Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Paid Upgrade - now available for all fares

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/first-class-upgrades.aspx?lid=nav:travelInfo-firstClassUpgrades

Announced in the e-statement today:

We're making it easier for you to upgrade to First Class. Paid Upgrades, starting as low as $50, may be available for customers beginning at 24 hours before departure. If space is available, you can upgrade to First Class when you check in through the Web, at the Kiosk or at an airport ticket counter. Paid upgrades will now be available on all fares including award tickets.

Hmm. Not sure if I like this one. It's hard to begrudge AS money by saying they should restrict paid upgrades from people who are willing to pay money, but this seems like a cheap shot.

Because elites should all be upgraded anyway at this point, the biggest impact to elites is limiting the same-day change options. Now all customers have a shot at a U seat starting at T-24, but I can only switch to a new flight starting at midnight.

Edit: AS lists W (coach award tickets) as eligible for paid upgrades:

Paid Upgrades are subject to availability, do not include stopovers, and exclude industry discounts. Prices are based on one-way trip miles, as shown above, unless otherwise noted. The link to upgrade to First Class during Web Check-In will only appear if First Class seats are still available for purchase. Fare categories are booked in Y, YAS, S, B, M, H Q, L, V, K, G, T, and W classes of service.

I guess this explains why all of a sudden AS fixed the OLCI upgrade loopole so quick? Will the TOD upgrade be offered ahead of Elite upgrades ala United? or after all elites are upgraded?

If award tickets can now be upgraded, why cant award tickets be eligible for complimentary MVP upgrade?

Hmm. Not sure if I like this one. It's hard to begrudge AS money by saying they should restrict paid upgrades from people who are willing to pay money, but this seems like a cheap shot.

Because elites should all be upgraded anyway at this point, the biggest impact to elites is limiting the same-day change options. Now all customers have a shot at a U seat starting at T-24, but I can only switch to a new flight starting at midnight.

Edit: AS lists W (coach award tickets) as eligible for paid upgrades:

I agree. Why not simply make all fare classes eligible at the gate? At T-24 it's going to result in fewer SDC first class seats for elites. I really hate having to make the choice between a first class seat and an earlier flight in coach. At the very least, bring back SDC at T-24 for elites, to allow us to counter-act this change (and they can sell the FC seat we vacate, to lessen the revenue impact). That would also lessen the problem with DL elites upgrading before SDCing Alaska elites.

I'm afraid this is the first step in adopting a United-style upgrade system, which would be a troubling development indeed.

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I guess this explains why all of a sudden AS fixed the OLCI upgrade loopole so quick? Will the TOD upgrade be offered ahead of Elite upgrades ala United? or after all elites are upgraded?

If award tickets can now be upgraded, why cant award tickets be eligible for complimentary upgrade?

I don't know but I'm a bit scared by this move :(

Will even U space be required?

And upgrades on award tickets for elite shouldn't cost $$$...

Worth noting that AS has also simultaneously announced a change to the fare display to show various types of upgrades that will be rolled out this month:

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/about-us/site-info/new-features.aspx?lid=home-page:news-advisories::new-features

With this change I would hope they do two things for elites:

-Extend the SDC to 24 hours before the flight.
-Allow complimentary upgrades on award tickets, a lower priority would be fine.

Really hope that "U" space is still required for these buy-ups, or it will cut down on gate upgrades.

Worth noting that AS has also simultaneously announced a change to the fare display to show various types of upgrades that will be rolled out this month:

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/about-us/site-info/new-features.aspx?lid=home-page:news-advisories::new-featureswonder if they in the proccess have managed to fix the glitch of 2 MVPs flying together in which if there are 2 U seats open you both should upgrade, not get some error message that only gold can upgrade a companion or whatever it usually says. I sure as heck hope so.

