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!
Jul 7, 2017, 11:21 pm
#961
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Did a quick search on AS website, but couldn't find the answer, so maybe someone here knows:
Did a J flight with Hainan airlines which earns 200% on AS, but am not yet signed up with AS FFP. On some FFP it is possible to retroregister for past 3-6 months flights; is that the case with AS or should I have been signed up before my flight dates?
Thanks
Did a J flight with Hainan airlines which earns 200% on AS, but am not yet signed up with AS FFP. On some FFP it is possible to retroregister for past 3-6 months flights; is that the case with AS or should I have been signed up before my flight dates?
Thanks
Credit eligibility requirements
Requests must meet these criteria:
Submitted at least 7 days after Alaska flight date (or 14 days after partner flight date)
Received within 11 months of travel
Travelers must have been a Mileage Plan™ member at time of travel
Requests must meet these criteria:
Submitted at least 7 days after Alaska flight date (or 14 days after partner flight date)
Received within 11 months of travel
Travelers must have been a Mileage Plan™ member at time of travel
Requests for retroactive Mileage Plan miles credit for travel may be made online or by calling Alaska Airlines customer care. Mileage may be credited for up to one year from the date of the qualifying activity. Mileage cannot be credited for activity that occurred prior to enrollment in the Mileage Plan program.
But it doesn't cost anything to sign up, so why not give it a try? Worst that can happen is AS denies the mileage request and then you could credit to whichever program you were going to credit to. Or especially if you weren't going to credit the flight to one. If you do that, please report back with your experience!
Jul 8, 2017, 8:35 am
#963
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 25
Any other non-Alaska redemption options?
You're correct. There has been suggestion from other FTers that Cathay Dragon could become a partner in the not-too-distant future now that they have approval to fly to the US and may become more relevant to US-based travelers, but as things stand that's entirely speculation.
JAL is an AS redemption option from HAN. Alternatively you could book a paid ticket to HKG on Cathay Dragon or another airline and then an award home from there, although that leads to potential baggage hassles and IRROPS concerns if you're not planning on spending any time in Hong Kong.
JAL is an AS redemption option from HAN. Alternatively you could book a paid ticket to HKG on Cathay Dragon or another airline and then an award home from there, although that leads to potential baggage hassles and IRROPS concerns if you're not planning on spending any time in Hong Kong.
Jul 8, 2017, 1:30 pm
#964
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,055
Alaska Air Mileage Plan for ANC-BTI on RAVN?
Greetings all,
I am trying to plan a trip next summer to Kaktovik to see polar bears but I am having problems figuring out the logistics (or possibility) of using Mileage Plan miles for the flights.
We would probably go ANC-FAI-BTI returning BTI-SCC-ANC. However, I cannot book this on Alaska Air's website as BTI is not a valid airport. Meanwhile, Flyravn does not allow me to even see what is available using miles because I don't have enough Flyaway miles in my account to book the flights I want. Can I use Mileage Plan miles on flyravn or do I need to convert them to Flyaway miles? I signed up for both Mileage Plan and Flyaway rewards but have no points as yet in either.
It appears that I can only use Mileage Plan miles for RAVN flights 0XXX and 7XXX and the BTI flights are on 35XX flights listed as Hageland. I read on another thread that the Hageland portion of ERA did not link up with Alaska Air, is that going to cause a problem or are there other RAVN flights that go to BTI?
TIA,
Ike
I am trying to plan a trip next summer to Kaktovik to see polar bears but I am having problems figuring out the logistics (or possibility) of using Mileage Plan miles for the flights.
We would probably go ANC-FAI-BTI returning BTI-SCC-ANC. However, I cannot book this on Alaska Air's website as BTI is not a valid airport. Meanwhile, Flyravn does not allow me to even see what is available using miles because I don't have enough Flyaway miles in my account to book the flights I want. Can I use Mileage Plan miles on flyravn or do I need to convert them to Flyaway miles? I signed up for both Mileage Plan and Flyaway rewards but have no points as yet in either.
It appears that I can only use Mileage Plan miles for RAVN flights 0XXX and 7XXX and the BTI flights are on 35XX flights listed as Hageland. I read on another thread that the Hageland portion of ERA did not link up with Alaska Air, is that going to cause a problem or are there other RAVN flights that go to BTI?
