I have been an MVP Gold since 2006, each year easily re-qualifying by late summer for the next year. In 2015, I actually flew enough (110k) to reach MVPG75k for the first time last year. Then, in order to take advantage of my new-found eleite status... I flew 14k miles in 2016. A combination of all travel being eliminated, then eventually my job being eliminated, left me well short of even reaching MVP status. Now I started a new job with lots of travel and now have to experience things I haven't experienced in a decade. Change fees. no early boarding. Gasp - COACH. I'm hoping AS reaches out to me with some sort of challenge, but in the meantime, I'll be in the back of the bus fighting over the last picnic pack.

Maybe a nudge to Alaska over on twitter might help? Not down right asking for stuff but a simple "Hey, lost job & lost status, new job and wanna fly AS, any help?" just to get the system notice you.

If it happens, it'll be on or about January 15 and by invite only (if history is any indicator) - so watch your email!

I'm in the same boat.

New job, little travel. Just realized that I can't just book flights and cancel later without cost. No guest upgrade certificates, etc.

I wouldn't count on it, you have make the first step and reach out to them.

my thoughts....

if you had 10 yrs of status and didn't make status this year in part due to your unemployment period, but you know you got hired and will fly again I would reach out to the corporate customer service level and basically email them like you did on here and see what they do.

Worst case, Lack of status is a temporary condition if you will now be flying more. This time of year is also great for racking up miles inexpensively. I expect this year, like last I will make MVP by the beginning of March and I don't fly at all for my job.

Or better yet, if you were only 6K from MVP, I would have found a relatively inexpensive MR to fill the gap....a single transcon with a connection in PDX or SEA could easily take care of that. There are quite a few of us AS elites that earn 0 miles from work-related travel and basically earn status 100% from mileage runs and personal travel.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...g-just-do.html

FWIW, SEA-LAX-SEA was around in December for less than $100 (I actually did a $100 In-N-Out run this fall to requalify for MVPG. Pretty tatsy burger). You could knock out SEA-LAX-SEA-LAX-SEA in a single day if you booked a flight inside itself (maybe even all three in a day if you use the 5 am flight out of SEA plus the redeye return at 2 am), so 6k in a weekend for $150 is pretty easy.

In fairness to the OP, he/she stated that 14K miles were flown. Not that they were all on AS metal. Which means it could easily be 11K or more miles to MVP.


I would expect there are other priorities for one's money while unemployed.

You can go to CC and trade for MVP nomination, that way you will at least get some bennies.

Yeah being unemployed was a bigger concern than my mileage status.

Im sitting in SFO right now waitin for my return flight to PDX. Since I booked this in December my old status was reflected and I got an F upgrade. I'm going to savor it.

And I reached out to AS via twitter and they responded via DM. Said there was nothing they could do.

I have to say if anyone deserves continued elite status it's you. Not just because you were unemployed but because you are specifically going to be traveling for business once again on Alaska Airlines. But I honestly have to say that I have never understood why people would publically try to solve personal account issues and requests using "Twitter". Is this the way young people do things? Maybe, I don't understand and this was asked via a private Twitter message like an email. Certainly if they were to publically grant you elite status again without actually earning it this would open a whole can of worms for the thousands out there in the same or similar situation. This is something that should be dealt with privately given your unique and clearly deserving situation laid out in more than 140 characters. Even at least a status match of some sort should be offered.

Twitter is probably the my favorite way to deal with customer service issues these days. No hold times and you can get things in writing, plus you have your choice of public or private (DM) communication.