If award tickets can now be upgraded, why cant award tickets be eligible for complimentary MVP upgrade?start directing these types of things to the head bean counter @:-) All things degradation of AS seem to point to one person @:-) All was calm in the hen house until someone came along and wanted to ruffle up the feathers, stick out their chest, and make a name for themselves. Theyve succeeded at making their name known to me.....and I dont spell it quite like he does. At this point I wouldnt care if DL tried to do a hostile takeover. Id have no objections. Ive used others this year more than AS for the first time in a long time and if I dont make even MVP again this year then so be it. I havent used AS since March

So what happens when Rev Mgmnt doesn't release U space until T-24 (or after)? Is the upgrade list full of elites carried forward - and applied - prior to making paid upgrades available everyone?

Given my experience and the number of AS elites these days, I can recall few flights where there were even F seats left for paid upgrades.

I received the following on my facebook complaint:

I spoke with Rick Rasmussen (Director Loyalty Marketing) this morning about your first post... We have a very clear policy that we do not sell paid upgrades to anyone if there is an MVP, MVP Gold or MVP Gold 75k traveling on a paid ticket waiting for a First Class upgrade. We upgrade all elite customers on revenue tickets before we will sell any paid upgrades.

I received the following on my facebook complaint:

I spoke with Rick Rasmussen (Director Loyalty Marketing) this morning about your first post... We have a very clear policy that we do not sell paid upgrades to anyone if there is an MVP, MVP Gold or MVP Gold 75k traveling on a paid ticket waiting for a First Class upgrade. We upgrade all elite customers on revenue tickets before we will sell any paid upgrades.

^^^

That's quite definitive. And Rick is the one who should know.

I received the following on my facebook complaint:
I spoke with Rick Rasmussen (Director Loyalty Marketing) this morning about your first post... We have a very clear policy that we do not sell paid upgrades to anyone if there is an MVP, MVP Gold or MVP Gold 75k traveling on a paid ticket waiting for a First Class upgrade. We upgrade all elite customers on revenue tickets before we will sell any paid upgrades.

^Indeed. Since U space is required for the above, then hence U space would have to be required for paid upgrades.

So, other than making Award ticket upgrades for elites complimentary and moving up SDC to T-24, what is the big deal on this one? Are those the only two issues folks see with this?:confused:

^Indeed. Since U space is required for the above, then hence U space would have to be required for paid upgrades.

So, other than making Award ticket upgrades for elites complimentary and moving up SDC to T-24, what is the big deal on this one? Are those the only two issues folks see with this?:confused:

It really isn't a big deal. Paid upgrades used to be available for any fare at the time of check in... but in an attempt to stem the flow up queue jumping, they put the H and above requirement on it (until the gate) to give the elites a better chance and getting their upgrades.

Now that the loophole has been closed, and the upgrade processor runs til much closer to departure, there is no reason to have the H+ restriction anymore.

I agree. Why not simply make all fare classes eligible at the gate? At T-24 it's going to result in fewer SDC first class seats for elites.

If I understand correctly, all that's required for SDC is F inventory.

^^^

That's quite definitive. And Rick is the one who should know.

Do you think DL Elites already on the FC wait list are included in this 'elite revenue' definition? We're not specifically named, only AS tiers. Anyone have the link to that FB post? Happy to ask myself.

Do you think DL Elites already on the FC wait list are included in this 'elite revenue' definition? We're not specifically named, only AS tiers. Anyone have the link to that FB post? Happy to ask myself.

yes they are included. What he is saying is that we clear the waitlist before we sell any paid upgrades. Paid upgrades will only display or be offered if U space is available. U space will only be available if all upgrades have cleared.

start directing these types of things to the head bean counter @:-) All things degradation of AS seem to point to one person @:-) All was calm in the hen house until someone came along and wanted to ruffle up the feathers, stick out their chest, and make a name for themselves. Theyve succeeded at making their name known to me.....and I dont spell it quite like he does. At this point I wouldnt care if DL tried to do a hostile takeover. Id have no objections. Ive used others this year more than AS for the first time in a long time and if I dont make even MVP again this year then so be it. I havent used AS since March

Id take a compromise of at least being upgrade eligible if on a F award but seated in Y.

It really isn't a big deal.

...unless you want to SDC, in which case a first class seat can be taken at T-24 by a non-elite on a bargain-basement fare before you have a chance to make your change at midnight.

If I understand correctly, all that's required for SDC is F inventory.

