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!
Jun 6, 2017, 12:48 pm
#856
Join Date: May 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: AA, UA, DL, NSA, CIA, MIB
Posts: 537
Thought I'd put this here.....
I have 150k miles with Alaska and was thinking about going to Beijing or Shanghai over New Years possibly. What would be the best way to use these for Business Class seats?
I have 150k miles with Alaska and was thinking about going to Beijing or Shanghai over New Years possibly. What would be the best way to use these for Business Class seats?
Jun 6, 2017, 2:36 pm
#857
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
EMail/fax in your boarding passes after flying the flight. The rules say no credit for, say, AA*/BA, but in practice everyone seems to get credit manually (according to the operating carrier's chart), but only if both the marketing and operating carriers are partners.
Jun 6, 2017, 4:06 pm
#858
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Also, to clarify. The marketing carrier (the flight number purchased on your ticket) and the operating carrier (the metal) need to be AS partners. The ticketing carrier can be a non-AS partner (UA springs to mind as one that readily sells others' flights, even non-partners of theirs) as long as the flight is marketed and operated by AS or an AS partner.
Jun 6, 2017, 11:18 pm
#860
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: New York
Programs: Bonvoy LifetimeTitanium, UA Plat 2MM, LHW LeadersClub, IHGPlat, HiltonDiamnd, ASMVPG100K, WyndDiamnd
Posts: 1,227
Also, to clarify. The marketing carrier (the flight number purchased on your ticket) and the operating carrier (the metal) need to be AS partners. The ticketing carrier can be a non-AS partner (UA springs to mind as one that readily sells others' flights, even non-partners of theirs) as long as the flight is marketed and operated by AS or an AS partner.
Jun 6, 2017, 11:21 pm
#861
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,399
People have had success getting it to credit according to the operating carrier though (e.g. BA-marketed, AA-operated credited according to the AA-chart - if the AA flight number is on the list). But you can never 100% count on it.
Jun 7, 2017, 9:21 am
#862
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
(*)not strictly related to codeshares, sometimes the flight number range will be out of date when a carrier renumbers their flights and AS has denied credit until they update their ranges
Jun 8, 2017, 4:12 am
#863
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Edison, NJ
Programs: Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 110
I booked an N class fare with Japan airlines from jfk to Singapore pore with a stop in Tokyo both ways. It's my first real long haul flight and I'd like to get whatever miles I can earn. I'm new to this but I was thinking miles with an American partner would be much more useful to me in the near future. Any recommendations of which program to use?
After giving a quick search, it seems American and Alaska are my best bet. I'm leaning Alaska at the moment as I was planning on opening their card and using the miles and companion fare to tour the west coast next summer, what do ya think?
After giving a quick search, it seems American and Alaska are my best bet. I'm leaning Alaska at the moment as I was planning on opening their card and using the miles and companion fare to tour the west coast next summer, what do ya think?
Last edited by layoverdan; Jun 8, 2017 at 4:59 am
Jun 8, 2017, 6:15 am
#864
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
I booked an N class fare with Japan airlines from jfk to Singapore pore with a stop in Tokyo both ways. It's my first real long haul flight and I'd like to get whatever miles I can earn. I'm new to this but I was thinking miles with an American partner would be much more useful to me in the near future. Any recommendations of which program to use?
After giving a quick search, it seems American and Alaska are my best bet. I'm leaning Alaska at the moment as I was planning on opening their card and using the miles and companion fare to tour the west coast next summer, what do ya think?
After giving a quick search, it seems American and Alaska are my best bet. I'm leaning Alaska at the moment as I was planning on opening their card and using the miles and companion fare to tour the west coast next summer, what do ya think?
Jun 8, 2017, 6:19 am
#865
Join Date: May 2017
Location: SEA
Posts: 355
I booked an N class fare with Japan airlines from jfk to Singapore pore with a stop in Tokyo both ways. It's my first real long haul flight and I'd like to get whatever miles I can earn. I'm new to this but I was thinking miles with an American partner would be much more useful to me in the near future. Any recommendations of which program to use?
After giving a quick search, it seems American and Alaska are my best bet. I'm leaning Alaska at the moment as I was planning on opening their card and using the miles and companion fare to tour the west coast next summer, what do ya think?
