Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Check-in 101

OK I need a lesson in checking in. Is it true that the sooner you check in to your flight online (i.e. 30 hours ahead of time) the higher on the FC wait list you will be on the day of departure?
I checked-in way early on a flight with a full FC so I would get higher priority on the flight wait list the next morning. Of course later that night a FC seat opened and I called to get it. Since I had already checked in to the flight earlier in the day, reservations said that the gate agent already had control of me but they would hold that seat for me for when I arrive at the airport but they could not confirm the seat until I saw the gate agent.
Hmmm sounded like this was not going to work for me on a 6 am flight. So I show up and I am no longer checked in so I have to wait in the annoying FC check-in line since my printer did not work and I do not have a boarding pass. Well they see that I am no longer checked-in and some how I go on a standby list and I immediately go to the gate were of course my FC seat has already been given away. The gate agent said that I never checked-in online and if my printer does not work I need to get to the gate one hour ahead of time. They give me a standby seat on a full flight and I scratch my head about what I did wrong. Sure I did not show up in advance for my 6 am flight but that is the same time I show up every morning.
Here's what I think: I probably should have NOT checked-in online until just before the flight. I would have been able to call and grab the FC seat that night THAN I could have check in afterwards so they won't bump me (hopefully) until 10 minutes before departure.

Even if you're checked in for a flight, you should be able to call in and upgrade or make changes. But cancelling your coach space and rebooking you in U space will "uncheck" you for your flight. You should have been able to go right back online and re-check in after the U space was confirmed. They may not have been able to actually assign a seat for you if the flight came under airport control early.

This could have been a misunderstanding between "holding space" and "assigning a seat", or you may have gotten an agent who didn't understand how changes work once check-in has occurred.

Either way .. I'd do it the same way next time...just re-check in after you've secured the upgrade.

Missy -

Makes sense... But can you confirm that checking in earlier would ultimately affect priority on the standby list once one has been added to the standby list at the counter or gate?

If you check in on-line or at a kiosk, don't select "Yes" when they ask if you have firearms in you luggage. :rolleyes: That will slow you down. :(

If you check in on-line or at a kiosk, don't select "Yes" when they ask if you have firearms in you luggage. :rolleyes: That will slow you down. :(

Really?

Missy -

Makes sense... But can you confirm that checking in earlier would ultimately affect priority on the standby list once one has been added to the standby list at the counter or gate?

Yes, time of check-in does affect your standing on the priority list.

Basically there are 4 groupings:

MVPG
MVP
Paid upgrades
Comp upgrades - like BofA coupons

Each category is listed in order of check-in time (not time of upgrade requst) but you must request to be put on the priority list. The upgrade list prior to day of departure does NOT roll into the airport list as these are two distinct lists.

FWIW - the AFSD (standy) works the same except MVPG/MVP/Revenue.

Check-in early and have your printer connected ;)

Yes, time of check-in does affect your standing on the priority list.

Basically there are 4 groupings:

MVPG
MVP
Paid upgrades
Comp upgrades - like BofA coupons

Each category is listed in order of check-in time (not time of upgrade requst) but you must request to be put on the priority list. The upgrade list prior to day of departure does NOT roll into the airport list as these are two distinct lists.

FWIW - the AFSD (standy) works the same except MVPG/MVP/Revenue.

Check-in early and have your printer connected ;)

Thanks for the info. This info is golden. Don't know what AFSD or standy means.
Another issue is checking in for a standby flight. I go to the airport early in the morning to try to get confirmed onto another earlier afternoon flight and if there is more than 100 people booked on the flight it puts me on the standby list instead on confirming me immediately. This is difficult in that the gate agents sometimes don't clear this list until everyone is almost boarded even when there are clearly open seats. And most importantly it makes it virtually impossible to upgrade. :(
Another issue is it harder to standby for a later flight than an earlier flight? The system seems to want to cancel the reservation when you miss the first leg and the agent has to recover it. They told me to call and tell them I am going to miss the flight.

Thanks for the info. This info is golden. Don't know what AFSD or standy means.

AFSD = alternate flight, same day (standby)

standy = I think he meant to type standby and omitted the "b" in error

Thanks for the info. This info is golden. Don't know what AFSD or standy means.
Another issue is checking in for a standby flight. I go to the airport early in the morning to try to get confirmed onto another earlier afternoon flight and if there is more than 100 people booked on the flight it puts me on the standby list instead on confirming me immediately. This is difficult in that the gate agents sometimes don't clear this list until everyone is almost boarded even when there are clearly open seats. And most importantly it makes it virtually impossible to upgrade. :(
Another issue is it harder to standby for a later flight than an earlier flight? The system seems to want to cancel the reservation when you miss the first leg and the agent has to recover it. They told me to call and tell them I am going to miss the flight.

Oops, I meant standby.

If you standby on a flight you can not be on the upgrade list also. There is only one priority list and either you are view as confirmed, requesting upgrade or AFSD. All others confirmed on that flight will receive upgrades before any AFSD will so it is rare to have both AFSD and the upgrade. Seats are given out at 30 minutes before departure when the flight is restricted to the gate but other factors enter in such as getting families together.

It isn't "harder" to go standby on a later flight but you have to rebook to a confirmed flight if you miss the earlier flight. In order to go standby you must have the same flight (or co-terminal) in the reservation. And, of course, going standby is no guarantee you'll get out that same day - especially during the busy summer days when sometimes the next flight is one or two days later.

OK,

I guess I don't understand.

How can I check in and request to be put on the priority list if I am not at the airport??


-Jeremy


Yes, time of check-in does affect your standing on the priority list.

Basically there are 4 groupings:

MVPG
MVP
Paid upgrades
Comp upgrades - like BofA coupons

Each category is listed in order of check-in time (not time of upgrade requst) but you must request to be put on the priority list. The upgrade list prior to day of departure does NOT roll into the airport list as these are two distinct lists.

FWIW - the AFSD (standy) works the same except MVPG/MVP/Revenue.

Check-in early and have your printer connected ;)

How can I check in and request to be put on the priority list if I am not at the airport?

Use on-line check-in and then call AS to be placed on the priority list.

Use on-line check-in and then call AS to be placed on the priority list.

This doesn't work for day of travel. You must request at the airport to be put on the "airport" priority list. Your placement on the list is determined by your "grouping" and the time you checked-in in comparison to others within your group.