Building a Custom E-commerce Portal for Alaska Airlines’ Million Miler & 2 Million Miler Loyalty Programs

The Background

In Fall 2023, Alaska Airlines wanted to celebrate their most loyal travelers—Million Milers and 2 Million Milers—with a truly one-of-a-kind gift: a custom PlaneTag made from the fuselage skin of one of Alaska’s recently retired Boeing 747 aircraft.

Planetags, a long-time Bread Loaf client, specializes in transforming retired aircraft into collectible aviation tags. For Alaska Airlines, they needed a seamless digital experience that would allow top loyalty members to redeem, customize, and order these exclusive tags quickly and easily.

Bread Loaf has managed the PlaneTags website for over 8 years and has launched similar loyalty programs for United Airlines, American Airlines, and Atlas Air—making our team the natural partner to bring this project to life.

The Challenge

Alaska Airlines needed:

• A custom ecommerce portal that integrated with Planetags’ existing Shopify Plus infrastructure.
• A simple, frictionless redemption experience for loyalty members using unique codes.
• The ability for customers to customize tags and purchase additional ones at a discounted price.
• Seamless integration into existing fulfillment operations to handle thousands of holiday orders.

The goal was to launch before the holiday season so Alaska’s most loyal travelers could receive their custom tags in time to celebrate their milestone.

Our Solution

Bread Loaf built a custom Shopify Plus portal tailored specifically for the Alaska Airlines loyalty program. Key features included:

• Unique Code Redemption: Secure codes were provided to eligible members for tag redemption.
• Customization Options: Customers could personalize their tag before completing the order.
• Upsell & Add-On Capabilities: Additional tags could be purchased at a discounted rate.
• Seamless Fulfillment Integration: Orders flowed directly into Planetags’ existing logistics system for fast shipping.

Because of our long-standing experience with high-traffic ecommerce launches and airline loyalty programs, we were able to design, develop, and launch the portal quickly—ensuring it was ready in time for the holidays.

The Results

• Thousands of Loyalty Members Served: The portal handled a high volume of orders without a hitch.
• Fast Holiday Turnaround: Eligible members received their tags on time, despite tight deadlines.
• Increased Engagement: Many members purchased additional tags beyond the initial redemption.
• Proven Repeatable Model: This project added to our growing portfolio of loyalty program partnerships with major airlines.

Video Case Study

See the full breakdown of the project in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpkik3gQrtQ

Listen To The Podcast:

Listen the full breakdown of the project on the Brand Building Podcast: 
https://www.brandbuildingpodcast.com/e/ep-33-we-built-an-e-commerce-site-for-alaska-airlines-shopify-case-study/

Key Takeaways

This project highlights how custom E-commerce solutions can bring loyalty programs to life—turning one-time rewards into personalized, memorable experiences for customers. For Alaska Airlines, this was more than just a website launch; it was a way to celebrate their most loyal travelers in a unique and meaningful way.