Originally Posted by safari ari

1) Where you sit has no bearing on your upgrade probability or position. Sit where it seems the best for you. Premium seats open up for MVP at T-48 so you can freely select those then. I can't say the odds of an MVP UG, but Thursday is a very popular time to fly westbound for business people who are more likely to have status or pay for the seats. But, you never know, just don't plan on it.

2) If you call from the app then you should be sent to the dedicated MVP line, not sure where else the number is as I just use that number then save it.

Originally Posted by VegasGambler

Alaska won't automatically move you to a premium seat from an EE row. This is because many people prefer EE to premium. It does not affect first class upgrades.

The fact that AS won't automatically move you to premium doesn't mean much. That almost never works anyway. If you prefer to be in a premium seat, just check the app as soon as your upgrade window opens, and you can select any premium seat for free. This is better than waiting for them to do it automatically even if you are not in an EE seat. Basically, premium seat assignments are a free for all. It's first come, first served once your upgrade window opens. When I was MVP I always did this and got my premium seats while Golds who didn't bother to do this were stuck in regular economy.

EE seats generally have a bit (really, just a little bit) more legroom than premium seats, but premium gets you unlimited free drinks and a small snack. The choice is yours! Why AS does not classify EE as premium is beyond me.

And, again, none of this has anything to do with it first class upgrade chances. Also, you may very well get upgraded. I've been on plenty of SFO-NYC and back flights where the upgrade list completely cleared. I am also seeing a lot of $119 R fares with available U space on that route (I'm on one on a Thursday night, coincidentally), so I'm guessing that you have a decent shot. Neither NYC or SFO are particularly elite-heavy (if you were flying to SEA you'd basically have no chance)

Originally Posted by rustykettel

Without having access to the records or interviewing the gate agent, it's hard to tell. My guess is she was offloading you and just stuck you back in any seat. Alaska does tend to board early, often in advance of the scheduled boarding time (Horizon flights are generally the opposite) and if you're not in the boarding area by the cutoff time T-30, your seat assignment and reservation including any down line flights may be cancelled.


Having said that, there's no reason other than an imminent safety danger for an AS employee to yell at you. Please do fill out the post flight survey at alaskalistens.com.

Originally Posted by cragAK

You might get lucky. Not the same route, but I was upgraded LAX-JFK and JFK-LAX last January as a lowly MVP. When booking I always just grab the most forward seat I can for quicker disembarking and hope I get bumped into Premium or F.