FrequentFlyer9000

I agree, but it forces you to pay face value for one of the tickets. I guess I just feel most FTers have enough "non-cash" options for getting to Hawaii that being forced to use cash for a full price ticket seems like not that great a benefit.

safari ari

Most people using the AS CC are not FT or very adept at the miles/credit card game. Or people value miles for Intl routes versus paying 50k miles on an AS award to Mexico or Hawaii per person. The more expensive the ticket is the more residual value the $121 companion fare is worth, from a cash perspective.

SwaBiz

Hi All,

United flyer here looking for some information on quickly getting to MVP status. I will have to fly to Seatac regularly and am looking to quickly get MVP status. If I book First class full fare tickets, or even discounted First fares does that get you to MVP quicker? I ask because previously on United, my main airline, I could get Silver Status relatively quickly by flying First for a few flights then getting back into economy when I got the status.

Does Alaska have Fare Classes like United? If so is there a cheat sheet around that will help me do the math on how many flights ill need.

I did a status match last year from United to MVP but didn't complete it as where I needed to be got postponed a year so I used it too early ;(.
Thanks again

whitf00t

yeah, definitely. Fully paid First Class tickets (all buckets, but not upgrade) get a 75% bonus on miles travelled - I.E. Chicago ORD-SFO is 3700 miles toward status, first class ticket would get you an extra 2775 on top of that. Those count for elite status.

If time allows, I’d recommend booking a couple SEA-NYC trips just for quick miles. Also, there’s often promotions where if you sign up, you can get elite status after 2 trans on trips, etc. Hopefully this helped.

Ive found

nearlysober

You can find AS's fare chart, and earning rates here.

All paid first class tickets on AS earn 75% Class of Service Bonus miles, even discounted first class. And the bonuses on that chart are EQM bonuses, so they do help you hit status faster.
Y, S, M, & B are the most expensive coach fares (Y & S are full refundable I think) and each have a CoS Bonus.

And, any AS qualifying flight always earns 100% (or 500 miles, whichever is higher for short segments) even Saver Fares.

Some partner airlines have really good CoS bonuses for flying first/business.

pattermj

I feel this is a poor generalization. Personally, we have the Alaska CC simply because we had a series of known expenses coming up, available hardpulls within the 2yr chase window, and no comparable value bonuses within our bonus window worth grabbing. Additionally, with family located in Alaska and an interest in visiting Hawaii, we figured the companion pass may prove some value, if not for us I suspect family can use. I no longer have the time nor energy to really play the CC games like I used to and I never traveled enough (thankfully) to become a FT godling but running numbers on CC bonuses and comparing opportunity costs is not difficult nor requiring a hefty travel history so I would suggest you avoid generalizing when, for many, it is a numbers game and you don't have the numbers. If you did not mean this as a slight I apologize for the harsh tone of my response but it simply seemed too much of a generalization.

Now back to the question I asked, I have run all of the routes I can think of and it is unlikely Alaska, even with the pass, would be price or time comparable to direct routes w/ southwest (when the schedule opens). As such, I suspect our greatest benefit will be to support other family going out to Alaska and I doubt it will be this calendar year but has anyone here had much luck leveraging the Alaska companion pass for reasonable value to delta during the salmon season when flying from the midwest to Anchorage?

Thanks

spgaston

Why does AS split pax on same PNR into different boarding groups? I had my spouse in group B board with me in group A and I told the GA that we were traveling together and he said normally we shouldn’t do that. Why would they upgrade both of us to F as MVPG (we were not upgraded on this flight) but not let us board in the same group??

rustykettel

AS IT. Despite their initial claims, the boarding group is based on the individual traveler, not the highest priority in the group. Not sure which airport you were departing from, but I've never had an issue with my wife boarding with me in different boarding groups. It's a rare AS GA that pushes back on any out of sequence boarding.

I'd give feedback on alaskalistens.com both about the mismatched boarding passes and the GA. There's an opportunity to improve either one.

BrandonAB

Is there a place that lists the dates of seasonal flights? I am trying to see when Anchorage-Chicago nonstop flights start. I was hoping to find dates in March or April but it looks like there are no direct flights until summer. Has this route always been seasonal?

I am also interested in the dates of Anchorage-Kona nonstop flights

91foxbody

Credit card annual fee + $121 for a flight < the ~$500 flight my significant other and I can take throughout the year. I just used one of mine to save her ~400 on a last minute flight around spring break.

RAD_PDX

It is a very overrated benefit IMO and I've had a hard time giving it away in the past.

CDKing

Even after the annual fee + companion taxes and fees we saved $700 on BOS-LIH. Even more saved the year prior when we upfared to upgradable fare.

VegasGambler

If I pay for a first class ticket and then end up doing a vol downgrade to SDC (because first is full on my desired flight) do I still get the CoS bonus?

91foxbody

I have personal and biz cards and I use both to save me a TON of money every year. It's the biggest no-brainer card benefit possible if you're a regular AS flyer (IMHO).

VegasGambler

Lol, I could not disagree more. I'm about to cancel my card and my companion pass will expire unused.

I was happy to pay the first year AF for the bonus miles, though.