After giving a quick search, it seems American and Alaska are my best bet. I'm leaning Alaska at the moment as I was planning on opening their card and using the miles and companion fare to tour the west coast next summer, what do ya think?
According to http://www.wheretocredit.com/calcula...N/NRT-SIN-JL-N AA/JL/AS all credit the same number of miles.
Jun 8, 2017, 6:31 am
#866
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Edison, NJ
Programs: Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 110
JAL N fare earns 30% of miles flown in both Alaska and Americans programs. So that's a tie miles wise. Unless you are going to status since JAL only earns 6% EQD (in addition to miles) in the AA program and AS doesn't require a minimum $ spend, just miles. Companion fare earns in both AS and AA programs but will credit at 100% in AS vs likely 25% in AA program. Sounds like you have a good plan.
Last edited by layoverdan; Jun 8, 2017 at 6:44 am
Jun 8, 2017, 9:54 am
#867
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
Presumably CDKing meant that many AS economy fares earn 25% miles in the AAdvantage program, whereas all earn 100% in AS Mileage Plan. The mileage earnings in both plans are unrelated to whether the AS ticket is booked using a companion fare (or any other discount code).
Jun 9, 2017, 10:38 pm
#868
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 325
New to MVPG. I received 4 guest upgrades. I assume that when the F in blue it means it's available. I'm looking at a flight/s from SEA to MCO. There is one that stops in SAN and then hop on next flight to MCO with about 1+ hour layover. Both flights have a BLUE F symbol. Do I have to use 1 or 2 upgrades for that flight? Is there a time limit between flights where it would drop off? Example. I fly into SAN, stay the night and take the next day SAN-MCO. would I have to use two in that instance? Anyone know where I can find specifics on that topic so I'm better informed before I book? I guess the same would go for the MCO-PDX flight and then the next morning PDX-SEA. Thanks for your input.
Jun 10, 2017, 2:15 am
#869
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
New to MVPG. I received 4 guest upgrades. I assume that when the F in blue it means it's available. I'm looking at a flight/s from SEA to MCO. There is one that stops in SAN and then hop on next flight to MCO with about 1+ hour layover. Both flights have a BLUE F symbol. Do I have to use 1 or 2 upgrades for that flight? Is there a time limit between flights where it would drop off? Example. I fly into SAN, stay the night and take the next day SAN-MCO. would I have to use two in that instance? Anyone know where I can find specifics on that topic so I'm better informed before I book? I guess the same would go for the MCO-PDX flight and then the next morning PDX-SEA. Thanks for your input.
Alaska's GGU page has the usage rules at the bottom here. Note that the page needs to be updated; it talks about a black U icon which was how availability used to be displayed.
Welcome to Gold!
Jun 11, 2017, 9:44 am
#870
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: San Diego
Programs: UA LTP, AA LTG, DL Plat, Marriott LTT, HH Diamond
Posts: 865
I'm coming up on what I'd like to be an AS/BA multi-segment reward ticket, and depending on how availability for the AS part of it goes, I might be 2K short of the needed miles. It usually prices lower (have been watching for a while, so I'm not eager to just buy the miles this far in advance, but I'd like to know my options around buying miles.
From the AS site it looks like they've outsourced their miles purchases to points.com. Does anyone know how fast the miles show up in your account? And how reliably? I'd hate to see availability come up, decide the buy the miles, and then wait around and watch the seats disappear while points.com dithers for a week.
I imagine I'll get some responses that instead I should do such-and-such a way to get 2K miles, I'm interested in those for sure, especially if they work fairly quickly, but I also hope someone knows the answer to this. Many thanks,
FTF
From the AS site it looks like they've outsourced their miles purchases to points.com. Does anyone know how fast the miles show up in your account? And how reliably? I'd hate to see availability come up, decide the buy the miles, and then wait around and watch the seats disappear while points.com dithers for a week.
I imagine I'll get some responses that instead I should do such-and-such a way to get 2K miles, I'm interested in those for sure, especially if they work fairly quickly, but I also hope someone knows the answer to this. Many thanks,
FTF