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!
Jul 5, 2018, 7:54 pm
#901
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
If you need to make a change to your ticket bought from Expedia you would have to do it through Expedia - lots of reports of that NOT going well.
IRROPs would be more coplicated via Expedia as well.
IRROPs would be more coplicated via Expedia as well.
Jul 5, 2018, 8:41 pm
#902
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Intermountain West
Programs: Too many to list
Posts: 12,089
You can register your AS card with Expedia in order to pay for your flights, right? So you will earn AS miles and E+ pts.
If so, I assume that I would not also earn the Alaska Credit Card bonus miles. Am I right?
If so, is the credit card bonus a better value, or the E+ points?
lastly, are there other drawbacks to consider if booking at Expedia instead of at AlaskaAir?
thanks!!
lastly, are there other drawbacks to consider if booking at Expedia instead of at AlaskaAir?
thanks!!
Last edited by philemer; Jul 5, 2018 at 8:49 pm
Jul 5, 2018, 9:14 pm
#903
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 1,445
I'm not familiar enough with the Expedia points to know their value, but agree with others booking directly with the airline is generally a better call in case something goes wrong.
Jul 5, 2018, 9:15 pm
#904
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Southwest A-List; Alaska MVPG; Hilton Diamond; Avis PreferredPlus; Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite
Posts: 920
Thanks for the responses.
For clarity, when I was talking about bonus miles, I didn’t mean the 30k bonus miles for $1k spend. I meant the extra miles per dollar spent on Alaska flights. I assume that those bonus miles only count for spend directly at the airline. ??
For clarity, when I was talking about bonus miles, I didn’t mean the 30k bonus miles for $1k spend. I meant the extra miles per dollar spent on Alaska flights. I assume that those bonus miles only count for spend directly at the airline. ??
Jul 6, 2018, 12:21 am
#905
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
Correct.
Jul 6, 2018, 8:00 am
#906
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SEA
Posts: 3,955
Somehow, tomorrow will be my first ever AS flight out of PHL. What can I expect regarding staff? Are they going to be irritable, unfriendly AA folks in a different uniform, or is it more like the west coast AS experience?
Jul 6, 2018, 3:12 pm
#907
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Seattle WA, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, AS Lounge
Posts: 3,478
We flew PHL-SEA in April and had good experiences with the staff both when checking our bags and boarding the plane. Hope you find the same.
Jul 7, 2018, 4:52 pm
#908
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Southwest A-List; Alaska MVPG; Hilton Diamond; Avis PreferredPlus; Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite
Posts: 920
Another newbie question...
does the “free” companion fare code that I get with the credit card include premium or first class seats?
In other words, if I book RT airfare in a premium seat, does my companion get the same fare at no extra charge?
does the “free” companion fare code that I get with the credit card include premium or first class seats?
In other words, if I book RT airfare in a premium seat, does my companion get the same fare at no extra charge?
Jul 7, 2018, 5:10 pm
#909
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
Companion code doesn't include First Class or Premium seats directly. If you have status (Gold/75K or MVP+instrument/miles for First, or Gold/75K only for Premium), you can purchase an economy fare class that allows instant upgrades at booking to either one, provided U/Premium space is available for 2.
ETA: To clarify, you can always purchase a higher fare class even if U/Premium is unavailable, but you wouldn't get an instant upgrade immediately in that case and may never get an upgrade if U doesn't open prior to flight. One reason for doing so would be for the Class of Service bonus for Y/S/M/B fare classes.
Jul 7, 2018, 10:17 pm
#910
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,498
I know that as a MVP Gold 75k, there are no cancellation fees when I cancel paid tickets. Does the same apply to companions on the same itinerary? What if I book while 75k but travel occurs after I lose that status? Do I have to cancel prior to losing status?
Jul 7, 2018, 10:18 pm
#911
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 2,036
Also, Premium is sold as an add-on to economy, not a separate set of fare buckets, so as far as I know you could get the companion discount for the coach fare portion but each pay the upgrade price for Premium. Whereas you flat-out can't use the code for a paid F booking.
Jul 7, 2018, 11:08 pm
#912
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 917
Non-status companion will be charged the cancellation fee. You will also be charged if you change/cancel after losing your status. Unless, of course, you buy a fully-refundable ticket.
Jul 8, 2018, 7:40 pm
#913
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 1,445
You'll be charged the fee for the companion for cancellation or for itinerary changes. Note that the total shown for flight changes does include that fee, and isn't just the up-fare (i.e., new fare for both passengers is $50, total to change will show as $175, but you will just pay $175, not $300, if that makes sense). Once you lose status, you'd also be charged the cancellation fee unless you've re-qualified for at least Gold.
Jul 8, 2018, 8:23 pm
#914
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 87
I've got a flight to ORD on 28 July and I'm currently 600 EQM away from MVPG.
If I wanted to get the EQM before then, would a quick hop and back to PDX/YVR from SEA be the best bet? I see $60-ish fares after my ORD trip, but even on weekdays in July it's looking at $120+ each way, which seems not worth it :/
If I wanted to get the EQM before then, would a quick hop and back to PDX/YVR from SEA be the best bet? I see $60-ish fares after my ORD trip, but even on weekdays in July it's looking at $120+ each way, which seems not worth it :/
Jul 9, 2018, 3:01 am
#915
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
I've got a flight to ORD on 28 July and I'm currently 600 EQM away from MVPG.
If I wanted to get the EQM before then, would a quick hop and back to PDX/YVR from SEA be the best bet? I see $60-ish fares after my ORD trip, but even on weekdays in July it's looking at $120+ each way, which seems not worth it :/
If I wanted to get the EQM before then, would a quick hop and back to PDX/YVR from SEA be the best bet? I see $60-ish fares after my ORD trip, but even on weekdays in July it's looking at $120+ each way, which seems not worth it :/
Since BLI is closest to you (92 miles) you may want to consider a one-way flight if you have somebody who could drive you there (about 90 minutes from SEA if the I5 parking lot isn't too full) or pick you up from there. Since close in fares are high I would pay a little extra ($184 instead of $140) to purchase an M class ticket. M class has a 25% class of service bonus which is EQM as well. Since your 92 mile flight gets 500 EQM minimum and you get 125 EQM bonus that would put you over the 600 required. Additionally, you would get your 250 RDM bonus for a total of 875 RDM on the flight. Something to consider.
If you do decide to do a flight I would recommend completing it at least a week before ORD so that it has time to post and update your status in the systems. Once your new status is updated and you see it online, I would call AS to have them remove and reapply your Mileage Plan number to your current reservation(s) to ensure it has your new status especially if it is close to the MVPG upgrade window. The reservations do eventually get upgraded (supposed to be?) with your status but I wouldn't bet on it happening right away.
James
Last edited by Flying for Fun; Jul 9, 2018 at 3:16 am