anteater - this sounds very similar to what occurred to me in post # 240. Reservations, the agent at the airport and customer care after the fact all admitted the processor did not run as it should and said they reported this to IT. Hopefully the more reports of this happening the more likely it will be that we can get this fixed once and for all...

Please give me a moment to recover from the shock. For the first time in ages, I was upgraded at exactly T-120. No email yet, but it's nice to be able to choose a preferred seat and preselect my meal.

I coincidently was checking the return flight and I was stunned noticed that the outbound had been upgraded.

This just happened to a fellow 100k that is flying home from Tennessee. Both Alaska segs (ORD-SEA, SEA-SAN) cleared right at T-120. Now he is waiting to see how he fares on the AA operated AS codeshare E-jet from TYS to ORD.

What route? This typically has only happened for me on short hop E175 flights. I can't remember the last time I was upgraded earlier than 24 hours on anything significant.

A midcon with good loads. It surprisingly was U2.

Another wild UG processor issue appears!

Incorrect Rankings
Edited: The system was operating properly here. Award tickets are not subjugated with respect to revenue tickets. In this case, an award V-fare outranked revenue G/N-fares.


Incomplete WL Manifest
Also, with respect to elites believing shenanigans are afoot, I have another case where it may appear to be so (but actually isn't).

After a SDC, I was #1 on the new UG WL (for J=1) as confirmed by the AS Flight Status page (and by pinging AS); however, the AS app did not show me listed at all. I ended up being UG'd correctly (as #1 on the WL).

🤙🏻🍹

Is that really the case? I recall that a few years ago, awards were specific fare classes, and those received lower priority than revenue fares, but after they changed them to pull from cash fare buckets, I don't believe they do that any longer. I see nothing on the complimentary upgrades page that indicates awards are lower upgrade priority than cash fares. If that were the case, I'd expect the upgrade processing order (below) to provide some indication as to that.

The page also makes reference to "Upgrade windows for eligible discounted fares and nonrefundable awards" with fare classes listed and no distinction between cash/awards.. Based on your placement on the waitlist, it looks like everything was working as intended, and there was someone with a fare class between V and N/G classes (either award or cash) that was outranking you on your original fare.

Good points!

That was my understanding, but I am checking my knowledge now. Will report back!

Reporting back:

My understanding was incorrect / outdated. There is no subjugation of award to revenue tickets. It is purely: elite status, fare class, MM status, and date of booking. So for example, a 100K on a award ticket Y-fare would outrank a 100K on a revenue ticket G-fare. However, if both 100K's were Y-fares it would then inspect the remaining criteria (iteratively): MM status, time of booking.

So, for my faux issue above, I was incorrect. The system was operating properly. 🤙🏻🍹

I was in this situation a month ago: #2 on waitlist, U=3. Like you we were inside T-24, which means that Y pax are getting paid upgrade offers at check-in and could easily buy up all 3 U seats before the processor got around to running and moving me up.

I called and an agent apologized and said that it should run, and I should get the seat, but she couldn't force it. I (grudgingly) asked her to apply a GGU and she did.

My reply would have been: However it isn’t running according to the policy of “immediately upon space being available”.

It’s an infuriating experience and there’s no sign that this behavior is going to change. Perhaps is some travel blogs or news covered the story.. one can dream.

🤞🏻🥃

Hmm... I have an idea or two that, while on a 'regional' level, is a region *very* important to Alaska Airlines and involves daily print media...

Depends on award ticket fare class. I was flying OAK-SEA last week with T class award ticket (lowest award level), and on UG list I was #3, behind 2 other 100Ks.

75K here with a bit of a noob question. I have a ticket JFK-SFO in December with an "S" fare. Looking online same flight is now $100 cheaper with a "G" fare. At 6.5 hours I'd really like to get upgraded -- I'm thinking the G fare would materially reduce my chances -- is my thinking correct? And time of booking would go from September to now.

It’s a gamble.

By rebooking from S to G class, you would be behind all other 75Ks on a higher fare class, 75Ks who were MM status on a G fare, and 75Ks who booked the same fare class before you did.

Fare classes from S and below: S, N, Q, O, G, T

Do you have any GGUs? S is already an eligible fare for GGU application, G is not. If U space opens before the 75K/100K window, you can apply a GGU to the S fare. If you downgrade to G class, you won't be able upgrade with a GGU without upfaring to an eligible fare which could be S or higher and the delta could be more than $100, even if S class.

The date/time you change the ticket, as you say, will be your new "time on the waitlist." You will be below all 100Ks, even those on awards and below 75Ks on G fares who purchased before your time/date stamp on the exchange.

Of course, the upgrade processor has a mind of it's own, and Gate Agents supposedly fill the remaining F seats first by status tier & then by time on the waitlist.*

James

* I see the reference to gate upgrades had changed.

The gate agent will assign available First Class seats, even those not designated as "U" class of service, that are still available less than 1 hour prior to departure.

Is this the out that allows gate agents to upgrade anyone they choose? Interesting change; no reference to status!

James