If you've been waiting for Alaska Mileage Plan to add Philippine Airlines redemptions, they’re now available—and because the partnership just opened up, there are still plenty of seats left. Award space is widely available from tomorrow through 2027, including summer and winter breaks and holidays.

I checked today and found that several U.S. cities have solid availability for business-class award tickets to Manila. On many dates, there are even 5 business-class seats available at once, which is very friendly for family trips or friends traveling together.

There’s another piece of good news as well. Starting January 16, 2026, Chinese citizens can enter the Philippines visa-free for up to 14 days. The policy will be valid for one year, making the Philippines even more attractive as a transit stop or vacation destination.

Business-class redemption pricing is quite competitive

At the moment, Alaska Mileage Plan pricing for Philippine Airlines business class is as follows:

  • Seattle (SEA) / San Francisco (SFO) round-trip to Manila: 75,000 Alaska miles
  • Los Angeles (LAX) / New York (JFK) round-trip to Manila: 85,000 Alaska miles

Compared with many other mileage programs, these prices are already quite competitive.

For China, it’s better to split the trip into two tickets

After many readers see Philippine Airlines awards open up, their first question is whether they can book one through-ticket all the way back to China. In practice, if you continue onward to China via Alaska Atmos, the total mileage cost usually rises to around 110,000 miles, which is quite a bit more expensive than booking the U.S. to Manila segment separately.

So the better approach is usually to redeem the U.S. to Manila leg first, then buy a separate ticket or use miles for Manila to China.

Philippine Airlines already operates plenty of flights to many cities in China, and cash fares are usually not high. You can also use miles from other airlines. All told, splitting the trip into two tickets is often more economical than booking one through-ticket, while also giving you more flexibility.

Philippines visa-free entry makes transit easier

For Chinese travelers, there’s an additional benefit this time.

The Philippines will begin implementing a 14-day visa-free policy for Chinese citizens on January 16, 2026, and the policy will be valid for one year. For travelers planning to spend a few days in Manila or add a Philippines vacation to their itinerary, there’s no longer any need to arrange a visa in advance, which significantly improves overall travel convenience.

Bottom line

If you’re planning a trip to the Philippines or Asia soon, redeeming 75,000 miles for a business-class seat from the U.S. West Coast to Manila is a very good option. If your final destination is China, it’s usually better to split the trip into separate tickets for the U.S. to Manila and Manila to China segments, which is typically more cost-effective than booking one through-ticket.

For readers who like redeeming miles for business class, this award release is worth checking right away for your planned travel dates.