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!
Oct 15, 2017, 3:51 pm
#1441
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Golds and 75Ks don't have any perks on FI other than lounge access at KEF. But unless you're on one of the brand-spankin'-new Economy Light fares, you already get a free checked bag.
Oct 15, 2017, 6:11 pm
#1442
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
Programs: AS 75k, UA peon, BA Bronze, AC E50k, Marriott Plat, HH Diamond, Fairmont Plat (RIP)
Posts: 7,832
...- I will obviously not be able to make the flight if I cannot mobile check in and get a boarding pass at the 1 hour mark (will miss the checkin cutoff). But this is an international flight. Will I be able to from experience? I haven't flowed Alaska Airlines from Vancouver to Seattle before, and I don't know if they have the thing about "please see an agent to show your passport" before letting you check in?
There is most definitely a "please see an agent to show your passport" thing for transborder flights but you can still OLCI and just show it at some point prior to boarding. At the gate, they start paging the names of those who have not yet shown their passports (either to a check in agent or to the gate agent) starting at about T-40. They get more and more insistent that you will not be allowed to board without a passport check prior to the start of boarding. You then have to show your passport again during boarding.
With an hour, needing to disembark your flight, walk the connections route, use the GE machine and see an officer at US pre-clearance, then the looooong walk to E96 (where this flight departs from - it is at the farthest possible reaches), and to be at the gate by T-15ish at the absolute latest for the passport check and boarding (no jetway - down the stairs, down a hall, outside) is extremely ambitious. They won't let you just hop on at the last second as your passport has to be swiped before they can close out the flight.
Last edited by Finkface; Oct 15, 2017 at 6:23 pm
Oct 15, 2017, 6:29 pm
#1443
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, U.K.
Programs: bmi British Midland International Diamond Club
Posts: 3,370
Thanks for the detailed reply rustykettle, I did consider Premium Class but at $89 I'm not sure if this is value for money. I will sleep on it for now. Cheers.
Oct 15, 2017, 8:27 pm
#1444
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
With an hour, needing to disembark your flight, walk the connections route, use the GE machine and see an officer at US pre-clearance, then the looooong walk to E96 (where this flight departs from - it is at the farthest possible reaches), and to be at the gate by T-15ish at the absolute latest for the passport check and boarding (no jetway - down the stairs, down a hall, outside) is extremely ambitious. They won't let you just hop on at the last second as your passport has to be swiped before they can close out the flight.
Oct 15, 2017, 11:48 pm
#1445
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,610
A delay on arrival could nix this connection, but the last time I did this--and I was connecting from an international flight, so I had to reclear security as well--I don't think it took more than twenty minutes for me to get from the arrival gate to those gates at the end of E. One hour is certainly much tighter than I would've booked, but it's doable under ideal conditions.
Oct 16, 2017, 3:24 pm
#1446
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: LFT
Programs: AA Plat, lots of AA, AS, DL, UA miles, former top level CO Elite (sigh...)
Posts: 10,795
How is AS progressing concerning seating reconfiguration of its B737-900 aircraft? And is the legroom in first being increased to 41 inches from 36 inches?
Oct 16, 2017, 3:33 pm
#1447
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Oct 17, 2017, 12:33 pm
#1448
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Atlanta, GA
Programs: AA PLT, AS 75K, DL DM, HY Globalist, HH Diamond, MC/RZ/SW Platinum, AB/UA Silver, WN CP
Posts: 1,122
Apologies in advance if this is answered elsewhere; I searched and haven't located an answer.
Does anyone have definite DPs on whether Alaska Lounge members (who don't yet have a physical card) can access Admirals Clubs using either the electronic membership card or the temporary card that AS will issue at a Lounge? I'm debating if it's worth making a special trip to the AS Lounge to get a temporary card. I'm flying AA from LAX T4 today, AS is in T6, and it will be miserably hot in that tunnel this afternoon. If there's no advantage to the temporary card, I guess I may as well be patient and wait. Or better yet, if they will accept the electronic one, I don't need to wait on anything. Thanks!
Does anyone have definite DPs on whether Alaska Lounge members (who don't yet have a physical card) can access Admirals Clubs using either the electronic membership card or the temporary card that AS will issue at a Lounge? I'm debating if it's worth making a special trip to the AS Lounge to get a temporary card. I'm flying AA from LAX T4 today, AS is in T6, and it will be miserably hot in that tunnel this afternoon. If there's no advantage to the temporary card, I guess I may as well be patient and wait. Or better yet, if they will accept the electronic one, I don't need to wait on anything. Thanks!
Oct 17, 2017, 2:07 pm
#1449
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: PNW
Programs: Alaska MVPG, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Explorist, M Life Gold, Wyndham Diamond, Caesars Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 19
Going to be MVPG for the first time, during priority boarding, can my wife(MVP) board with me the same time? Also what about people who are on your reservation (non elites) able to board with you?
Oct 17, 2017, 3:31 pm
#1450
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,640
boarding enforcement is lax in general, but the basic guidance is that all co-travelers can board with the highest status member.
Oct 17, 2017, 7:21 pm
#1451
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Alaska
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 131
Apologies in advance if this is answered elsewhere; I searched and haven't located an answer.
Does anyone have definite DPs on whether Alaska Lounge members (who don't yet have a physical card) can access Admirals Clubs using either the electronic membership card or the temporary card that AS will issue at a Lounge? I'm debating if it's worth making a special trip to the AS Lounge to get a temporary card. I'm flying AA from LAX T4 today, AS is in T6, and it will be miserably hot in that tunnel this afternoon. If there's no advantage to the temporary card, I guess I may as well be patient and wait. Or better yet, if they will accept the electronic one, I don't need to wait on anything. Thanks!
Does anyone have definite DPs on whether Alaska Lounge members (who don't yet have a physical card) can access Admirals Clubs using either the electronic membership card or the temporary card that AS will issue at a Lounge? I'm debating if it's worth making a special trip to the AS Lounge to get a temporary card. I'm flying AA from LAX T4 today, AS is in T6, and it will be miserably hot in that tunnel this afternoon. If there's no advantage to the temporary card, I guess I may as well be patient and wait. Or better yet, if they will accept the electronic one, I don't need to wait on anything. Thanks!
Oct 18, 2017, 8:21 pm
#1454
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: ORD
Programs: AA, Hilton
Posts: 159
Intra Asia
Hello, can anyone tell me the following routes are legit one way award on JAL?
1. CAN-HND (stopover)-HKG
2. CAN-HND (stopover)-SIN
3. CAN-HND (stopover) open jaw NRT - BKK
Thanks
-----------got my answer
1. CAN-HND (stopover)-HKG
2. CAN-HND (stopover)-SIN
3. CAN-HND (stopover) open jaw NRT - BKK
Thanks
-----------got my answer
Last edited by gogomustangs; Oct 18, 2017 at 9:25 pm
Oct 18, 2017, 11:20 pm
#1455
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
Cheers
James