How Complimentary Upgrades Work

Old Jun 28, 2018, 2:38 pm
  #601  
 
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Originally Posted by be_rettSEA
When they initially rolled out PC, they got some complaints from elites upset about being moved from exit rows to premium class seats. They currently indicate on PC FAQs that those seated in exit row seats at their upgrade window will not automatically be moved to premium class. It seems like they could control this better with the check-boxes for Waitlist for Premium Class / Waitlist for First Class at booking rather than assume exit row folks don't want to move up. They could also just make exit row seats part of premium class and throw some free drinks the fig bar at those seats as well, but I guess this process is what we have for the time being.

Bottom line: if you're an elite in an exit row seat and want a premium class seat, move yourself at your upgrade window.
I always check Upgrade to first and deliberately do NOT check Upgrade to Premium, and sometimes we get moved anyway, which is bad for us. This has happened on an upcoming flight and when I noticed it, our exit row seats were already gone. It's not that long of a flight so we'll survive, but I wish they would just do as you tell them.
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Old Jun 29, 2018, 2:19 pm
  #602  
 
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
I always check Upgrade to first and deliberately do NOT check Upgrade to Premium, and sometimes we get moved anyway, which is bad for us. This has happened on an upcoming flight and when I noticed it, our exit row seats were already gone. It's not that long of a flight so we'll survive, but I wish they would just do as you tell them.
I agree.
We have 2 flights where we are in exit row. Called MVP line and asked to confirm NO Upgrade to Premium . Sounds like it may happen anyway, may have to babysit reservation. Perhaps it is worth removing all Upgrade requests. Chances of us getting an upgrade with MVP- pretty slim nowadays.
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Old Jun 29, 2018, 4:26 pm
  #603  
 
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Wait til you hear what happened now. Not sure this is the right thread. I booked some flights that used the old Virgin planes. We ALWAYS choose exit row, so I picked row 9. Everything was fine. Didn't ask for any money, figured, as an MVPG, that exit rows were still ok (free). This was a couple of months ago.

Fast forward to yesterday. Just looking at our upcoming reservation, and it says we owe $100! I call AS, and they say yes, you will have that money collected when you check in. Wha??? Because, I guess, only the 2 exit rows and bulkhead have any extra legroom, they are considered Premium?

So they took them away from us, right over the phone, and made me pick 2 other seats!

Maybe this is well known to all of you, but a first for us. I thought it was pretty crappy. IF they had said $100 charge for these seats at the time of booking, I would have realized it and picked something else on the spot. But to wait a few months? What if I didn't do that and they tried to collect at the airport, and there were only middles left?
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Old Jun 29, 2018, 5:21 pm
  #604  
 
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
Wait til you hear what happened now. Not sure this is the right thread. I booked some flights that used the old Virgin planes. We ALWAYS choose exit row, so I picked row 9. Everything was fine. Didn't ask for any money, figured, as an MVPG, that exit rows were still ok (free). This was a couple of months ago.

Fast forward to yesterday. Just looking at our upcoming reservation, and it says we owe $100! I call AS, and they say yes, you will have that money collected when you check in. Wha??? Because, I guess, only the 2 exit rows and bulkhead have any extra legroom, they are considered Premium?

So they took them away from us, right over the phone, and made me pick 2 other seats!

Maybe this is well known to all of you, but a first for us. I thought it was pretty crappy. IF they had said $100 charge for these seats at the time of booking, I would have realized it and picked something else on the spot. But to wait a few months? What if I didn't do that and they tried to collect at the airport, and there were only middles left?
In June, row 9 was converted from Main Cabin to Premium Class; this was done at the same time Red was reprogrammed to start charging for meals/snacks. Since you purchased the seats before this conversion was made, the system wouldn't have prompted you to pay for an upgrade fee. Though I'm not sure why you weren't given a free upgrade to Premium Class, since you are MVPG.
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Old Jun 29, 2018, 5:49 pm
  #605  
 
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Originally Posted by MiniC
In June, row 9 was converted from Main Cabin to Premium Class; this was done at the same time Red was reprogrammed to start charging for meals/snacks. Since you purchased the seats before this conversion was made, the system wouldn't have prompted you to pay for an upgrade fee. Though I'm not sure why you weren't given a free upgrade to Premium Class, since you are MVPG.
Me either! And since I bought those seats, as free cost exit rows, well before June, why couldn't I just have kept them? Aren't purchases made before changes, made in good faith, grandfathered in?

