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 27, 2017, 4:00 pm
#1486
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 981
Difficulty in getting First Class when re-positioning for international award flight
Hi all,
I am doing some trial bookings for First/Business class international award flights on one of Alaska's partners, and surprisingly there is availability in the premium class on the partner portion of the flight, but I get the "mixed cabin" icon a lot because the Alaska Airline positioning flight keeps showing up as "Main Cabin". Is this something that can be resolved by calling Customer Service and asking them to force first class award availability for the positioning flight? When I look at the seat chart, the first class cabin is empty (trial booking like 10 months out) so it isn't because there are no seats available. Normally, for a short re-positioning flight, it isn't a big deal, but some of the re-positioning flights are transcon so it does make a difference in terms of experience.
I am doing some trial bookings for First/Business class international award flights on one of Alaska's partners, and surprisingly there is availability in the premium class on the partner portion of the flight, but I get the "mixed cabin" icon a lot because the Alaska Airline positioning flight keeps showing up as "Main Cabin". Is this something that can be resolved by calling Customer Service and asking them to force first class award availability for the positioning flight? When I look at the seat chart, the first class cabin is empty (trial booking like 10 months out) so it isn't because there are no seats available. Normally, for a short re-positioning flight, it isn't a big deal, but some of the re-positioning flights are transcon so it does make a difference in terms of experience.
Oct 27, 2017, 4:04 pm
#1487
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Is this something that can be resolved by calling Customer Service and asking them to force first class award availability for the positioning flight? When I look at the seat chart, the first class cabin is empty (trial booking like 10 months out) so it isn't because there are no seats available.
Oct 27, 2017, 4:06 pm
#1488
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Hi all,
I am doing some trial bookings for First/Business class international award flights on one of Alaska's partners, and surprisingly there is availability in the premium class on the partner portion of the flight, but I get the "mixed cabin" icon a lot because the Alaska Airline positioning flight keeps showing up as "Main Cabin". Is this something that can be resolved by calling Customer Service and asking them to force first class award availability for the positioning flight? When I look at the seat chart, the first class cabin is empty (trial booking like 10 months out) so it isn't because there are no seats available. Normally, for a short re-positioning flight, it isn't a big deal, but some of the re-positioning flights are transcon so it does make a difference in terms of experience.
I am doing some trial bookings for First/Business class international award flights on one of Alaska's partners, and surprisingly there is availability in the premium class on the partner portion of the flight, but I get the "mixed cabin" icon a lot because the Alaska Airline positioning flight keeps showing up as "Main Cabin". Is this something that can be resolved by calling Customer Service and asking them to force first class award availability for the positioning flight? When I look at the seat chart, the first class cabin is empty (trial booking like 10 months out) so it isn't because there are no seats available. Normally, for a short re-positioning flight, it isn't a big deal, but some of the re-positioning flights are transcon so it does make a difference in terms of experience.
Oct 27, 2017, 5:40 pm
#1490
Join Date: May 2017
Location: SEA
Posts: 355
Not on the popular routes. I have a flight that I had to book coach and waitlist for first on that's almost a year out because they just don't release any availability.
Oct 27, 2017, 6:54 pm
#1491
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 981
Another question...
I know that the award chart for Alaska shows flights from Hawaii to Europe not being serviced by Air France. However, the redemption rates for Hawaii to Europe using all the other airlines are exactly the same as if it was from the Continental US to Europe. If I find availability on the direct Air France flight from LAX to CDG and separately find saver award availability from HNL to LAX via Alaska, anyone know if I the call center can frankenstein an award together into just one redemption amount (62.5K OW for Business)?
Oct 27, 2017, 7:25 pm
#1492
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 981
What is the route you are taking? I am based in HNL, thus my additional question above, I was guessing HNL is one of the tougher places to get premium cabin award availability so I was just originally trying to originate from the continental U.S., but even for flights like that, they require re-positioning to JFK from LAX and they didn't have any award availability.
