Jan 1, 2018, 3:17 pm
Last edit by: Baze
Welcome to the Alaska Airlines Flame-Free Q&A Thread for 2018!
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
For the 2017 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
For the 2017 version of this thread, please click here
2018 Alaska Airlines *FLAME-FREE* Q&A thread: all welcome, new and old!
Apr 26, 2018, 7:41 pm
#646
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: 42,953
Apr 28, 2018, 9:42 am
#647
Moderator: Budget Travel forum & Credit Card Programs, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYJ/YVR and back on Van Isle ....... for now
Programs: UA lifetime MM / *A Gold
Posts: 14,429
Well, as an update, gave up and called.
Operator told me how to do it
Finally convinced her to do it since I could not even with her on the phone, and lo and behold, she got an error.
On hold for about ten minutes, another error, but after about 20 minutes on the phone I am now a member of MileagePlus Plan.
Operator told me how to do it
Finally convinced her to do it since I could not even with her on the phone, and lo and behold, she got an error.
On hold for about ten minutes, another error, but after about 20 minutes on the phone I am now a member of Mileage
Apr 28, 2018, 3:43 pm
#648
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: Delta Gold, Alaska Gold 75K, LATAM Black
Posts: 3,393
So I posted my saga with the Qantas double miles/75K bonus but I ended up buying this, thoughts ?
JFK LAX
LAX SYD (12 hours SYD, 12 hours in F lounge?;-))
SYD WLG
WLG SYD
SYD LAX
LAX JFK
22,699 elite miles
51,072 rdm 75k status
19,900 Qantas double mile promo
So buying 71,000 AS for $1,269 / 1.79CPM
& 25% of the way to 75K again & 50K bonus .. and two Days to explore a new city.
thoughts? Can somebody tell me I got a good deal 😂😂😂
JFK LAX
LAX SYD (12 hours SYD, 12 hours in F lounge?;-))
SYD WLG
WLG SYD
SYD LAX
LAX JFK
22,699 elite miles
51,072 rdm 75k status
19,900 Qantas double mile promo
So buying 71,000 AS for $1,269 / 1.79CPM
& 25% of the way to 75K again & 50K bonus .. and two Days to explore a new city.
thoughts? Can somebody tell me I got a good deal 😂😂😂
Last edited by Mauibaby2008; Apr 28, 2018 at 3:49 pm
Apr 28, 2018, 4:23 pm
#649
Join Date: May 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG100, Hyatt Globalist, MGM Gold, Caesars Diamond
Posts: 636
Does JFK-WLG count for double miles? Or you booked JFK-SYD then another leg SYD-WLG-SYD? Sounds like a nice run.
Apr 28, 2018, 4:26 pm
#650
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: Delta Gold, Alaska Gold 75K, LATAM Black
Posts: 3,393
) - but it is all one ticket.at the end of May I also got the SFO SYD ZQN SYD SFO for $550 a few months ago. Gunna get halfway to 75K in the month or May alone
Apr 28, 2018, 4:57 pm
#651
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Between SFO and STS
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold, United Serf, Delta Gold
Posts: 731
Apr 28, 2018, 5:01 pm
#652
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: Delta Gold, Alaska Gold 75K, LATAM Black
Posts: 3,393
o
I just turned 28 so I think I’ll manage for now. As OWE last time I did LAX SYD on the A380 they put me upstairs in the bulkhead window - it was actually pretty easy. Earning about 136,000 Alaska miles from my Qantas runs (counting the AS PHL - SFO - JFK on pmVX metal. Hoping to try out the F recliners)$118, $118, $550, $1269.... 136,000 AS miles for $2,055 for roughly 1.5CPM. I have a few CX F awards I need to book so figured why not
Last edited by Mauibaby2008; Apr 28, 2018 at 5:06 pm
Apr 28, 2018, 5:18 pm
#653
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
I flew LAX-MEL on the A380 one-way in Y last year, and with an open middle next to me, it was possibly my most comfortable long-haul coach experience yet. I had no trouble sleeping.
Apr 28, 2018, 7:36 pm
#654
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: SFO
Posts: 32
A few weeks ago I noticed some irregularities between my progress towards elite status and my mileage plan activity, though I have a feeling I just don't fully understand the way things work with AS.
As of 4/17, my progress towards elite status showed:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 8057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 8057
YTD qualifying segments: 6
Then I took a RT SFO-SAN. Each segment was 447 base miles. As of today, my progress towards elite status shows:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 11057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 11057
YTD qualifying segments: 8
My flights this year in chronological order:
Prior to my SF-SAN flight, my base miles for the year added up to 6309. Why was my status progress 8057? Does AS rollover unused miles from previous year? My understanding was that they did not for 2017-2018.
Why did my status progress jump 3,000 miles after an SF-SAN flight that was only 894 base miles total?
