Tall Traveler
Jul 10, 2012, 4:41 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 4
Tall Traveler
I am 6'9", traveling alone, and made the mistake of purchasing my ticket through a 3rd party company. During the purchase, I chose aisle seat only. I went to view/change reservation on the AlaskaAir website today and noticed that they put me in 25B for my flight, a middle seat. Only other middle seats are available for me to choose at this time. Obviously I cannot fit in a middle seat and I am considering the upgrade to 1st class option at check-in for $100.
There are currently 12 of the 16 seats in first class available at the moment and the flight is on August 6, so in a little less than a week. Since you fellow members seem to be more experienced with the routine, do you think that I will be able to get one of these seats?
If not, what are my options? I notice that there is still most of the exit row/first row bulkhead aisle seats available, but I cannot choose them when I go to change seat and they are listed as "Mileage Elite Status & Full Flex Ticket". What would I have to do to be able to get one of those? Or is that another wait until check-in thing?
I greatly appreciate any help anyone can give me. I am a nervous flyer as it is and being a very tall man doesn't help things at all.
There are currently 12 of the 16 seats in first class available at the moment and the flight is on August 6, so in a little less than a week. Since you fellow members seem to be more experienced with the routine, do you think that I will be able to get one of these seats?
If not, what are my options? I notice that there is still most of the exit row/first row bulkhead aisle seats available, but I cannot choose them when I go to change seat and they are listed as "Mileage Elite Status & Full Flex Ticket". What would I have to do to be able to get one of those? Or is that another wait until check-in thing?
I greatly appreciate any help anyone can give me. I am a nervous flyer as it is and being a very tall man doesn't help things at all.
Last edited by Spruiellio; Jul 10, 2012 at 4:43 am Reason: Needed to add something
Jul 10, 2012, 6:29 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
I am 6'9", traveling alone, and made the mistake of purchasing my ticket through a 3rd party company. During the purchase, I chose aisle seat only. I went to view/change reservation on the AlaskaAir website today and noticed that they put me in 25B for my flight, a middle seat. Only other middle seats are available for me to choose at this time. Obviously I cannot fit in a middle seat and I am considering the upgrade to 1st class option at check-in for $100.
There are currently 12 of the 16 seats in first class available at the moment and the flight is on August 6, so in a little less than a week. Since you fellow members seem to be more experienced with the routine, do you think that I will be able to get one of these seats?
If not, what are my options? I notice that there is still most of the exit row/first row bulkhead aisle seats available, but I cannot choose them when I go to change seat and they are listed as "Mileage Elite Status & Full Flex Ticket". What would I have to do to be able to get one of those? Or is that another wait until check-in thing?
I greatly appreciate any help anyone can give me. I am a nervous flyer as it is and being a very tall man doesn't help things at all.
There are currently 12 of the 16 seats in first class available at the moment and the flight is on August 6, so in a little less than a week. Since you fellow members seem to be more experienced with the routine, do you think that I will be able to get one of these seats?
If not, what are my options? I notice that there is still most of the exit row/first row bulkhead aisle seats available, but I cannot choose them when I go to change seat and they are listed as "Mileage Elite Status & Full Flex Ticket". What would I have to do to be able to get one of those? Or is that another wait until check-in thing?
I greatly appreciate any help anyone can give me. I am a nervous flyer as it is and being a very tall man doesn't help things at all.
A lot of better seating opportunities can present themselves in the 24 hours before departure, when the online check-in window opens up. So make sure to "check early and check often" at that time. That said, a lot depends on what the route is. What is your itinerary? Hopefully, F will not have sold out and you might be able to purchase the cash upgrade.
You can initiate the OLCI process as many times as you like, just don't complete it if the seat you'd like to have hasn't materialized or purchaseable F hasn't appeared. You can redo it up to, I think, six times after completing the process.
Also, if that doesn't bear fruit then many good things can happen at the airport if you try checking in at a kiosk. Asking nicely at the check-in counter or at the gate has also worked well for some.
Good luck, have a safe trip and, again, welcome to FT!
Jul 10, 2012, 8:17 am
#3
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Juneau, Ak
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 112
Personally, I would call Alaska Airlines- and ask if the customer service agent can help you obtain a better seat. I have found the folks on the phone to be more than helpful if they can. rlb
Jul 10, 2012, 10:03 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: GEG
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Lifetime SkyClub, AS MVP
Posts: 2,410
I echo dave1013's comments.
Look at the seats available at the 24 hour online checkin window.
If nothing is available then (and during the checkin process), talk to the gate agent and ask if an exit row opens up during the upgrade process, can you have the seat. That worked for me a lot before I had AS status.
Exit rows have more legroom than F seats do, IMHO.
Look at the seats available at the 24 hour online checkin window.
