Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Website won't change reservation, forced to call, pay

I've had this happen more than once now. It's almost like a bait and switch. You can change your reservation online and its free or you can call at they ding you with a $15 fee. Is there some way around this or is this pretty standard for Alaska?

I've never had a reservation purchased via Alaska I couldn't change online (if it's an Alaska flight on another carrier's ticket that's obviously a different kettle of fish). What specifically are you encountering? You aren't giving any details- how the ticket was purchased and so on.

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I've never had a reservation purchased via Alaska I couldn't change online (if it's an Alaska flight on another carrier's ticket that's obviously a different kettle of fish). What specifically are you encountering? You aren't giving any details- how the ticket was purchased and so on.

There are a few conditions that prevent a reservation from being changed online... Including name changes to a ticket (did that this weekend) and having more then 8 segments in an itin.

But not sure where fees appear at, since as an MVPG I have most fees waived.

Nice that you could make a change w/o paying a change fee though...

I've had this happen more than once now. It's almost like a bait and switch. You can change your reservation online and its free or you can call at they ding you with a $15 fee. Is there some way around this or is this pretty standard for Alaska?


Something's missing here....

The NEW ticketing fee is $15. This doesn't apply to changes.

There is a change fee difference between online and in reservations, but its $100 vs $75... not $15 vs free.


Can you explain your situation a little more thoroughly?

Did he maybe wait beyond 24hrs because of website issues? Hard to blame AS for that if so.

I've had it happen more than once. The reservation is booked via a corporate website. I am MVPG which is nice. I think it happens when I have to make a change close to my itinerary. The website notes that I have to call to change. The agent charges a $15 change fee to change. It's on my credit card, so I'm not making it up and it has happened more than once.

To be clear, what I'm talking about has nothing to do with a fare difference.

Wouldn't it be easier to cancel the original itinerary and book a new one, especially when making significant schedule changes so close to time of departure?

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I've had it happen more than once. The reservation is booked via a corporate website. I am MVPG which is nice. I think it happens when I have to make a change close to my itinerary. The website notes that I have to call to change. The agent charges a $15 change fee to change. It's on my credit card, so I'm not making it up and it has happened more than once.

To be clear, what I'm talking about has nothing to do with a fare difference.

Well if MVPG there should be no reservation fee...

Like the OP said, I too have had it happen from time to time where I cant change online. Even more mysteriously Ive had reservations not show the change link online for a few weeks then all the sudden it will appear and allow changes(All AS metal btw).

Now on the flip side to the OP are partners involved in the itinerary? That can sometimes mess things up to where you have to call. Some partner reservations you can change although they seem like it takes them a few days to populate the "change reservations" link. The only reason I can think of is that the system is finalizing the purchase from the partner airline but I dont know.

As for the $15 fee something aint adding up. Are you sure its a fee

I've had it happen more than once. The reservation is booked via a corporate website. I am MVPG which is nice. I think it happens when I have to make a change close to my itinerary. The website notes that I have to call to change. The agent charges a $15 change fee to change. It's on my credit card, so I'm not making it up and it has happened more than once.

To be clear, what I'm talking about has nothing to do with a fare difference.

Aren't tickets issued through agencies not available for change on as.com? I thought changes need to go through them.

Yes, I'm absolutely positive it's a fee. It's happened multiple times. The fare difference wasn't magically $15 on multiple occasions. Should AS be charging me a $15 fee incorrectly multiple times, should they be doing something special to make up for the incorrect charges?

are you talking to an AS agent, or the corporate website agent?

I used to run into this a lot where the button to click for changes would not appear. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think it was when I used to buy a lot of AS50 fares and they were ineligible for on-line changes.

Aren't tickets issued through agencies not available for change on as.com? I thought changes need to go through them.

+1

The OP stated that he booked his ticket through his corporate travel agent. Tickets issued through travel agencies cannot be changed on as.com. If at all possible, the OP should be going back to his corporate travel agent to change the tickets. Otherwise, the option is to call in and pay the ticketing fee.

+1

The OP stated that he booked his ticket through his corporate travel agent. Tickets issued through travel agencies cannot be changed on as.com. If at all possible, the OP should be going back to his corporate travel agent to change the tickets. Otherwise, the option is to call in and pay the ticketing fee.


There is no ticketing fee for changes. There is either the $100 change fee for calling in, or its being waived because he is a Gold.

AS doesn't have a $15 fee except for new ticketing...Which leads me to believe that the OP is making the changes through the corporate agent which is charging the $15 on top of the AS change fee (which in the OP's case is waived due to status)