At T-24 if a person who otherwise is ineligible for a FC upgrade pays $50 or whatever to get up front, that's one less F seat for me to SDC into. Doesn't matter how many F/U/A seats are available, one less seat is one less seat.

Maybe this change is good for AS' revenue and maybe they don't mind if an SDCing elite ends up in Y instead of F, but let's not delude ourselves by thinking this will not result in the occasional missed upgrade on a SDC. AS will get $50 and one less elite will be in F.

If the SDC window were moved to T-24 for elites, it would be a moot point. That would make a great Gold/75k benefit imo.

If the SDC window were moved to T-24 for elites, it would be a moot point. That would make a great Gold/75k benefit imo.

This x1000. If there's any benefit AS could provide that would make my life much nicer without losing any revenue, it's this one. Staying up until or waking up at midnight to change a flight is painful, especially when the SDC window used to be 24 hours on either side of the flight.

...unless you want to SDC, in which case a first class seat can be taken at T-24 by a non-elite on a bargain-basement fare before you have a chance to make your change at midnight.


for that to happen, all the other elites have to be cleared,
plus a seat has to open in U between T-24 and whenever midnight comes around, and there has to be someone checking in who wants to upgrade.

Personally, I don't think its reasonable tradeoff to push all the paid upgrades, and requests for paid upgrades onto the shoulders of the gate agents, who already have enough to do in that hour before departure so that the U seat is there in case someone wants to SDC in that window (which could itself be as little as an hour) where a paid upgrader might snag one that wouldn't otherwise be available later.

yes they are included. What he is saying is that we clear the waitlist before we sell any paid upgrades. Paid upgrades will only display or be offered if U space is available. U space will only be available if all upgrades have cleared.Based on the number of elites flying out of SEA, it sounds like the paid upgrade is never likely to be an option. Bummer.

People while I cringe at United, Continental, Alaska and others doing this with my own elite status benefits in jeopardy, an airline afterall is a business looking to MAKE money not be a charity! T&Cs for air carriers have always show elite benefits as a sign of goodwill not a mandate. I recent blew $750 on BA to score a paid upgrade from business to first. In hind sight not worth it to me, but glad the option existed.

My theory is based on how AS has treated customers that they might do the right thing here vs United.

for that to happen, all the other elites have to be cleared,
plus a seat has to open in U between T-24 and whenever midnight comes around, and there has to be someone checking in who wants to upgrade.

Happens all the time -- anytime there is still U space available at T-24. Looking on alaskaair.com right now there is U space on the 6:30am and 7am SEA-LAX tomorrow morning. Anybody on any coach fare could have gone on at 7am today and snagged an F seat. One less F seat for me to SDC into at midnight tonight. This situation is not at all uncommon.


Personally, I don't think its reasonable tradeoff to push all the paid upgrades, and requests for paid upgrades onto the shoulders of the gate agents, who already have enough to do in that hour before departure so that the U seat is there in case someone wants to SDC in that window (which could itself be as little as an hour) where a paid upgrader might snag one that wouldn't otherwise be available later.

Delta handles the situation remarkably well and does it all automatically with minimal burden on gate agents, probably less than at Alaska currently. Okay, so Alaska isn't as big and can't invest as much in technology as Delta, then how about mitigating the issue by giving elites 24 hours to SDC? It won't eliminate the problem but it will reduce the frequency and will push the onus squarely on the passenger. Plus, this is a low-cost benefit with a big payoff (waiting up till midnight to change to a 6am flight sucks), so why not?

This policy change will have a negative impact on AS elites, there is no denying that. Trying to "spin" it otherwise is disingenuous. It's reasonable for Alaska to reduce marginal elite benefits in order to increase revenue, but let's not pretend it's anything but that.

Based on the number of elites flying out of SEA, it sounds like the paid upgrade is never likely to be an option. Bummer.

Long, long ago, before I was an Alaska elite, I scored quite a few $50 west coast upgrades. Check out SEA-LAX, SEA-SFO, and other west coast routes for tomorrow and you'll see several U slots. On every single one of those flights a Y pax could pay to upgrade to first right now during check in.

