Jan 4, 2017, 7:30 pm
Last edit by: Calchas
Welcome to the Alaska Airlines Flame-Free Q&A Thread for 2017!
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)
ryandc99
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 2016 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)
ryandc99
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 2016 version of this thread, please click here
2017 Alaska Airlines *FLAME-FREE* Q&A thread: all welcome, new and old!
Jan 7, 2017, 8:56 am
#46
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Folks, posted the below question in the Missy thread and got a Missy answer..can anyone help a newbie get around this?
I'm new to Alaska and just matched status to MVP75K. Can someone please help me understand how many redeemable miles i would earn for the below trip if credited to AS:
EWR-LHR-EWR on BA metal, ticket bought via AAVacations. AA flight numbers operated by BA.
Actual flight miles - 6930 round trip
Booking class - I
BA Flight numbers - BA0184 & BA0189
Thanks in advance.
I'm new to Alaska and just matched status to MVP75K. Can someone please help me understand how many redeemable miles i would earn for the below trip if credited to AS:
EWR-LHR-EWR on BA metal, ticket bought via AAVacations. AA flight numbers operated by BA.
Actual flight miles - 6930 round trip
Booking class - I
BA Flight numbers - BA0184 & BA0189
Thanks in advance.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...-airlines.html
Jan 7, 2017, 12:07 pm
#47
Join Date: May 2014
Programs: AA, BA, US, UA, Virgin, Alaska
Posts: 2
Bank Points to MileagePlan or through Elevate?
Question: I have two flight on VA next week ORD-SFO (Jan 9th-12th), but I'm unsure if I should use my Elevate or MileagePlan number on the flight. Standard 'M' class, but I'm unsure if it's better to route through Elevate and transfer to MileagePlan, or earn directly to MileagePlan... Anyone else considering which to earn on?
Context: I'm planning to accrue as many points as possible on Alaska MileagePlan this year, but I have >125k Elevate points. The transfer bonus of 1:1.3 will be great come next week, as I'll be able to book a few premium cabin flights to Asia I've been keeping my eye on.
Context: I'm planning to accrue as many points as possible on Alaska MileagePlan this year, but I have >125k Elevate points. The transfer bonus of 1:1.3 will be great come next week, as I'll be able to book a few premium cabin flights to Asia I've been keeping my eye on.
Jan 7, 2017, 12:21 pm
#48
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Question: I have two flight on VA next week ORD-SFO (Jan 9th-12th), but I'm unsure if I should use my Elevate or MileagePlan number on the flight. Standard 'M' class, but I'm unsure if it's better to route through Elevate and transfer to MileagePlan, or earn directly to MileagePlan... Anyone else considering which to earn on?
Context: I'm planning to accrue as many points as possible on Alaska MileagePlan this year, but I have >125k Elevate points. The transfer bonus of 1:1.3 will be great come next week, as I'll be able to book a few premium cabin flights to Asia I've been keeping my eye on.
Context: I'm planning to accrue as many points as possible on Alaska MileagePlan this year, but I have >125k Elevate points. The transfer bonus of 1:1.3 will be great come next week, as I'll be able to book a few premium cabin flights to Asia I've been keeping my eye on.
You might want to consider elite status qualification too, if it's attainable for you--Mileage Plan is expected to be the program that survives.
Jan 7, 2017, 12:28 pm
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Posts: 10,909
Question: I have two flight on VA next week ORD-SFO (Jan 9th-12th), but I'm unsure if I should use my Elevate or MileagePlan number on the flight. Standard 'M' class, but I'm unsure if it's better to route through Elevate and transfer to MileagePlan, or earn directly to MileagePlan... Anyone else considering which to earn on?
Context: I'm planning to accrue as many points as possible on Alaska MileagePlan this year, but I have >125k Elevate points. The transfer bonus of 1:1.3 will be great come next week, as I'll be able to book a few premium cabin flights to Asia I've been keeping my eye on.
Context: I'm planning to accrue as many points as possible on Alaska MileagePlan this year, but I have >125k Elevate points. The transfer bonus of 1:1.3 will be great come next week, as I'll be able to book a few premium cabin flights to Asia I've been keeping my eye on.