My understanding is that bonus miles don't count towards elite status progress, so I don't think that's the reason for my inflated status progress, but even if they did, the numbers wouldn't add up.
Obviously these seemingly-inflated numbers are to my benefit, so I'm not complaining. I'm just curious how AS actually counts miles towards elite status so I can plan for the future. Anyone know what's going on here? Thanks!
As of 4/17, my progress towards elite status showed:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 8057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 8057
YTD qualifying segments: 6
Then I took a RT SFO-SAN. Each segment was 447 base miles. As of today, my progress towards elite status shows:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 11057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 11057
YTD qualifying segments: 8
My flights this year in chronological order:
Code:
Route base miles bonus miles total miles SFO-LAS 414 336 750 LAS-SFO 414 336 750 OAK-HNL 2409 1205 3614 HNL-SFO 2398 1199 3597 SFO-LAX 337 413 750 LAX-SFO 337 663 1000 SFO-SAN 447 303 750 SAN-SFO 447 303 750 TOTALS 7203 4758 11961
Why did my status progress jump 3,000 miles after an SF-SAN flight that was only 894 base miles total?
My understanding is that bonus miles don't count towards elite status progress, so I don't think that's the reason for my inflated status progress, but even if they did, the numbers wouldn't add up.
Obviously these seemingly-inflated numbers are to my benefit, so I'm not complaining. I'm just curious how AS actually counts miles towards elite status so I can plan for the future. Anyone know what's going on here? Thanks!
Apr 28, 2018, 8:01 pm
#655
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
A few weeks ago I noticed some irregularities between my progress towards elite status and my mileage plan activity, though I have a feeling I just don't fully understand the way things work with AS.
As of 4/17, my progress towards elite status showed:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 8057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 8057
YTD qualifying segments: 6
Then I took a RT SFO-SAN. Each segment was 447 base miles. As of today, my progress towards elite status shows:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 11057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 11057
YTD qualifying segments: 8
My flights this year in chronological order:
Route base miles bonus miles total miles
SFO-LAS 414 336 750
LAS-SFO 414 336 750
OAK-HNL 2409 1205 3614
HNL-SFO 2398 1199 3597
SFO-LAX 337 413 750
LAX-SFO 337 663 1000
SFO-SAN 447 303 750
SAN-SFO 447 303 750
TOTALS 7203 4758 11961
Prior to my SF-SAN flight, my base miles for the year added up to 6309. Why was my status progress 8057? Does AS rollover unused miles from previous year? My understanding was that they did not for 2017-2018.
Why did my status progress jump 3,000 miles after an SF-SAN flight that was only 894 base miles total?
My understanding is that bonus miles don't count towards elite status progress, so I don't think that's the reason for my inflated status progress, but even if they did, the numbers wouldn't add up.
Obviously these seemingly-inflated numbers are to my benefit, so I'm not complaining. I'm just curious how AS actually counts miles towards elite status so I can plan for the future. Anyone know what's going on here? Thanks!
As of 4/17, my progress towards elite status showed:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 8057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 8057
YTD qualifying segments: 6
Then I took a RT SFO-SAN. Each segment was 447 base miles. As of today, my progress towards elite status shows:
YTD Alaska miles flown: 11057
YTD Alaska/partner miles flown: 11057
YTD qualifying segments: 8
My flights this year in chronological order:
Route base miles bonus miles total miles
SFO-LAS 414 336 750
LAS-SFO 414 336 750
OAK-HNL 2409 1205 3614
HNL-SFO 2398 1199 3597
SFO-LAX 337 413 750
LAX-SFO 337 663 1000
SFO-SAN 447 303 750
SAN-SFO 447 303 750
TOTALS 7203 4758 11961
Prior to my SF-SAN flight, my base miles for the year added up to 6309. Why was my status progress 8057? Does AS rollover unused miles from previous year? My understanding was that they did not for 2017-2018.
Why did my status progress jump 3,000 miles after an SF-SAN flight that was only 894 base miles total?
My understanding is that bonus miles don't count towards elite status progress, so I don't think that's the reason for my inflated status progress, but even if they did, the numbers wouldn't add up.
Obviously these seemingly-inflated numbers are to my benefit, so I'm not complaining. I'm just curious how AS actually counts miles towards elite status so I can plan for the future. Anyone know what's going on here? Thanks!
Rejiggering your math to make everything a minimum 500 base miles, it still only comes out to 7807, but then I noticed your LAX-SFO segment had a much higher bonus--you must have been in a higher-ranking Y fare, as those and F fares earn more than one EQM per mile flown.
Apr 28, 2018, 8:11 pm
#656
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Prior to my SF-SAN flight, my base miles for the year added up to 6309. Why was my status progress 8057? Does AS rollover unused miles from previous year? My understanding was that they did not for 2017-2018.
Why did my status progress jump 3,000 miles after an SF-SAN flight that was only 894 base miles total?