...unless you want to SDC, in which case a first class seat can be taken at T-24 by a non-elite on a bargain-basement fare before you have a chance to make your change at midnight.



At T-24 if a person who otherwise is ineligible for a FC upgrade pays $50 or whatever to get up front, that's one less F seat for me to SDC into. Doesn't matter how many F/U/A seats are available, one less seat is one less seat.

Maybe this change is good for AS' revenue and maybe they don't mind if an SDCing elite ends up in Y instead of F, but let's not delude ourselves by thinking this will not result in the occasional missed upgrade on a SDC. AS will get $50 and one less elite will be in F.

If the SDC window were moved to T-24 for elites, it would be a moot point. That would make a great Gold/75k benefit imo.

I am a Gold 75 and I don't ever mind missing out or expect a F seat on the rare occasion I do a SDC. Seems to be a me problem and not an AS problem if I am the one changing my travel plans.

I am a Gold 75 and I don't ever mind missing out or expect a F seat on the rare occasion I do a SDC. Seems to be a me problem and not an AS problem if I am the one changing my travel plans.

Could not agree more. ^

...unless you want to SDC, in which case a first class seat can be taken at T-24 by a non-elite on a bargain-basement fare before you have a chance to make your change at midnight.
If the SDC window were moved to T-24 for elites, it would be a moot point. That would make a great Gold/75k benefit imo.

This x1000. If there's any benefit AS could provide that would make my life much nicer without losing any revenue, it's this one. Staying up until or waking up at midnight to change a flight is painful, especially when the SDC window used to be 24 hours on either side of the flight.

+1 ^

yes they are included. What he is saying is that we clear the waitlist before we sell any paid upgrades. Paid upgrades will only display or be offered if U space is available. U space will only be available if all upgrades have cleared.

That is awesome! Now, hopefully the confirmed U-UP space for MVP/MVPg/75k can be made available to us at some point! I usually have to book upgradable fares on AS, as they're last minute, and hate that colorful U staring me in the face while I pick a seat in coach :)

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's PWP wondrousdevice3.0: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0.0.583 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

yes they are included. What he is saying is that we clear the waitlist before we sell any paid upgrades. Paid upgrades will only display or be offered if U space is available. U space will only be available if all upgrades have cleared.

That is awesome! Now, hopefully the confirmed U-UP space for MVP/MVPg/75k can be made available to us at some point! I usually have to book upgradable fares on AS, as they're last minute, and hate that colorful U staring me in the face while I pick a seat in coach :)

Try booking these fares 6+ months out and no UG :(

Granted it was a transcon but still...

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Try booking these fares 6+ months out and no UG :(

Granted it was a transcon but still...

Wait, how would that happen if you're an MVP+? Isn't the upgrade immediate with that fare class/status combo?

Wait, how would that happen if you're an MVP+? Isn't the upgrade immediate with that fare class/status combo?

Only if U space is available at the time of booking. That detail wasn't clear from the person who wrote the post.

It has to be a qualifying fare + U has to be available + you have to have the appropriate status.

I frequently book transcons months out, even set up ExpertFlyer alerts, and U rarely opens up before departure. So it really makes no difference, in those cases, which fare class I buy (immediately upgradeable vs. MVPG 72-hour upgradeable).

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/using-miles/first-class-upgrades.aspx
Thought I'd throw this into the mix:

Effective For Travel Beginning December 1, 2012

One-Way Distance in Miles Price
0 - 1,000 $50
1,001 - 2,000 $100
2,001 - 3,000 $150
3,001 and above $250

Effective through November 30, 2012

One-Way by Destination Price
All Flights between California and Guadalajara $50
All flights between California and Hawaii $150
One-Way by Trip Miles For Destinations Not Noted Above Price
0 - 1,250 $50
1,251 - 2,500 $100
2,501 - 3,750 $150
3,751 and above $200

http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/using-miles/first-class-upgrades.aspx
Thought I'd throw this into the mix:

This "new" pricing was announced back in February and was originally intended to go into effect in May. Later that month the effective date was pushed to Dec 1. See previous discussion here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alaska-airlines-mileage-plan/1310286-upgrade-increase.html