TIA,
Ike
Jul 8, 2017, 3:33 pm
#965
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 25
Actually
Thank you for the quick reply! So let's say I decided to fly into and out of Ho Chi Minh City. Are there any non-Alaska redemption opportunities for flights from Vietnam to Cambodia or within Vietnam/Cambodia? It looks as though I'll have to use Alaska miles to get to/from Ho Chi Minh City (so I won't have any more miles to redeem on separate Cathay dragon flights), but what's the best option for cheap and/or mile redemption flights within the region?
I want to go to SE Asia (preferably Vietnam and Cambodia, but I'm very much open to Thailand and Laos as well) and have enough Alaska miles to get there business class on Cathay Pacific. What would y'all do to make the most of those Alaska miles? What airports would you fly in and out of? I am also willing to do a stopover for a day or two in Hong Kong on the way back home to DCA.
Jul 8, 2017, 3:59 pm
#966
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,405
Thank you for the quick reply! So let's say I decided to fly into and out of Ho Chi Minh City. Are there any non-Alaska redemption opportunities for flights from Vietnam to Cambodia or within Vietnam/Cambodia? It looks as though I'll have to use Alaska miles to get to/from Ho Chi Minh City (so I won't have any more miles to redeem on separate Cathay dragon flights), but what's the best option for cheap and/or mile redemption flights within the region?
If you REALLY want to fly CX J, then just check with airports in the Region CX flies to and that's your restrictions. Combine that with limited award flight availability and maybe your choice becomes very straightforward?
Jul 8, 2017, 9:13 pm
#967
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 2,209
Actually...how about this scenario?
I want to go to SE Asia (preferably Vietnam and Cambodia, but I'm very much open to Thailand and Laos as well) and have enough Alaska miles to get there business class on Cathay Pacific. What would y'all do to make the most of those Alaska miles? What airports would you fly in and out of? I am also willing to do a stopover for a day or two in Hong Kong on the way back home to DCA.
I want to go to SE Asia (preferably Vietnam and Cambodia, but I'm very much open to Thailand and Laos as well) and have enough Alaska miles to get there business class on Cathay Pacific. What would y'all do to make the most of those Alaska miles? What airports would you fly in and out of? I am also willing to do a stopover for a day or two in Hong Kong on the way back home to DCA.
And having just recently done something similar, maybe fly into SGN and out of BKK? Then work your way across the countries. I'd definitely do a stop of a few days in HKG, it's free to add a stopover so it increases the value of the ticket.
Busses we're cheap to/from Cambodia and Vietnam. Non-stop flights are much more expensive.
Jul 9, 2017, 1:57 am
#968
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: NH, JL, SQ
Posts: 164
so... on my outbound flight SJC-SAN: i asked staff at the checkin counter to put my JAL number. she did it but on the boarding pass the number was there but no indication that it was a JAL number
. at the gate, i am told my seat has been changed (to an F seat lucky me 
) and they give me a new boarding pass with my AS number on it. i try to ask which number is actually attached but get ushered onboard and told to speak to ground staff at SAN. at SAN, ground staff say they can't view the flight since it's over and tell me to call mileageplanon my return flight SAN-SJC: when trying to checkin online the JAL number is there but i cannot select a FFP since JAL isn't an option https://i.imgur.com/Z46zQAV.png
i remove the number and check in. at the airport i print my boarding pass and my JAL number is there now, a few days later i check my AS account and i have miles credited for both legs
also i get 417flown+458bonus miles for the leg i got moved to F, how is this calculated? questions:
1. i actually wanted to credit all my miles to JAL, but with the miles already being credited to my AS account, will i not be able to do so anymore?
2. how did AS calculate 458 bonus miles? 417*0.75 = 313
i realise this amount of miles is a pittance but this whole thing is rather confusing to me. was my first time flying with AS though and i must say getting bumped to F definitely left a good impression
Jul 9, 2017, 5:07 am
#969
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
Can't answer your other, more important question, but this one is easy. You got 875 total miles, which is the 500 mile minimum plus the 75% class of service bonus for paid first class. So somehow you got upgraded to a paid first class fare bucket. You should have gotten both 875 redeemable miles and 875 elite qualifying miles.
Jul 9, 2017, 4:15 pm
#971
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: NH, JL, SQ
Posts: 164
Can't answer your other, more important question, but this one is easy. You got 875 total miles, which is the 500 mile minimum plus the 75% class of service bonus for paid first class. So somehow you got upgraded to a paid first class fare bucket. You should have gotten both 875 redeemable miles and 875 elite qualifying miles.
