edgewood49

I do agree. As a long time AS FLYER, Gold 75K before there was a 75K, I now find myself "looking" at the way we are treated.

While I have had "issues" in the past with Alaska they have all been worked out with their customer service, this time however I might not be so forgiving.

meballard

It's not FF only, it's reserved for frequent fliers (MVP or higher) and full fare tickets (mileage and/or money) before check-in. It's a perk for either paying the higher price or flying a lot.

At a certain point within the 24-hour window it opens up to anyone if still available.

seacarl

Every airline reserves the best seats for the elite members of their frequent flier program, and sometimes full fare passengers or people willing to pay an additional fee. It is a valuable perk, and entirely reasonable. On the day of departure those seats are usually open to everyone to the extent they aren't already assigned, though some airlines charge extra for them.

AS Flyer

I think you missed the sarcasm in the post you are responding to.

rjque

That makes complete sense - and I've known the pain of having very long legs on a long-haul flight. 10 years ago I flew CX coach from SFO to HKG and ended up bleeding from my shins due to the useless (to me) folding footrest that I could not avoid without putting my legs in the aisles. There was a guy who must have been 7' tall in my row, who also had the same issue. The flight attendants allowed us to sit in the crew jump seats for much of the flight, which is probably something that is not legal for U.S. carriers. I discovered FT shortly after that and have since managed to get exit rows or premium cabins for every trans oceanic flight since then.

I now view flights without proper legroom seats as sold out, which severely limits my available options. Fortunately, FT has taught me how to make the most of my elite status, and kept me in the loop re the limited number of airlines that actually allow non-elites to buy extra legroom seats.

jackal

Alaska/Horizon doesn't have "speedy boarding." Thus there is no way for a taller person to obtain a seat with more legroom without paying full fare or crossing fingers one will still be available at T-24 (ha!).

pacer142

It would be entirely reasonable *if* their normal seats were not crammed together.

I see no massive issue with elites getting them for free, but they should IMO also be available for purchase at a reasonable fee (i.e. not only full-fare, though I similarly do not find it unacceptable if they are available free to those paying full-fare rather than at a fee) at the same time.

FWIW, I would withdraw this objection for any airline that has an economy seat pitch of 34" or better. Some do, and I'd be looking to choose such airlines for a long-haul anyway if feasible.

Neil

johnp012001

What airline has a standard 34" pitch in economy?

ERS

i just got read the riot act by a customer service agent in lax. I went to get a flight coupon for my flight and was told rudely that they normally require customers to buy a second seat when they can't fit between the armrests. I have never been on an alaskan flight before and while I do prefer the arm rest up I do manage to get in between them on united and delta. I am glad I don't fly on the west coast often because I never want to do business with this airline again.

PTravel

Question: You've indicated that you prefer the arm rests up, but that can manage to get in between them on United and Delta. Can you do so without needing any of the seating space allotted to your seatmates? If so, you've a legitimate gripe with AS. If not, however, AS was right.

ERS

Does it matter when its the first words out of the reps mouth and before I have even step foot on the plane? He made an assumption and was completely rude about it.

PTravel

Rudeness is never justified. But, yes, it matters -- I'm asking out of curiosity, and I'll preface this by saying that I have no problem with overweight people (and I'm overweight myself). I do, however, have a very significant problem with strangers who, for whatever reason, think they have a right to impose on me for their benefit. That includes people who are tall and want to prevent me from reclining, people with lap children who kick and hit me, and people who need more space than available in a single coach seat and, instead of buying two seats, require that the person next to you cede some of the space they paid for.

ERS

I am always considerate of the others around me. In the end I found that I fit in the seat arm rest down with almost no discomfort... Also the flight had 40 empty seats... I had the whole row to myself. As we were boarding the gate agent also mentioned the buy up to first class. Now if the cs agent had done that first before assuming based on looks I would have had a happier first experience with alaska and they would have gotten an extra fifty bucks from me.

PTravel

I agree that you have an absolute right to be treated with courtesy and dignity. It sounds like the GA really handled this badly.

pacer142

Some of the Asian ones do. Thai and Malaysia are excellent for this in my experience (except some of Thai's domestic fleet), as are Kingfisher.

http://www.airlinequality.com/Experi...lass_seats.htm

It's often a good idea to choose an airline that *doesn't* have "economy plus" type seating, as they have no incentive to make standard economy worse.

Ironically KLM, from the land of tall people, has one of the worst long-haul seat pitches I've experienced.

Neil