Jan 5, 2016, 10:05 am
Last edit by: dgreen12
Welcome to the Alaska Airlines Newbie Lounge Thread for 2016!
Anyone is welcome to ask anything, even the most basic questions, in this thread without having to fear a snarky response. In this thread, there's no such thing as a dumb question--we were all new to Alaska Airlines, FlyerTalk, and even the whole idea of mileage programs once and needed some help navigating the ropes. We're here to help you do just that!
That said, if you want to do a little reading to see if your question has been previously discussed, links to some of the most common and extensive topics in this forum are listed in our FAQ thread -- click here to check it out.
Special care will be given in this thread to trying to provide answers in a clear manner with minimal use of acronyms and jargon.
If you need to contact someone for help, here's a current list of our forum's team:
Ambassadors (Our Greeters--members who have specifically volunteered to welcome and mentor newbies and monitor this thread):
ANC RED-EYE
baliktad
beckoa
golfingboy
Moderators (Our Janitors--members who have volunteered to do housekeeping/keep the forum in order)
Cholula
jackal
You are welcome to send a private message to any of these individuals for assistance, but you'll generally get a faster response and broader palette of answers if you simply post your inquiry here in this thread.
Note to FlyerTalk members who enjoy the ability to take advantage of loopholes--if someone posts something that exposes information you'd rather not be public, please remember this is a Flame-Free thread, and harsh or snarky posts are not permitted. Although FlyerTalk itself does not censor posts that share information, members are free to edit their own posts to remove information. If you wish to request any poster to remove information they have shared publicly, please do so politely and respectfully.
Welcome, and we look forward to providing any assistance we can!
~the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan forum team~
For the 2015 version of this thread, please click here
Anyone is welcome to ask anything, even the most basic questions, in this thread without having to fear a snarky response. In this thread, there's no such thing as a dumb question--we were all new to Alaska Airlines, FlyerTalk, and even the whole idea of mileage programs once and needed some help navigating the ropes. We're here to help you do just that!
That said, if you want to do a little reading to see if your question has been previously discussed, links to some of the most common and extensive topics in this forum are listed in our FAQ thread -- click here to check it out.
Special care will be given in this thread to trying to provide answers in a clear manner with minimal use of acronyms and jargon.
If you need to contact someone for help, here's a current list of our forum's team:
Ambassadors (Our Greeters--members who have specifically volunteered to welcome and mentor newbies and monitor this thread):
ANC RED-EYE
baliktad
beckoa
golfingboy
Moderators (Our Janitors--members who have volunteered to do housekeeping/keep the forum in order)
Cholula
jackal
You are welcome to send a private message to any of these individuals for assistance, but you'll generally get a faster response and broader palette of answers if you simply post your inquiry here in this thread.
Note to FlyerTalk members who enjoy the ability to take advantage of loopholes--if someone posts something that exposes information you'd rather not be public, please remember this is a Flame-Free thread, and harsh or snarky posts are not permitted. Although FlyerTalk itself does not censor posts that share information, members are free to edit their own posts to remove information. If you wish to request any poster to remove information they have shared publicly, please do so politely and respectfully.
Welcome, and we look forward to providing any assistance we can!
~the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan forum team~
For the 2015 version of this thread, please click here
2016 Alaska Airlines *FLAME-FREE* Q&A thread: all welcome, new and old!
Dec 30, 2016, 4:27 pm
#1261
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Correct. But I did manage to find one discrepancy in availability while switching some flights earlier this year--i.e., one particular CX flight showed three seats open in J on the BA site, but the AS agent couldn't see it. Thankfully other flights on the same route that day were open.
Dec 30, 2016, 4:27 pm
#1262
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,398
Hi all. I just status matched my UA 1K to Alaska MVP Gold 75k. I'm based in SFO and have never taken a single AS flight(plenty on VX though).
For 2017, I'm planning to fly AS a lot more. I'm still learning the frequent flyer program and reading this sub-forum definitely helps.
My main goal is to acquire AS miles to redeem them for CX use(from SFO to JNB/SYD in Business/First). From what i've read so far, Is the BA website the best place to find CX availability? If it is available, I can call AS to help me book it?
I'm planning for something in October of 2017 or January of 2018, so I was looking into availability prior to transferring starpoints(to VX then AS of course).
Thanks guys! excited to be here.
For 2017, I'm planning to fly AS a lot more. I'm still learning the frequent flyer program and reading this sub-forum definitely helps.
My main goal is to acquire AS miles to redeem them for CX use(from SFO to JNB/SYD in Business/First). From what i've read so far, Is the BA website the best place to find CX availability? If it is available, I can call AS to help me book it?
I'm planning for something in October of 2017 or January of 2018, so I was looking into availability prior to transferring starpoints(to VX then AS of course).
Thanks guys! excited to be here.
Dec 30, 2016, 11:02 pm
#1263
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 325
1st time MVPG
New to gold and see I have four upgrades now. Still confused on how all this works but....I am looking at a flight from SEA-MCO that's $299ow I clicked on mvpg and the $424 flight shows up and has a solid blue F. When I click on it and then go to pick seats it puts me in coach...So I;m guessing it doesn't mean its immediately available for upgrade? Is that right? Sorry for being a newb to this whole upgrade thing. (PS. Using a $99 companion fare also)
Dec 30, 2016, 11:58 pm
#1264
Join Date: Sep 2016
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, Alaska MVPG75
Posts: 89
Flew LAX-SEA early morning during the holidays. FA announced it was a full flight.
