This has happened twice now to me in the last week... once rebooking for a friend who was canceled on Tuesday, and once for my daughter this morning. There are other better alternatives than the itinerary AS rebooked, but for reasons I cannot fathom I get the "This reservation is not eligible for online changes. Please call us at 1-800-252-7522 for assistance." message. So instead choosing a better option from what is still available, I have to wait for a call back, and by then it will be too late (in my case today because the flight is leaving this morning, last week b/c by the time Alaska called back all the earlier options had filled.) How else to reach them besides hustling off to the airport? Hold time was stated as 2-5 hours.

I get cancelations happen but it seems like disabling the change button now x2 is just adding to the chaos and making it so much harder. It is especially tough to then call and get the "you can change online" schpeal when it's been disabled now the last 2 times there were cancelations and poor choices auto rebooked.