Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Question about Boarding Priorities

I have a friend who is Exec Plat with AA. Whenever he flies AS, he puts in his AAdvantage number and gets AA miles for the AS flight. Now he says he wrote to AS and asked for a status match in the AS Mileage Plan. They gave him Gold.

I asked him why he bothered, since he always collected AA miles, not AS miles. He said that with his Gold status on AS he could get priority boarding for AS flights. But I am wondering if he always uses his AA ff number for a flight rather than his AS number (I assume the AA number is what is on his boarding pass), will he still get priority boarding based on his Gold status with AS? Wouldn't he need to be using his AS ff number to get his gold status printed on the BP and get priority boarding?

AS boarding procedures are rather loosey-goosey as it is; I've never seen anyone turned away by a GA if they "accidentally" board earlier than expected (there are no zones/groups printed on the BP as with other airlines). MVP Golds board first with F pax, but MVP and partner elites are in the very next group, so the status match isn't really providing much of a benefit if that's all he's using it for.

There have been reports of people using the MVPG status to score an upgrade at 72 hours, then swapping out the AS FF number for another airline's number at the last second to still credit the miles to the "home" airline. This is against the spirit of every FF program and highly frowned upon, so I hope this is not what your friend is attempting to do.

technically if the AA number is used he has the same priority boarding he had before getting an AS match. He can board when MVP and partner elites board. What ever number is on the reservation is the one in the manifest and the boarding pass. Hope they arent playing the game as mentioned above but if they are I hope they get snagged on it and end up going from 1C to 28E

I have a friend who is Exec Plat with AA. Whenever he flies AS, he puts in his AAdvantage number and gets AA miles for the AS flight. Now he says he wrote to AS and asked for a status match in the AS Mileage Plan. They gave him Gold.

I asked him why he bothered, since he always collected AA miles, not AS miles. He said that with his Gold status on AS he could get priority boarding for AS flights. But I am wondering if he always uses his AA ff number for a flight rather than his AS number (I assume the AA number is what is on his boarding pass), will he still get priority boarding based on his Gold status with AS? Wouldn't he need to be using his AS ff number to get his gold status printed on the BP and get priority boarding?

They can also just flash their MVPG card during boarding too... so perhaps that is what the OP's friend is trying to do (or perhaps they are fed up with that AAirline :p and are switching some to AS to get upgrades and such)

perhaps they are fed up with that AAirline :p and are switching some to AS to get upgrades and such)lol Ive been trying to figure out for a long time why anybody would choose their program in the first place :confused::confused::p

lol Ive been trying to figure out for a long time why anybody would choose their program in the first place :confused::confused::p

Intl' SWU's sound ok... and so does lifetime status (at various levels starting at 1,000,000 miles earned)... :cool:

ExPlat also offers comp upgrades...

But AS is soo :cool::p

I have a friend who is Exec Plat with AA. Whenever he flies AS, he puts in his AAdvantage number and gets AA miles for the AS flight. Now he says he wrote to AS and asked for a status match in the AS Mileage Plan. They gave him Gold.

I asked him why he bothered, since he always collected AA miles, not AS miles. He said that with his Gold status on AS he could get priority boarding for AS flights. But I am wondering if he always uses his AA ff number for a flight rather than his AS number (I assume the AA number is what is on his boarding pass), will he still get priority boarding based on his Gold status with AS? Wouldn't he need to be using his AS ff number to get his gold status printed on the BP and get priority boarding?

Can your friend be going for the priority seating by any chance, I know AS has MVP/G seating which as AA flyer, we can only get those seat as AA codeshare and not AS flight number

lol Ive been trying to figure out for a long time why anybody would choose their program in the first place :confused::confused::p

ANC , as much as I appreciate AS on the west coast, AS is still very SEA/west coast oriented and won't work for anyone that flies more midwest/east coast routes. Also, AA EXP give us 8 SWU a yr, comp upgrades that won't get stolen from elites(AS isnt the best for that), a boarding process that actually works^ and first class lounge int'l. And we don't have starnet blocking either :p

lol Ive been trying to figure out for a long time why anybody would choose their program in the first place

Kind of hard to fly AS metal to EZE, NRT or FRA. There are even plenty of US destinations where you can't fly AS.

AA mileage works with AS just as well as DL (in that you can mix and match crediting as you need to for requalification), but AA's award redemptions are generally better, and AA's SWUs are applicable to ANY fare category (DL's SWUs are basically a couple hundred bucks discount off of a regular business fare).

All told, if I had travel patterns that would work with DL or AA, I'd easily pick AA, especially given that AS status has SOME use on DL, but is mostly worthless on AA.

1) I'm sure he's not trying to get a free upgrade unethically by putting in his AS Gold number and then switching it to AA after the upgrade clears.
2) He almost always books his flights on a full Y fare and therefore does get access to priority seating in coach.
3) He usually pays for the upgrades at the airport if they are available.
4) I think he just wants to be able to board first with AS Gold members when he is flying in coach but still wants he miles credited to AA. So I guess he can just flash his AS Gold card even though he BP will have his AA # on it.

Thanks for all the feedback.

1) I'm sure he's not trying to get a free upgrade unethically by putting in his AS Gold number and then switching it to AA after the upgrade clears.
2) He almost always books his flights on a full Y fare and therefore does get access to priority seating in coach.
3) He usually pays for the upgrades at the airport if they are available.
4) I think he just wants to be able to board first with AS Gold members when he is flying in coach but still wants he miles credited to AA. So I guess he can just flash his AS Gold card even though he BP will have his AA # on it.

Thanks for all the feedback.

IMHO it was a waste to get a status match if that is all he's using it for.

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's PWP wonderous poster: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.297 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

1) I'm sure he's not trying to get a free upgrade unethically by putting in his AS Gold number and then switching it to AA after the upgrade clears.
2) He almost always books his flights on a full Y fare and therefore does get access to priority seating in coach.
3) He usually pays for the upgrades at the airport if they are available.
4) I think he just wants to be able to board first with AS Gold members when he is flying in coach but still wants he miles credited to AA. So I guess he can just flash his AS Gold card even though he BP will have his AA # on it.

Thanks for all the feedback.

IMHO it was a waste to get a status match if that is all he's using it for.

Agree...

If paying full Y, why not credit to AS and get the upgrade? It sounds like your friend needs FT :p

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's PWP wonderous poster: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.297 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)



Agree...

If paying full Y, why not credit to AS and get the upgrade? It sounds like your friend needs FT :p

Well, to tell the truth, I was surprised when he told me about the match. My immediate question, as was yours, was why, if you aren't going to get AS miles, and that's when he told me it would help him get priority boarding.:confused:

He barely makes Exec Plat each year, and I think he would prefer to use the AS flights to help him keep EP status with AA, since that is what he flies most of the time, being based in SJC and taking a lot of trips to the midwest and east coast.

Well, to tell the truth, I was surprised when he told me about the match. My immediate question, as was yours, was why, if you aren't going to get AS miles, and that's when he told me it would help him get priority boarding.:confused:

He barely makes Exec Plat each year, and I think he would prefer to use the AS flights to help him keep EP status with AA, since that is what he flies most of the time, being based in SJC and taking a lot of trips to the midwest and east coast.

Drive up to OAK and hop in F out to OGG or KOA couple times a year :p (using his certs :p)

FT is there for him :D

If he's making ExPlat w/o FT... imagine what FT would do to him :cool: :eek: