Boarding passes are pretty powerful things, y’all. I mean, THEY GET YOU ONTO PLANES!
But even beyond that, they have code embedded into them that can potentially tell your whole flying story with that particular airline (here’s what all those numbers and letters on your boarding pass mean). And in the hands of nefarious people, well, you can ask Senator Marco Rubio what could happen…
That’s why magazines say to never print out your boarding pass (although this is what they really mean).
But besides getting you onto planes, boarding passes from some specific airlines can get you some really nice perks and discounts. Like these:
Free/Cheap Multi-Day International Stopovers
At last count, at least 15 airlines allowed you to have multi-day stopovers so you can explore their respective countries.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines says they fly to the most pristine ski destinations on the West Coast. And with your Alaska Airlines boarding pass, you can ski for FREE at one of their partner resorts, located in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Canada and Colorado:
- Alyeska Resort: Gateway Airport: Anchorage (ANC)
- Bogus Basin: Gateway Airport: Boise (BOI)
- Eaglecrest Ski Area: Gateway Airport: Juneau (JNU)
- Red Lodge Mountain: Gateway airport: Billings (BIL)
- RED Mountain Resort: Gateway airport: Spokane (GEG)
- Schweitzer Mountain Resort: Gateway airport: Spokane (GEG)
- Ski Marmot Basin: Gateway airport: Edmonton (YEG) or Calgary (YYC)
- Steamboat Ski & Resort: Gateway Airport: Steamboat Springs/Hayden (HDN)
Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan™ members can also bring home a case of wine with no baggage fee, thanks to their Wine Flies Free program. It’s available from 32 destinations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California.
Alaska Airlines has also partnered with The Wine Check™ to offer a lightweight, safe, and convenient way to carry your wine from vineyard to cellar. Get 20% off Wine Flies Free-branded items when you use coupon code “ALASKAWFF” during checkout.
Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines has a program called Magic Boarding Pass.
Present your domestic/international boarding pass and take advantage of affiliate discounts! Customers traveling on domestic or international flights with Asiana Airlines (excluding codeshare flights) can use their boarding passes
at affiliates 7 days to 1 month from their boarding date.
Affiliates can be found in South Korea, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, the U.S., Canada, Central America, South America, Europe, Oceania, Saipan, Palau, Central Asia and Mongolia. They run the gamut by including tours, hotels, restaurants, transportation, shopping, theater and more.
British Airways
British Airways has, “exclusive offers especially designed for British Airways international customers (non-UK residents only) offering a range of discounts with some of the UK’s most prestigious heritage brands.
“Simply present your British Airways boarding pass at any of the participating stores and enjoy a selection of exclusive experiences and value-for-money shopping offers. Terms and conditions apply.”
Discounts currently include:
- Spend £500 or more in Amanda Wakeley’s flagship London store and get a complimentary Poppy Clutch Bag (worth £95) (although Amanda Wakeley’s website seems to be down at the moment)
- 15% discount at Bentley & Skinner jewellery store.
- 15% off Hackett British Menswear
- 10% off at DAKS heritage tailoring
- 10% off at Floris British Perfumers
- Up to 60% off at Bicester Village
- VIP pass at Westfield London
- Afternoon Tea offers at St. James Hotel & Club, Hotel Cafe Royal or Ham Yard Hotel
Emirates
They have a lot – and I mean A LOT – of offers.
“You can access exclusive offers at hundreds of locations simply by showing your Emirates boarding pass.
“Take advantage of five months of offers at restaurants, luxury spas, big‑name stores and famous attractions. Cool off at private pools, shop in giant malls, and enjoy family fun at indoor theme parks and water parks.
“You can enjoy offers at some of the biggest attractions in the UAE, including At the Top, Aquaventure, Dubai Parks & Resorts, IMG Worlds of Adventure, The Palm Monorail, The View at The Palm, and City Sightseeing.”
“Simply present your printed boarding pass or present your mobile boarding pass on your phone at participating venues along with your photo ID.
“If you checked in online and downloaded your mobile boarding pass to the Emirates App or Wallet, remember to screenshot it to present at participating venues as it will disappear from your apps once you’ve landed.”
Etihad Airways
Fly to Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways and your boarding pass will double up as the Extraordinary Abu Dhabi Pass. Find exclusive deals and discounts on the best activities, experiences, days out and dining in Abu Dhabi. Simply present your Etihad Airways boarding pass at participating outlets to save up to $800 during a five-day visit.
Participating vendors include restaurants, themepark and other “experiences,” hotels, and spas.
Korean Air
Korean’s boarding pass program is called Excellent Boarding Pass and benefits in South Korea are only available within 7 days from the travel date.
“Simply show your boarding pass and identification to any of our participating partners within 7 days of your departure to redeem the Excellent Boarding Pass offer in each region.”
As of this writing, they have a total of 17 partners in the categories of tourism, food/beverage, performance/culture, communication, and transportation/other:
- Jeju Folk Villiage
- Seowipo KAL Hotel
- Paradise City
- Everland
- Korean Folk Village
- Lotte World
- JSA Tour
- SeoulLand
- Shake Shack (Really? Really???)
- Woonsan
- JEONGDONG Theater
- The Painters
- SK Telecom
- KT
- LG U+
- WiFi Rental/SIM card
- Lotte Rent-A-Car
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer members are able to enjoy access to a wide range of complimentary member privileges on Kris+, from 1-for-1 meals to exclusive shopping discounts. Or browse our limited deals and indulge yourself in $1 pastry offers, 80% off massage vouchers and more. They have over 1,000 partner outlets islandwide for dining, retail, attractions, wellness and more.
Turkish Airlines
For years, Turkish Airlines had a really sweet deal – if you were coming from specific destinations, had a roundtrip ticket on their airline to certain countries, and had a layover of 20 hours or more at Istanbul Airport (IST), Turkish Airlines would provide one night in a four-star hotel if you were flying economy class, or two nights in a five-star hotel for passengers flying business and first-class.
More than 57,000 transfer passengers from 42 countries and 108 cities took advantage of the program. However, not surprisingly, the program was suspended during the pandemic. The good news is, it’s back! And they’ve even expanded eligibility! Click here for more info.
Of course, offers like these may be seasonal, or vendors may change over time. However all of these airlines have offered either these, or things like these, for years. So there’s little chance of them going away (unless the airline goes away. I mean, Alitalia used to have deals like these for their passengers too, and, well…)
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