Jul 9, 2017, 7:11 pm
#973
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Greetings all,
I am trying to plan a trip next summer to Kaktovik to see polar bears but I am having problems figuring out the logistics (or possibility) of using Mileage Plan miles for the flights.
We would probably go ANC-FAI-BTI returning BTI-SCC-ANC. However, I cannot book this on Alaska Air's website as BTI is not a valid airport. Meanwhile, Flyravn does not allow me to even see what is available using miles because I don't have enough Flyaway miles in my account to book the flights I want. Can I use Mileage Plan miles on flyravn or do I need to convert them to Flyaway miles? I signed up for both Mileage Plan and Flyaway rewards but have no points as yet in either.
It appears that I can only use Mileage Plan miles for RAVN flights 0XXX and 7XXX and the BTI flights are on 35XX flights listed as Hageland. I read on another thread that the Hageland portion of ERA did not link up with Alaska Air, is that going to cause a problem or are there other RAVN flights that go to BTI?
TIA,
Ike
I am trying to plan a trip next summer to Kaktovik to see polar bears but I am having problems figuring out the logistics (or possibility) of using Mileage Plan miles for the flights.
We would probably go ANC-FAI-BTI returning BTI-SCC-ANC. However, I cannot book this on Alaska Air's website as BTI is not a valid airport. Meanwhile, Flyravn does not allow me to even see what is available using miles because I don't have enough Flyaway miles in my account to book the flights I want. Can I use Mileage Plan miles on flyravn or do I need to convert them to Flyaway miles? I signed up for both Mileage Plan and Flyaway rewards but have no points as yet in either.
It appears that I can only use Mileage Plan miles for RAVN flights 0XXX and 7XXX and the BTI flights are on 35XX flights listed as Hageland. I read on another thread that the Hageland portion of ERA did not link up with Alaska Air, is that going to cause a problem or are there other RAVN flights that go to BTI?
TIA,
Ike
As for redemptions, Ravn Connect flights have not been allowed for a couple years now. Speculation when first discontinued (unannounced) was too many fatal crashes in a short period of time. No options to the most rural towns in AK. I miss the Cessna rides. The other exclusions are between Anchorage and Barrow, Bethel, Fairbanks or Prudhoe Bay, or between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay.
There is no way to convert miles from AS to 7H's program
Jul 9, 2017, 7:43 pm
#974
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Alaska Air Miles
Posts: 89
Get the new year started off right with a quick run from PDX.
PDX-SFO-BOS-LAX-PDX quick turn for 128 RT
https://goo.gl/flights/BvNn
Or PDX-SFO-LAX-JFK-SFO-PDX for 132 RT.
https://goo.gl/flights/yQmn
Also seen a few weekend routes available if you play with the dates.
These seem to booking at the one way price instead of RT price. You can book using priceline. I booked mine using Google Flights direct booking.
Credit to AS for about 6700 miles.
Oops its VX / AS not VA. My bad!!!!!
PDX-SFO-BOS-LAX-PDX quick turn for 128 RT
https://goo.gl/flights/BvNn
Or PDX-SFO-LAX-JFK-SFO-PDX for 132 RT.
https://goo.gl/flights/yQmn
Also seen a few weekend routes available if you play with the dates.
These seem to booking at the one way price instead of RT price. You can book using priceline. I booked mine using Google Flights direct booking.
Credit to AS for about 6700 miles.
Oops its VX / AS not VA. My bad!!!!!
And another question involves using the MVP Gold benefit of same day flight changes. Is it possible to just continuously make flight changes during the same day of the trip to go back and forth across the US, and has anyone done this before?
Jul 9, 2017, 8:47 pm
#975
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
I should probably start off that I am new to this forum and the questions I'm about to ask are common knowledge to most of you, but here it goes. I have been looking through the mileage run topics for Alaska Flights, and I cannot figure out how people are able to get prices as low as some of the ones posted (such as the one above). When I search for some of the same flights I find in the forum that are posted between $100-$200, it ends up being between $1,000-$2,000. Is there a special program people use to do double trips across the continent for such low amounts.
And another question involves using the MVP Gold benefit of same day flight changes. Is it possible to just continuously make flight changes during the same day of the trip to go back and forth across the US, and has anyone done this before?
And another question involves using the MVP Gold benefit of same day flight changes. Is it possible to just continuously make flight changes during the same day of the trip to go back and forth across the US, and has anyone done this before?
And as for your second, no. From AS's page on same-day changes:
You must keep the same origin, destination, thru, and connection cities. Co-terminal changes are not allowed.