If nothing is available then (and during the checkin process), talk to the gate agent and ask if an exit row opens up during the upgrade process, can you have the seat. That worked for me a lot before I had AS status.
Exit rows have more legroom than F seats do, IMHO.
Jul 10, 2012, 5:04 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 4
Welcome to Flyertalk and the Alaska Airlines forum, Spruiellio!
A lot of better seating opportunities can present themselves in the 24 hours before departure, when the online check-in window opens up. So make sure to "check early and check often" at that time. That said, a lot depends on what the route is. What is your itinerary? Hopefully, F will not have sold out and you might be able to purchase the cash upgrade.
You can initiate the OLCI process as many times as you like, just don't complete it if the seat you'd like to have hasn't materialized or purchaseable F hasn't appeared. You can redo it up to, I think, six times after completing the process.
Also, if that doesn't bear fruit then many good things can happen at the airport if you try checking in at a kiosk. Asking nicely at the check-in counter or at the gate has also worked well for some.
Good luck, have a safe trip and, again, welcome to FT!
A lot of better seating opportunities can present themselves in the 24 hours before departure, when the online check-in window opens up. So make sure to "check early and check often" at that time. That said, a lot depends on what the route is. What is your itinerary? Hopefully, F will not have sold out and you might be able to purchase the cash upgrade.
You can initiate the OLCI process as many times as you like, just don't complete it if the seat you'd like to have hasn't materialized or purchaseable F hasn't appeared. You can redo it up to, I think, six times after completing the process.
Also, if that doesn't bear fruit then many good things can happen at the airport if you try checking in at a kiosk. Asking nicely at the check-in counter or at the gate has also worked well for some.
Good luck, have a safe trip and, again, welcome to FT!
I am on the SEA to IAH route 730. I leave Seattle at 10:20am and arrive in Houston at 4:25pm. My flight back to Seattle is 10 days later on flight 731, but I was fortunate to be assigned an aisle seat and won't need to change that. I've flown Alaska once before in a normal non-exit row aisle seat and was quite comfortable (as much as I could be) and was hoping to get something similar to that experience only to be assigned a dreadful middle seat on my first flight.
Jul 10, 2012, 5:07 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2008
Programs: AS MVPG, CO, NW(now DL), Flying Blue
Posts: 6,554
Obviously I cannot fit in a middle seat and I am considering the upgrade to 1st class option at check-in for $100.
There are currently 12 of the 16 seats in first class available at the moment and the flight is on August 6, so in a little less than a week. Since you fellow members seem to be more experienced with the routine, do you think that I will be able to get one of these seats?
There are currently 12 of the 16 seats in first class available at the moment and the flight is on August 6, so in a little less than a week. Since you fellow members seem to be more experienced with the routine, do you think that I will be able to get one of these seats?
Jul 10, 2012, 10:22 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 4
Thank you for the welcome!
I am on the SEA to IAH route 730. I leave Seattle at 10:20am and arrive in Houston at 4:25pm. My flight back to Seattle is 10 days later on flight 731, but I was fortunate to be assigned an aisle seat and won't need to change that. I've flown Alaska once before in a normal non-exit row aisle seat and was quite comfortable (as much as I could be) and was hoping to get something similar to that experience only to be assigned a dreadful middle seat on my first flight.
I am on the SEA to IAH route 730. I leave Seattle at 10:20am and arrive in Houston at 4:25pm. My flight back to Seattle is 10 days later on flight 731, but I was fortunate to be assigned an aisle seat and won't need to change that. I've flown Alaska once before in a normal non-exit row aisle seat and was quite comfortable (as much as I could be) and was hoping to get something similar to that experience only to be assigned a dreadful middle seat on my first flight.
Jul 10, 2012, 11:28 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
Absolutely.
The number of elites on the flight affects the number of first-class seats that will be available at T-24, since elites get upgrades to first class (as early as 5 days before departure for 75K, 3 days before departure for Gold, and 2 days before departure for MVP). Some routes are elite-heavy; others are mostly leisure (and can sometimes even depart with empty seats up front).
IAH-SEA[-ANC] is a heavy route for the oil industry, who employs people who travel a great deal between two oil-rich states (TX and AK). As such, I'd imagine that IAH-SEA will have a very large number of elites waiting for first class upgrades, and all of those empty seats you see now will be filled with upgraded elite members a few days before departure.
The good news is that as those elite members get upgraded to first class, their (presumably good) coach seats will open up. The bad news is that most of them will likely be seated in the front half of the coach section, which you don't have access to now, but again there's some good news: starting at 24 hours before departure, you can do Web Check-In for your flight and have access to those "elite" seats in the front half of the coach cabin. So, as described before, do Web Check-In early and often (but once you complete it the first time, only go as far as you need to go to see what seats are open--don't go all the way through the process, as you can only complete the process a limited number of times before it locks you out).