I don't think I've ever seen this before but there was an open seat in First Class.
How often have you seen open seats in FC?
Should that give me hope that my new MVP status might actually get me upgraded sometimes?
I don't think I've ever seen this before but there was an open seat in First Class.
How often have you seen open seats in FC?
Should that give me hope that my new MVP status might actually get me upgraded sometimes?
Dec 31, 2016, 2:38 am
#1265
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
New to gold and see I have four upgrades now. Still confused on how all this works but....I am looking at a flight from SEA-MCO that's $299ow I clicked on mvpg and the $424 flight shows up and has a solid blue F. When I click on it and then go to pick seats it puts me in coach...So I;m guessing it doesn't mean its immediately available for upgrade? Is that right? Sorry for being a newb to this whole upgrade thing. (PS. Using a $99 companion fare also)
Should that give me hope that my new MVP status might actually get me upgraded sometimes?
Dec 31, 2016, 7:17 am
#1266
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: DC
Programs: AA Plat, MVP Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 116
I did a search and did not seem to find any definitive answer on this so my apologies if I missed anything. I'm booking flights operated by DL to be credited to my AS account and I'm debating between F or W. In looking at Alaska's mileage chart, it shows W fares (premium economy) earn according to original booking class. Except W is the original booking class. I know for a while when DL introduced the W fares that they were earning 0 miles on AS, but with the addition of W to the accrual chart, I'm just trying to figure out if the extra money is worth it to requalify early for my AS status. These are for flights operated before the partnership ceases. Anyone with experience with this care to chime in on the accrual rate? Thanks!
Edit: Answered my own question by looking around on the booking page. For those interested, while W may be the class shown on the DL page, when you reach the trip summary page, scroll down to the bottom and in the blue box click on "Fare Rules, Changes & Cancellation Policies". This will bring up the fare code for each segment. The first letter of the fare code is the "original booking class". It seems that most W fares book into V or X (anyways the numerous routes and dates I was looking at all booked into one of these two), which earn only 50% of flown miles on AS. Worth the extra money for the F upgrade in my particular case.
Edit: Answered my own question by looking around on the booking page. For those interested, while W may be the class shown on the DL page, when you reach the trip summary page, scroll down to the bottom and in the blue box click on "Fare Rules, Changes & Cancellation Policies". This will bring up the fare code for each segment. The first letter of the fare code is the "original booking class". It seems that most W fares book into V or X (anyways the numerous routes and dates I was looking at all booked into one of these two), which earn only 50% of flown miles on AS. Worth the extra money for the F upgrade in my particular case.
Last edited by aves17; Dec 31, 2016 at 7:26 am
Dec 31, 2016, 7:24 am
#1267
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Seattle WA, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, AS Lounge
Posts: 3,478
New to gold and see I have four upgrades now. Still confused on how all this works but....I am looking at a flight from SEA-MCO that's $299ow I clicked on mvpg and the $424 flight shows up and has a solid blue F. When I click on it and then go to pick seats it puts me in coach...So I;m guessing it doesn't mean its immediately available for upgrade? Is that right? Sorry for being a newb to this whole upgrade thing. (PS. Using a $99 companion fare also)
Dec 31, 2016, 10:19 am
#1268
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
I did a search and did not seem to find any definitive answer on this so my apologies if I missed anything. I'm booking flights operated by DL to be credited to my AS account and I'm debating between F or W. In looking at Alaska's mileage chart, it shows W fares (premium economy) earn according to original booking class. Except W is the original booking class. I know for a while when DL introduced the W fares that they were earning 0 miles on AS, but with the addition of W to the accrual chart, I'm just trying to figure out if the extra money is worth it to requalify early for my AS status. These are for flights operated before the partnership ceases. Anyone with experience with this care to chime in on the accrual rate? Thanks!
Edit: Answered my own question by looking around on the booking page. For those interested, while W may be the class shown on the DL page, when you reach the trip summary page, scroll down to the bottom and in the blue box click on "Fare Rules, Changes & Cancellation Policies". This will bring up the fare code for each segment. The first letter of the fare code is the "original booking class". It seems that most W fares book into V or X (anyways the numerous routes and dates I was looking at all booked into one of these two), which earn only 50% of flown miles on AS. Worth the extra money for the F upgrade in my particular case.
Edit: Answered my own question by looking around on the booking page. For those interested, while W may be the class shown on the DL page, when you reach the trip summary page, scroll down to the bottom and in the blue box click on "Fare Rules, Changes & Cancellation Policies". This will bring up the fare code for each segment. The first letter of the fare code is the "original booking class". It seems that most W fares book into V or X (anyways the numerous routes and dates I was looking at all booked into one of these two), which earn only 50% of flown miles on AS. Worth the extra money for the F upgrade in my particular case.
Dec 31, 2016, 8:08 pm
#1269
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 325
Thanks
To clarify: If you want to use 2 of your upgrade certs you should select the MVP® Gold guest option to get the qualifying fare. That fare would probably be lower than $424. On the other hand if you want to use your MVPG status to upgrade at time of purchase and save your upgrade certs for another flight you should select the MVP® Gold button. Either way you can use your companion fare and, as always, be sure upgrade space is available (white letter F in dark blue box) just before buying.
Thanks
Jan 4, 2017, 7:31 pm
#1270
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
To keep database issues at a minimum, we rotate large threads annually. While this one is now closed to posting, we've started a new one for 2017, which you can find here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...e-new-old.html
jackal
Moderator, Alaska Airlines forum
jackal
Moderator, Alaska Airlines forum