Anyone?
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Old Jun 29, 2018, 7:40 pm
  #606  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
Me either! And since I bought those seats, as free cost exit rows, well before June, why couldn't I just have kept them? Aren't purchases made before changes, made in good faith, grandfathered in?

Anyone?
Ive inherited a bunch of premium seats and never been asked to pay. Its absurd to demand an ex post facto payment and then of course, as mentioned above, they would have been free at check in anyways for MVPG.
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Old Jul 1, 2018, 12:36 am
  #607  
 
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
Wait til you hear what happened now. Not sure this is the right thread. I booked some flights that used the old Virgin planes. We ALWAYS choose exit row, so I picked row 9. Everything was fine. Didn't ask for any money, figured, as an MVPG, that exit rows were still ok (free). This was a couple of months ago.

Fast forward to yesterday. Just looking at our upcoming reservation, and it says we owe $100! I call AS, and they say yes, you will have that money collected when you check in. Wha??? Because, I guess, only the 2 exit rows and bulkhead have any extra legroom, they are considered Premium?

So they took them away from us, right over the phone, and made me pick 2 other seats!

Maybe this is well known to all of you, but a first for us. I thought it was pretty crappy. IF they had said $100 charge for these seats at the time of booking, I would have realized it and picked something else on the spot. But to wait a few months? What if I didn't do that and they tried to collect at the airport, and there were only middles left?
I can't believe it has happened again!

On another upcoming flight, months ago I chose the free exit rows (17 - this is not a Virgin plane). Then a while back I saw that we had been "upgraded" to Premium, which I did not want. Well, the exit seats we wanted were no longer available, so we figured no big deal we'll just sit in premium. I wrote about this recently that I was annoyed I was tossed out of the exit row.

Well now it shows we owe $56 each for those premium seats!! What is going on??? I'm kicked out of the free seats I wanted, and am now expected to pay for seats I don't want?

I'm going to call on Monday but I just want to get some feedback here as to why this is happening and what I can do about it.

Leave the seats I pick alone!!!
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Old Jul 1, 2018, 9:46 am
  #608  
 
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
I can't believe it has happened again!

On another upcoming flight, months ago I chose the free exit rows (17 - this is not a Virgin plane). Then a while back I saw that we had been "upgraded" to Premium, which I did not want. Well, the exit seats we wanted were no longer available, so we figured no big deal we'll just sit in premium. I wrote about this recently that I was annoyed I was tossed out of the exit row.

Well now it shows we owe $56 each for those premium seats!! What is going on??? I'm kicked out of the free seats I wanted, and am now expected to pay for seats I don't want?

I'm going to call on Monday but I just want to get some feedback here as to why this is happening and what I can do about it.

Leave the seats I pick alone!!!
How soon is this upcoming flight? I would leave it alone, don't call it on it just yet. Go the Alaska Contact Us webform (https://www.alaskaair.com/feedback) and fill out a complaint for your previous reservation where the agent moved you.
1) the system is broken & incorrectly charging an additional amount for already assigned Premium seats
2) the phone agent moved you rather than clearing the charges & escalating the problem to IT

If you do call in, and the phone agent wants to move you, escalate to a supervisor.
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Old Jul 1, 2018, 2:15 pm
  #609  
 