You can also try the free seat alert function at http://www.expertflyer.com, which will send you an email if it finds an open seat matching the criteria you set. (For checks before Web Check-In opens at T-24, be sure to not have it email you if a premium seat opens up, since you won't be able to access premium seats; after T-24, have it check for any aisle seat on the aircraft, as you can choose any seat through the Web Check-In process.)
The number of elites on the flight affects the number of first-class seats that will be available at T-24, since elites get upgrades to first class (as early as 5 days before departure for 75K, 3 days before departure for Gold, and 2 days before departure for MVP). Some routes are elite-heavy; others are mostly leisure (and can sometimes even depart with empty seats up front).
IAH-SEA[-ANC] is a heavy route for the oil industry, who employs people who travel a great deal between two oil-rich states (TX and AK). As such, I'd imagine that IAH-SEA will have a very large number of elites waiting for first class upgrades, and all of those empty seats you see now will be filled with upgraded elite members a few days before departure.
The good news is that as those elite members get upgraded to first class, their (presumably good) coach seats will open up. The bad news is that most of them will likely be seated in the front half of the coach section, which you don't have access to now, but again there's some good news: starting at 24 hours before departure, you can do Web Check-In for your flight and have access to those "elite" seats in the front half of the coach cabin. So, as described before, do Web Check-In early and often (but once you complete it the first time, only go as far as you need to go to see what seats are open--don't go all the way through the process, as you can only complete the process a limited number of times before it locks you out).
You can also try the free seat alert function at http://www.expertflyer.com, which will send you an email if it finds an open seat matching the criteria you set. (For checks before Web Check-In opens at T-24, be sure to not have it email you if a premium seat opens up, since you won't be able to access premium seats; after T-24, have it check for any aisle seat on the aircraft, as you can choose any seat through the Web Check-In process.)
Jul 11, 2012, 2:10 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 4
Absolutely.
The number of elites on the flight affects the number of first-class seats that will be available at T-24, since elites get upgrades to first class (as early as 5 days before departure for 75K, 3 days before departure for Gold, and 2 days before departure for MVP). Some routes are elite-heavy; others are mostly leisure (and can sometimes even depart with empty seats up front).
IAH-SEA[-ANC] is a heavy route for the oil industry, who employs people who travel a great deal between two oil-rich states (TX and AK). As such, I'd imagine that IAH-SEA will have a very large number of elites waiting for first class upgrades, and all of those empty seats you see now will be filled with upgraded elite members a few days before departure.
The good news is that as those elite members get upgraded to first class, their (presumably good) coach seats will open up. The bad news is that most of them will likely be seated in the front half of the coach section, which you don't have access to now, but again there's some good news: starting at 24 hours before departure, you can do Web Check-In for your flight and have access to those "elite" seats in the front half of the coach cabin. So, as described before, do Web Check-In early and often (but once you complete it the first time, only go as far as you need to go to see what seats are open--don't go all the way through the process, as you can only complete the process a limited number of times before it locks you out).
You can also try the free seat alert function at http://www.expertflyer.com, which will send you an email if it finds an open seat matching the criteria you set. (For checks before Web Check-In opens at T-24, be sure to not have it email you if a premium seat opens up, since you won't be able to access premium seats; after T-24, have it check for any aisle seat on the aircraft, as you can choose any seat through the Web Check-In process.)
The number of elites on the flight affects the number of first-class seats that will be available at T-24, since elites get upgrades to first class (as early as 5 days before departure for 75K, 3 days before departure for Gold, and 2 days before departure for MVP). Some routes are elite-heavy; others are mostly leisure (and can sometimes even depart with empty seats up front).
IAH-SEA[-ANC] is a heavy route for the oil industry, who employs people who travel a great deal between two oil-rich states (TX and AK). As such, I'd imagine that IAH-SEA will have a very large number of elites waiting for first class upgrades, and all of those empty seats you see now will be filled with upgraded elite members a few days before departure.
The good news is that as those elite members get upgraded to first class, their (presumably good) coach seats will open up. The bad news is that most of them will likely be seated in the front half of the coach section, which you don't have access to now, but again there's some good news: starting at 24 hours before departure, you can do Web Check-In for your flight and have access to those "elite" seats in the front half of the coach cabin. So, as described before, do Web Check-In early and often (but once you complete it the first time, only go as far as you need to go to see what seats are open--don't go all the way through the process, as you can only complete the process a limited number of times before it locks you out).
You can also try the free seat alert function at http://www.expertflyer.com, which will send you an email if it finds an open seat matching the criteria you set. (For checks before Web Check-In opens at T-24, be sure to not have it email you if a premium seat opens up, since you won't be able to access premium seats; after T-24, have it check for any aisle seat on the aircraft, as you can choose any seat through the Web Check-In process.)
Jul 11, 2012, 3:10 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