Oct 27, 2017, 7:43 pm
#1493
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
I know that the award chart for Alaska shows flights from Hawaii to Europe not being serviced by Air France. However, the redemption rates for Hawaii to Europe using all the other airlines are exactly the same as if it was from the Continental US to Europe. If I find availability on the direct Air France flight from LAX to CDG and separately find saver award availability from HNL to LAX via Alaska, anyone know if I the call center can frankenstein an award together into just one redemption amount (62.5K OW for Business)?
For example:
I found Y space on AF MSP-CDG on 5/15/18. If i look for separate award HNL-MSP I find saver all on AS metal the few days leading up to 5/15. I try to combine the 2 and no results w/ AF, only AS+AA and AS+FI (icelandair)
Oct 27, 2017, 7:49 pm
#1494
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 981
Since AF isnt on the Hawaii to Europe list you cannot use AF, even when AS fly's you to the mainland.
For example:
I found Y space on AF MSP-CDG on 5/15/18. If i look for separate award HNL-MSP I find saver all on AS metal the few days leading up to 5/15. I try to combine the 2 and no results w/ AF, only AS+AA and AS+FI (icelandair)
For example:
I found Y space on AF MSP-CDG on 5/15/18. If i look for separate award HNL-MSP I find saver all on AS metal the few days leading up to 5/15. I try to combine the 2 and no results w/ AF, only AS+AA and AS+FI (icelandair)
Oct 27, 2017, 7:57 pm
#1495
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
Phone reps use the same web interface when booking awards as the front facing website.
Oct 27, 2017, 8:04 pm
#1496
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 26
How good is Alaska air in honoring their guarantee low price policy?
I filled out their form and it tells me it will take 5-7 business days to review, yet the guarantee is for 24 hours since the purchase of airfare.
The screenshot I sent them from Expedia did not have a date showing but does show the exact flights and pricing, $160 and change lower than theirs.
I filled out their form and it tells me it will take 5-7 business days to review, yet the guarantee is for 24 hours since the purchase of airfare.
The screenshot I sent them from Expedia did not have a date showing but does show the exact flights and pricing, $160 and change lower than theirs.
if there is $100 change fee they won't give u credit less than $100, today they declined me $80 because system said no seats in both segments of return trip ! AH
Oct 27, 2017, 8:06 pm
#1497
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,257
I know that the award chart for Alaska shows flights from Hawaii to Europe not being serviced by Air France. However, the redemption rates for Hawaii to Europe using all the other airlines are exactly the same as if it was from the Continental US to Europe. If I find availability on the direct Air France flight from LAX to CDG and separately find saver award availability from HNL to LAX via Alaska, anyone know if I the call center can frankenstein an award together into just one redemption amount (62.5K OW for Business)?
What I can say is that I have successfully gotten a flight that involves A->B->C, even though I couldnt get A->C to pop up in the online search engine. But I know A->B and B->C are available. I just had to call in to AS and ask them to append the B->C to the flight itinerary (A->B) that I booked online.
But your case may be different, esp if AS doesnt have an award chart that explicitly reports the # miles required to go from Hawaii to EU
So just give AS a call, it is not as if you will lose anything. The worse is they tell you this is not allowed under their rules unless booked as 2 separate awards,
Last edited by gnomey; Oct 27, 2017 at 8:12 pm
Oct 27, 2017, 8:25 pm
#1498
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
No. I am also HNL based and flew an AF award to CDG in September. I had to position to the mainland myself and then I could tag on an AS flight to IAD.
Oct 28, 2017, 12:04 am
#1499
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,597
I concur. Transcon F saver awards are a difficult beast to capture. It's quite simple really, those seats are in demand and they sell. In my experience, anything leaving from DC (DCA, IAD, BWI) is almost always sold out in F and even upgrades are quite rare. With the cabin refurbs going to 12 in F, it's become even more difficult. Future prospects for greater availability look dim.
Oct 28, 2017, 5:11 pm
#1500
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Wine Country, Finger Lakes
Programs: LFFRS BOD
Posts: 1,355
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