Just a disclaimer, I am fully aware the initial problem was fully my fault and I should have been more aware but nonetheless, I wish to share my positive experience and share some of my immediate love gained for AS!

For my upcoming USA trip next month, I needed a one-way trip from SEA-TPA. Went on SkyScanner and found a brilliantly low fare in Economy, I booked via an OTA as booking directly with Alaska was slightly more expensive. Also the OTA allowed me to be charged in GBP (my home/preferred currency) rather than just USD via AS' website.

I had second thoughts and saw that the fare difference between First and Economy was actually worth it and I wanted to pay and upgrade. I had a Google Flights alert which notified me of the fare drop in First class which made the upgrade more attractive for me. Unbeknownst (and out of sheer ignorance on my part), I didn't realise I had originally booked a Saver fare and when I did know that, I was completely naive to the fact that outside of the 24 hours booking window, absolutely no changes are permitted at all even if one wanted to pay for extra. I thought this was unusual but I guess that's the trade off for having a really low fare and I fully appreciate the business thinking behind that by AS.

I called my travel agent to request a fare difference quote and it was only then that I became aware of the extremely restrictive nature of the ticket. Naturally I was quite annoyed with myself and whilst usually I do ensure I read fare rules etc BEFORE booking, clearly I dunno what came across me, perhaps the adrenaline at seeing the really value for money initial Saver fare just made me want to secure it ASAP?

I then decided to Tweet AS and ask directly, I essentially asked "Is there any way I can pay for an upgrade to First please? I'm fully aware I booked a Saver fare and I genuinely was not aware of the restrictions associated with it and it is fully my own fault/negligence and I'm regretful."
No exaggerations, within 1 minute I received a response and they said "Let me have a look into the options and see what we can do".
5 minutes later, they reply "As a one-time exception, we are happy to allow you to change/upgrade your ticket, just call Reservations and they can see the note I've made"

Called Reservations, got through to an agent in under 30 seconds - extremely polite, friendly agent, immediately saw the note, quoted me the fare difference (which was spot on from what I paid vs the lower First fare available), took my payment details, she needed her "Support Team" to push through the ticketing which meant circa 5 minutes holding time and voila, all upgraded to First!

I have so many good things to say:
1. Exceptionally fast response on Twitter
2. Truly customer centric approach with genuine sense of empathy and dignity for the customer and in turn discretion was used recognising that we humans make mistakes
3. Extremely quick call response times especially with Thanksgiving round the corner (though I appreciate, this is probably luck and good timing on my part)
4. Very courteous and knowledgeable call centre agent
5. 99% of airlines refuse to touch an agent issued booking - not only were AS willing to bend their own rules relating to a Saver fare but they were able to put behind the age old rule of - "Contact the source where you booked the ticket from, we can't touch it"

Even if all of this meant the flight ended up being mediocre/rubbish, I don't think I'd mind as much as I genuinely feel very very positive and warm about matters after what I've described. This is my first ever time I've booked with AS and dealt with AS and honestly exceptional in every way! I ensured I took the names of the Twitter agent and the phone agent and immediately drafted a formal compliment to AS Customer Care also.

Alas even if the flight itself is a big flop, I'd still have satisfaction with the fact I'd earn 140 Tier Points with BA, and for those not aware of the quirks of BA's loyalty programme, 140 TPs is very very decent and contributes quite a bit towards maintaining OW Sapphire/Emerald, especially with the reduced requirements they have currently!

Thanks for reading.