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!
#1021
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
If I have a non-refundable ticket and if a few days before I am unable to do the trip, can I cancel it and use the funds in the future? I see there is a $125 fee for cancelling so I gather the funds are usable for future travel. On a roundtrip ticket for 2 people, am I going to be charged $125, $250, or $500?
#1022
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Sacramento, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Hyatt,Marriott,BA,AS
Posts: 4,419
#1023
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
You cancel the tickets and rebook later. Keep in mind the change fee must be paid with new money and isn't deducted from the value of the ticket. You can either pay the cancellation fees when you cancel or wait until you're ready to rebook.
#1024
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Yellow Springs
Programs: AS 75k
Posts: 1,523
#1025
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,424
I think I just made a rookie mistake.
Had a lingering credit on a FlexPerks card that redeems on Alaska as a cash ticket. I booked a random ticket today to drain the account, figuring as an MVP Gold I could just deposit it into My Wallet and use it as a credit toward new bookings in the future.
Apparently if you cancel within 24 hours you can't deposit to My Wallet? So now I have the full value of the ticket stuck on the ticket itself. The problem is that I would like to rebook as TWO seats on a different flight (me + companion) and use GGUs.
I can't figure out a way to do that. If I try to simply "change" the ticket with residual value, it won't let me add a second person, and seems to be suggesting if I book a cheaper flight, instead of sending back a travel credit, it will post a refund back to credit card...
Help? I tried calling in but the agent couldn't figure a way to send it to the wallet and didn't really have any other suggestions.
Had a lingering credit on a FlexPerks card that redeems on Alaska as a cash ticket. I booked a random ticket today to drain the account, figuring as an MVP Gold I could just deposit it into My Wallet and use it as a credit toward new bookings in the future.
Apparently if you cancel within 24 hours you can't deposit to My Wallet? So now I have the full value of the ticket stuck on the ticket itself. The problem is that I would like to rebook as TWO seats on a different flight (me + companion) and use GGUs.
I can't figure out a way to do that. If I try to simply "change" the ticket with residual value, it won't let me add a second person, and seems to be suggesting if I book a cheaper flight, instead of sending back a travel credit, it will post a refund back to credit card...
Help? I tried calling in but the agent couldn't figure a way to send it to the wallet and didn't really have any other suggestions.
#1027
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,424
#1028
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,950
What if you use the ticket to book something for yourself, wait more than 24 hours, and then cancel that ticket? Can an agent tell you if those funds would go to your wallet instead of a ticket?
#1029
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,424
Ended up booking exactly what I wanted and had to eat the $40 increase in fare since yesterday.
#1030
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,942
Your intuition was reliable. After waiting 24 hours, the option to deposit into My Wallet appeared, even tho I had already canceled the ticket and kept the value on the ticket.
Ended up booking exactly what I wanted and had to eat the $40 increase in fare since yesterday.
Ended up booking exactly what I wanted and had to eat the $40 increase in fare since yesterday.
Keep track of this with #GARR
#1031
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Honors Gold
Posts: 84
I've just booked my first flight on Alaska Airlines so apologies if this is a newbie question.
I purchased a ticket on Alaska 779 on Friday 11th August from STL to SEA. The booking process offered a seat map which showed everything unavailable except for a few premium class seats, for an upgrade fee. I presumed this was because I was buying the cheapest, non-refundable fare that I couldn't select an economy seat. Now I'm wondering if it's because the flight is oversold. Should I be concerned?
I purchased a ticket on Alaska 779 on Friday 11th August from STL to SEA. The booking process offered a seat map which showed everything unavailable except for a few premium class seats, for an upgrade fee. I presumed this was because I was buying the cheapest, non-refundable fare that I couldn't select an economy seat. Now I'm wondering if it's because the flight is oversold. Should I be concerned?
#1032
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BOS, YVR, ZRH
Programs: *G
Posts: 17,289
AF: YVR/YYZ/YUL-CDG-HKG - $1340 in PE rt
or YYZ-CDG-CPT in PE:
AF: YYZ/YUL/YOW to CPT in PE, from $1190 (JNB $1347 on LH and AF)
reasonably comfy, long flights and credits 100% to AS. And a steal for that price. It's not traditional mileage run territory, but e.g. YVR-CDG-HKG is 22k miles for 1340USD, all in PE. That's 6cpm, in PE. That's quite good.
Since AA is eliminating mileage earning domestically, that eliminates e.g. YVR/LAX-PTY F runs that used to be amazing for earning miles.
One thing that's probably also very effective are Condor "J" flights, that price very cheaply and give tons of miles. But I don't have any good examples at hand.
#1033
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
There's 52 open seats per Expert Flyer, though it looks like all the basic economy seats are all gone. I don't think you need to worry about the flight being oversold. I'd keep checking if something might open up, otherwise you'll be assigned something at the airport.
#1034
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
16-17 are also marked as preferred but those are exit rows and at least in the past had a seat charge like Premium Class but I'm not sure if they still do.