Jan 8, 2017, 1:25 am
#50
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: ANC
Programs: AS MVP, Club 49, Global Entry, National Emerald Club, Hilton Silver
Posts: 1,401
Question: Do flights on VX count towards AS Elite Tier Qualification in the "Alaska Category", or the "Alaska + Partners Category"? Furthermore, how about for Million Miler qualification?
Jan 8, 2017, 9:53 am
#51
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Jan 8, 2017, 12:29 pm
#52
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: ANC
Programs: AS MVP, Club 49, Global Entry, National Emerald Club, Hilton Silver
Posts: 1,401
Alaska category (20/40/75) and yes if credited to Mileage Plan.
Jan 9, 2017, 7:39 am
#54
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,028
I have discovered (?) a very frustrating AS IT glitch.
I booked a trip online XXX-SEA and SEA-XXX; each flight is on two different days. I used the option of looking for flights with MVPG GGU upgrade availability (in the hopes of finding a GGU to use). Given the fare difference, I did NOT purchase the U fare on the first flight, but DID purchase it on the second flight.
I was able to find a GGU
and wanted to apply to the second flight. But the website booked it in T class (even though at the close of booking it did give me the option of applying a GGU -- but I didn't have one at the time). Now, the AS Twitter rep is saying the whole itinerary is booked in T and therefore neither segment is eligible to apply a GGU.
I've hesitated to call AS reservations this weekend knowing they were swamped with the weather-stuff in the PNW, but I'm hoping someone there will be able to dig deep enough to see that indeed segment two was booked in U, even though a GGU wasn't applied at time of booking. Otherwise, I simply wasted the $40 upcharge for booking that segment in U.
Surprised that AS' website will let you book two different fare classes for one itinerary yet cannot actually ticket such correctly.
Any ideas?
I booked a trip online XXX-SEA and SEA-XXX; each flight is on two different days. I used the option of looking for flights with MVPG GGU upgrade availability (in the hopes of finding a GGU to use). Given the fare difference, I did NOT purchase the U fare on the first flight, but DID purchase it on the second flight.
I was able to find a GGU
and wanted to apply to the second flight. But the website booked it in T class (even though at the close of booking it did give me the option of applying a GGU -- but I didn't have one at the time). Now, the AS Twitter rep is saying the whole itinerary is booked in T and therefore neither segment is eligible to apply a GGU.I've hesitated to call AS reservations this weekend knowing they were swamped with the weather-stuff in the PNW, but I'm hoping someone there will be able to dig deep enough to see that indeed segment two was booked in U, even though a GGU wasn't applied at time of booking. Otherwise, I simply wasted the $40 upcharge for booking that segment in U.
Surprised that AS' website will let you book two different fare classes for one itinerary yet cannot actually ticket such correctly.
Any ideas?
Jan 9, 2017, 8:24 am
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,648
I have discovered (?) a very frustrating AS IT glitch.
I booked a trip online XXX-SEA and SEA-XXX; each flight is on two different days. I used the option of looking for flights with MVPG GGU upgrade availability (in the hopes of finding a GGU to use). Given the fare difference, I did NOT purchase the U fare on the first flight, but DID purchase it on the second flight.
I was able to find a GGU and wanted to apply to the second flight. But the website booked it in T class (even though at the close of booking it did give me the option of applying a GGU -- but I didn't have one at the time). Now, the AS Twitter rep is saying the whole itinerary is booked in T and therefore neither segment is eligible to apply a GGU.
I've hesitated to call AS reservations this weekend knowing they were swamped with the weather-stuff in the PNW, but I'm hoping someone there will be able to dig deep enough to see that indeed segment two was booked in U, even though a GGU wasn't applied at time of booking. Otherwise, I simply wasted the $40 upcharge for booking that segment in U.
Surprised that AS' website will let you book two different fare classes for one itinerary yet cannot actually ticket such correctly.
Any ideas?
