mikeysf

Hit 76k EQM yesterday flying SFO-JFK, fittingly on flight 1024 (aka The Last of the Airbii).

Bonus miles just landed today. Seeya in the sky!

metallo

I left it a bit late this year, but I should re-qualify for 75K after a trip to Hawaii next week.

I'm actually a bit excited about this one, because I'm "connecting" through ANC on the way there and will fly ANC-KOA in paid F. I have never taken a nonstop flight between our 49th and 50th states before, so it will be neat to add a new route to my list.

This booking/routing was actually intentional, as the extra miles plus the 1.75x COS multiplier was necessary to ensure I re-qualify for 75K (possibly for the final time after the gutting of AS's non-west coast route network this year). All will have been done on AS metal without partner EQMs.

luckydoug

I was spoiled from past stints as a Gold Medallion on DL and UA 100K before that, so I was grateful that AS gave me a status match to MVPG this year. Unfortunately, not as much business travel as expected (and mostly west coast, low mileage flights.) But the travel that I did on AS was fabulous, and the MVPG perks are worth a ton. I'm based in the SF area.

I've booked an OAK-OGG-OAK RT for next week to get me to Silver, but I'm realizing that I'll need to start all over again Jan. 1. Would I be better off accepting the drop all the way to nobody level Jan. 1 but instead push to do a couple of mileage runs early in the year to make Silver and hopefully Gold within Q1?

I appreciate any thoughts, as my frequent flier brain cells haven't fully regenerated yet. Thanks.

osubeavers01

Alaska doesn’t have a silver level. Do you mean MVP?

be_rettSEA

Welcome to Alaska! Agreed MVP Gold perks are amazing! I'm on my sixth year of them and am dreading the day they are significantly devalued or when I'm forced to do most of my flying on another airline. MVP benefits (there is no Silver on AS) do provide *some* perks above those of general passengers (upgrades to first and premium, better seat selection options, checked bags, additional RDM accrual, etc), but obviously with lower priority for upgrades than Gold or 75K. I guess it depends on how much farther you have to go to reach MVP at this point, how much $ you'll spend to get there, and how much value you place on your time the next two weeks.. If it's a quick r/t flight you can do on a weekend? I'd probably do it. If you're 10k away, I'd probably just wait and hit it early in Jan.. If you're just planning to book Saver fares (not upgrade eligible/limited seat selection) for your mileage runs next year anyhow, I'd probably just wait as the only perk you'd really get is the checked bag (unlikely to be super beneficial for a mileage run) and the 50% bonus RDMs.

luckydoug

Hah. Yes, MVP not "silver." I'm conditioned by my years of Delta flying. I'm 5,293 miles shy of MVP. (This is a pathetically low mileage tally for me.) The OAK-OGG-OAK RT will get me close, and I'm sure I'll be flying to LAX or PDX before end of the month. Cost is ~$330 but I'm using Amex points to make it free.
Thanks.

haddon90

just curious. how many 75Ks do we think there are? i feel the elite pool on AS is significantly less than the legacy carriers.

be_rettSEA

In terms of pure n of 75ks? Sure, likely a smaller pool than UA, AA or DL at their highest levels. AS also has significantly less seating capacity (would that be 'available seat miles' in industry terms?) and a smaller route map than the big US3. Imagine the % of top-tier elites (and elites overall) is probably higher on AS than the US3 because of: ability to status match/challenge even to top tier, ability to become elite without a single flight on AS metal, no minimum spend requirement, and only three elite status levels (excluding MM of course).

Westcoaster

Renewed MVPG earlier this week with 41K AS miles.

Looking back at my spreadsheet I can see that for the first time in my years of flying AS I was in F on every flight. My husband as well. It took a combination of upgrades and paid F. It reminded me of a post made many years ago by a FT'er named Punki. She (I believe it was a woman) said something to the effect that she and Hunki, her guy, didn't fly coach anymore. At the time that sounded a bit extravagant to me. But many years later (and much less agile) I can now embrace the philosophy of paying more to be comfortable. The last time my tall husband and I sat in coach he had a long-armed seatmate who was working on a laptop and kept poking his elbow well into my husband's space. Not anymore if we can help it.

Anyway, back on topic. Congrats to all who have qualified!

tom911

Times have changed. They have an upcoming trip SEA-SFO-CDG-SIN all in economy on award travel. They couldn't find any business/first award availability.

OnlyTheoretical

Hello all. New flyer here. Just completed a long year of travel with 91,797 AS/Partner miles last night and status updated to MVPG75K this morning along with the 50k miles bonus

Prior to this year I only average less than 15k miles/yr on the cheapest fares but this is my first year flying with Alaska and started from scratch.
I had more trips planned than usual in 2019 and after crunching some numbers decided to push all the way through to 75K some time in August.
The breakdown was roughly 55k miles on AS metal and the rest on CX E fares. I even enjoyed a JAL award redemption with AS miles from HND-JFK in F for the first time this Nov! The miles for that was from the signup from the AS CC along with transfer miles from Marriott.

While I've been a lurker on these boards for the better part of this year, I'd like to thank all you contributors for the invaluable information and experiences shared.
I'm excited to fly in 2020! Have a happy new year all

metallo

I’m 6’2’’, with most of it in my legs... can appreciate your husband’s pain. 😉 I fly F/J on virtually all of my flights these days, whether paid or upgraded. On AS, I generally buy coach, and if it looks like the upgrade won’t clear (even as 75K), I’ll shell out the cash for F.

RaSiDa

Just going to requal as a lowly MVP. 26,577 miles with most of them on partners.
Between AA going away in 2020 and the ridiculous variable pricing on Alaska's own flights, 40k for transcon in Y on most days? No thank you.

Just sticking around for the 50% bonus and free checked bag and occasional upgrade here and there.

Repooc17

Qualified for MVPG in November with a combination of AS and partner flights.

Westcoaster

Am glad at least to hear that they are still traveling and haven't run out of miles. Good for them!