores the aviation industry’s shared commitment to digital innovation and highlights growing confidence in Digi Yatra’s secure, paperless travel ecosystem as India moves closer to a fully digital airport experience.


Etihad Leverages Premium Service and Partnerships to Grow in India

Etihad Leverages Premium Service and Partnerships to Grow in India

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on October 14, 2025

Etihad Airways is focusing on premium travel and customer segmentation to boost its business in India, one of its top three global markets, while operating at full capacity under a bilateral seat agreement with the country.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has been upgrading its services with new aircraft and enhanced cabin experiences to attract high-value travellers. Since relaunching flights to Kolkata in March 2023, Etihad increased its weekly frequency from four to eight flights by 2025. Across India, the airline now operates 185 flights a week to 11 cities.

“We fly all the seats that the bilateral agreement allows us,” said Javier Alija, Etihad Airways Vice President for Global Sales and Distribution. The agreement caps 50,000 weekly seats for Abu Dhabi-based carriers, shared between Etihad and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. Until the agreement changes, the airline cannot add more frequencies or destinations.

To overcome these capacity constraints, Etihad is building partnerships, including a tie-up with Akasa Air, connecting four Indian cities to Abu Dhabi. The airline is also enhancing the passenger experience for long-haul travellers, especially to the US, with Abu Dhabi’s new terminal and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance. This allows passengers to arrive in the US as domestic travellers, saving time at immigration.

Kolkata is the first Indian city to receive Etihad’s new A321 LR aircraft, featuring a redesigned cabin with just 160 seats, two first-class suites, 14 business, and 144 economy seats, offering a widebody-like experience in a narrow-body aircraft. “This reflects Kolkata’s strong premium travel potential,” Alija said.

Etihad’s focus on yield optimisation and operational efficiency has helped the airline achieve record financial results. For the current year, it expects 21–22% growth in seat capacity, 22–23% increase in revenue, and a 30% rise in absolute profit, supported by expansions in other markets. The airline plans to launch 13 new international routes by year-end, aiming to serve nearly 90 destinations worldwide.

Alija added, “Even if our frequencies and destinations remain static, these customer-focused and operational efforts ensure Etihad continues to be the preferred airline for Indian travellers. We are very conscious that our rapid growth should not compromise the financial gains we have achieved.”


Air India Adds Fourth Daily Delhi–London Heathrow Flight for Winter 2025

Air India Adds Fourth Daily Delhi–London Heathrow Flight for Winter 2025

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on October 12, 2025

Air India has announced an expansion of its services to the United Kingdom for the Northern Winter 2025 schedule, introducing a fourth daily flight between Delhi and London Heathrow starting 26 October 2025. With this addition, the airline will now operate 28 weekly flights on the route, increasing capacity by 1,196 seats each way per week.

All flights on the Delhi–London route will be operated by Air India’s Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 aircraft, both featuring three-class configurations: Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Travellers can look forward to complimentary WiFi connectivity and over 3,000 hours of inflight entertainment, including one of the largest Indian content libraries available onboard.

Air India remains the largest carrier between India and the UK, operating 61 weekly flights and offering 18,066 seats per week in one direction, translating to nearly 1.7 million seats annually. The airline currently connects Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Amritsar to London Heathrow, London Gatwick, and Birmingham.

“With this addition, we are further strengthening our UK operations, ensuring travellers have more flexibility and access to Air India’s upgraded widebody experience,” an Air India spokesperson said.

Premium travellers and eligible Maharaja Club members will continue to enjoy complimentary lounge access globally, including at London Heathrow’s Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge, Lufthansa Business Lounge, Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, and United Club Lounge. Business Class and Premium Economy guests can also enjoy upgraded amenities, luxury bedding, and fine dining featuring Indian and international cuisine.

As part of its broader UK network optimisation, Air India is also restoring daily services on the Bengaluru–London Heathrow route and resuming thrice-weekly flights on Ahmedabad–London Gatwick, Amritsar–London Gatwick, and Delhi–Birmingham routes. The Mumbai–London Heathrow double daily service will remain unchanged.

This latest expansion underscores Air India’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and passenger experience, reflecting its ongoing transformation and growing international footprint.

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