I booked a trip online XXX-SEA and SEA-XXX; each flight is on two different days. I used the option of looking for flights with MVPG GGU upgrade availability (in the hopes of finding a GGU to use). Given the fare difference, I did NOT purchase the U fare on the first flight, but DID purchase it on the second flight.
I was able to find a GGU
and wanted to apply to the second flight. But the website booked it in T class (even though at the close of booking it did give me the option of applying a GGU -- but I didn't have one at the time). Now, the AS Twitter rep is saying the whole itinerary is booked in T and therefore neither segment is eligible to apply a GGU.I've hesitated to call AS reservations this weekend knowing they were swamped with the weather-stuff in the PNW, but I'm hoping someone there will be able to dig deep enough to see that indeed segment two was booked in U, even though a GGU wasn't applied at time of booking. Otherwise, I simply wasted the $40 upcharge for booking that segment in U.
Surprised that AS' website will let you book two different fare classes for one itinerary yet cannot actually ticket such correctly.
Any ideas?
To apply a GGU your fare must be K class or higher. T isn't eligible, so if your ticket is in T, you're going to have to pay more money (should be an upfare with no change fee) to get it into K.
It would help to know the city pairs you booked, and the dates, to see if someone can "recreate" the potential "glitch".
If you booked less than 24 hours ago you might want to cancel it if you are hesitant to call, unless you're potentially prepared to pay more money to get what you want.
Jan 9, 2017, 9:46 am
#56
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 608
I have discovered (?) a very frustrating AS IT glitch.
I booked a trip online XXX-SEA and SEA-XXX; each flight is on two different days. I used the option of looking for flights with MVPG GGU upgrade availability (in the hopes of finding a GGU to use). Given the fare difference, I did NOT purchase the U fare on the first flight, but DID purchase it on the second flight.
I was able to find a GGU and wanted to apply to the second flight. But the website booked it in T class (even though at the close of booking it did give me the option of applying a GGU -- but I didn't have one at the time). Now, the AS Twitter rep is saying the whole itinerary is booked in T and therefore neither segment is eligible to apply a GGU.
I've hesitated to call AS reservations this weekend knowing they were swamped with the weather-stuff in the PNW, but I'm hoping someone there will be able to dig deep enough to see that indeed segment two was booked in U, even though a GGU wasn't applied at time of booking. Otherwise, I simply wasted the $40 upcharge for booking that segment in U.
Surprised that AS' website will let you book two different fare classes for one itinerary yet cannot actually ticket such correctly.
Any ideas?
I booked a trip online XXX-SEA and SEA-XXX; each flight is on two different days. I used the option of looking for flights with MVPG GGU upgrade availability (in the hopes of finding a GGU to use). Given the fare difference, I did NOT purchase the U fare on the first flight, but DID purchase it on the second flight.
I was able to find a GGU
and wanted to apply to the second flight. But the website booked it in T class (even though at the close of booking it did give me the option of applying a GGU -- but I didn't have one at the time). Now, the AS Twitter rep is saying the whole itinerary is booked in T and therefore neither segment is eligible to apply a GGU.I've hesitated to call AS reservations this weekend knowing they were swamped with the weather-stuff in the PNW, but I'm hoping someone there will be able to dig deep enough to see that indeed segment two was booked in U, even though a GGU wasn't applied at time of booking. Otherwise, I simply wasted the $40 upcharge for booking that segment in U.
Surprised that AS' website will let you book two different fare classes for one itinerary yet cannot actually ticket such correctly.
Any ideas?
Jan 9, 2017, 10:39 am
#57
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,028
Not sure what to do at this point since I did pay for the GGU-upgradeable fare class for the second segment.
Jan 9, 2017, 10:42 am
#58
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Hang up call again? You may have to upfare to a GGU upgradable fare on both legs.
Jan 9, 2017, 10:51 am
#59
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,028
Thanks. Will try calling (haven't do so yet because I know they've been slammed).
That would be frustrating, since if I had had the GGU in hand at the time of booking it would have let me apply it to the second segment.
That would be frustrating, since if I had had the GGU in hand at the time of booking it would have let me apply it to the second segment.