My understanding is that bonus miles don't count towards elite status progress, so I don't think that's the reason for my inflated status progress, but even if they did, the numbers wouldn't add up
Why did my status progress jump 3,000 miles after an SF-SAN flight that was only 894 base miles total?
My understanding is that bonus miles don't count towards elite status progress, so I don't think that's the reason for my inflated status progress, but even if they did, the numbers wouldn't add up
Flights on Alaska and most partners less than 500 miles (either because the actual length is less or because the partner booking class earns at less than 100% and the base mileage is then below 500)earn 500 miles as a minimum base mileage. Base miles count toward EQM, RDM, and lifetime miles
Class of service bonuses (on Alaska F/P 75%, Y/S 50%, M/B 25%) are applied to the base mileage (minimum 500 miles!) and count toward EQM and RDM.
Elite bonus and additional bonus (if applicable) are also applied to the base mileage and count toward RDM only.
Example: SAN-SFO, 447 actual miles, in S fare class, MVP
500 mile minimum towards EQM/RDM/lifetime status
250 CoS bonus (500 x 50% S class) towards EQM/RDM
250 MVP bonus (500 x 50% MVP) towards RDM only
Total: 500 miles towards lifetime status, 750 miles towards EQM, 1000 miles toward RDM
Hopefully this will help you puzzle out the mystery. The numbers don't quite add up to me so I assume there might be a class of service bonus on some or all of the flights. Unfortunately, the breakdown on the website isn't very clear and doesn't really differentiate between EQM and RDM except for the totals.
Apr 28, 2018, 8:23 pm
#657
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Not sure exactly if this will add up, but starting with how EQM (and RDM) is calculated:
Flights on Alaska and most partners less than 500 miles (either because the actual length is less or because the partner booking class earns at less than 100% and the base mileage is then below 500)earn 500 miles as a minimum base mileage. Base miles count toward EQM, RDM, and lifetime miles
Class of service bonuses (on Alaska F/P 75%, Y/S 50%, M/B 25%) are applied to the base mileage (minimum 500 miles!) and count toward EQM and RDM.
Elite bonus and additional bonus (if applicable) are also applied to the base mileage and count toward RDM only.
Example: SAN-SFO, 447 actual miles, in S fare class, MVP
500 mile minimum towards EQM/RDM/lifetime status
250 CoS bonus (500 x 50% S class) towards EQM/RDM
250 MVP bonus (500 x 50% MVP) towards RDM only
Total: 500 miles towards lifetime status, 750 miles towards EQM, 1000 miles toward RDM
Hopefully this will help you puzzle out the mystery. The numbers don't quite add up to me so I assume there might be a class of service bonus on some or all of the flights. Unfortunately, the breakdown on the website isn't very clear and doesn't really differentiate between EQM and RDM except for the totals.
Flights on Alaska and most partners less than 500 miles (either because the actual length is less or because the partner booking class earns at less than 100% and the base mileage is then below 500)earn 500 miles as a minimum base mileage. Base miles count toward EQM, RDM, and lifetime miles
Class of service bonuses (on Alaska F/P 75%, Y/S 50%, M/B 25%) are applied to the base mileage (minimum 500 miles!) and count toward EQM and RDM.
Elite bonus and additional bonus (if applicable) are also applied to the base mileage and count toward RDM only.
Example: SAN-SFO, 447 actual miles, in S fare class, MVP
500 mile minimum towards EQM/RDM/lifetime status
250 CoS bonus (500 x 50% S class) towards EQM/RDM
250 MVP bonus (500 x 50% MVP) towards RDM only
Total: 500 miles towards lifetime status, 750 miles towards EQM, 1000 miles toward RDM
Hopefully this will help you puzzle out the mystery. The numbers don't quite add up to me so I assume there might be a class of service bonus on some or all of the flights. Unfortunately, the breakdown on the website isn't very clear and doesn't really differentiate between EQM and RDM except for the totals.
Apr 28, 2018, 9:06 pm
#658
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 291
I have an award FCA x SEA-LAX next year using QF points. FCA-SEA is on AS in Y & SEA-LAX is on AA in J. The ticket says AS baggage policy applies for the trip & 1st & 2nd checked bags are $20 each. Will the baggage charges be waived as this is a business class award & there is only economy available from FCA? If not, will I be charged the price shown on the ticket or the standard AS baggage charge? Also, will my bags be checked through to LAX or will I have to collect them at SEA?
Apr 28, 2018, 9:44 pm
#659
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
Join Date: Jun 2000
Programs: Honors Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle, National Exec Elite
Posts: 36,029
I want to tout this excellent status calculator spreadsheet:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29118926-post51.html
It really can be a lifesaver, and it has been totally accurate for me. Great for planning purposes and what-if'ing too!
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29118926-post51.html
It really can be a lifesaver, and it has been totally accurate for me. Great for planning purposes and what-if'ing too!
Apr 29, 2018, 3:57 am
#660
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323