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Originally Posted by rustykettel
How soon is this upcoming flight? I would leave it alone, don't call it on it just yet. Go the Alaska Contact Us webform (https://www.alaskaair.com/feedback) and fill out a complaint for your previous reservation where the agent moved you.
1) the system is broken & incorrectly charging an additional amount for already assigned Premium seats
2) the phone agent moved you rather than clearing the charges & escalating the problem to IT

If you do call in, and the phone agent wants to move you, escalate to a supervisor.
I did write to them, thanks for the link. That way I could make sure all my facts were straight and I could keep emotion out of it (well, a little). The flights aren't right away so I have some leeway. I'll report here what I'm told, but it might take a while? (when I got the "received it" reply it said it might take up to 30 days to investigate? - yikes, hopefully it will be sooner).
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Old Jul 1, 2018, 9:12 pm
  #610  
 
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You should NOT be moved from an exit row seat into PC (I'm guessing there was an aircraft swap) and you should NOT be charged for having a row 9 A320 seat prior to row 9 being PC

They owe you some goodwill comp in exchange for your PNRs to enable them to do some troubleshooting...
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Old Jul 2, 2018, 1:24 am
  #611  
 
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Originally Posted by Tracer_SEA
You should NOT be moved from an exit row seat into PC (I'm guessing there was an aircraft swap) and you should NOT be charged for having a row 9 A320 seat prior to row 9 being PC

They owe you some goodwill comp in exchange for your PNRs to enable them to do some troubleshooting...
Thanks for the support.

Has Missydarling been around lately? She sometimes asks for info in a case like this, I'd be happy to provide it.
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Old Jul 2, 2018, 5:44 am
  #612  
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Meh, what you have experienced is what I have been experiencing lately. The fee comes and goes, and my ability to pick seats (for free, MVPG here) comes and goes. The last time I contacted Alaska Listens, I was told that I was wrong, their system isn't broken, and that I was going crazy (the e-mail sounded a lot nicer, but that's the gist of the message). I only get this with their Airbuses, which makes me really hate flying them.
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Old Jul 2, 2018, 7:39 am
  #613  
 
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Originally Posted by solewalker
Meh, what you have experienced is what I have been experiencing lately. The fee comes and goes, and my ability to pick seats (for free, MVPG here) comes and goes. The last time I contacted Alaska Listens, I was told that I was wrong, their system isn't broken, and that I was going crazy (the e-mail sounded a lot nicer, but that's the gist of the message). I only get this with their Airbuses, which makes me really hate flying them.
But were you able to pick and keep the seats you wanted? Did you have to pay any fees?

My problem is not just on the Airbuses, but also on the 737. And it's also being kicked out of the exit rows (upgraded they call it) - why is that happening when I definitely do NOT check "Upgrade to Premium Class"?
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Old Jul 2, 2018, 9:03 am
  #614  
 
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
But were you able to pick and keep the seats you wanted? Did you have to pay any fees?

My problem is not just on the Airbuses, but also on the 737. And it's also being kicked out of the exit rows (upgraded they call it) - why is that happening when I definitely do NOT check "Upgrade to Premium Class"?
Not only is it going against your selection for upgrades, but also against their own posted policies of not upgrading those seated in exit rows. Sounds like there's definitely something weird going on. Hope it gets resolved soon!
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Old Jul 2, 2018, 10:05 am
  #615  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
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Today was a new one. Checked in yesterday, upgraded overnight, checked app, said 2D, fine. Go through security, head to gate, arrive at gate 20 min before departure to see the red Xs, agent gone. I am a little concerned and ask the neighboring agents if I can still board this flight, as the agent seems to have closed boarding rather early. They are a little shocked that the agent closed the door 13 min early despite one passenger not having boarded yet. Somehow the system checked me out, so I didn't show on her computer as checked in, so she assumed I was a no show and closed up early. They raioded the plane, printed a boarding pass (lost my upgrade) and let me on fortunately. Guess I have to double check now after upgrades that I'm still checked in.
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