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2020 Alaska Airlines *FLAME-FREE* Q&A Thread: All Welcome, New and Old!

2020 Alaska Airlines *FLAME-FREE* Q&A Thread: All Welcome, New and Old!

Old Jan 24, 2020, 3:32 pm
  #76  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MM, MVPGold100k, Hilton Diamond, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 1,475
Originally Posted by 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.
I am flying to CHS with my SO for a conference in October. My round trip Main Cabin/PE fare (they are the same price for me due to my 75k status) was $468 his was $135.23 which is a difference of $332.77. I consider that a huge savings and am happy to take advantage of it. We are both in PE and are FC wait listed. In addition, I do get miles due to using that card, so it works for us quite well. For my work trips I am required to use the corporate card that provides zero benefits to me, so by using the companion fare provisions I was able to convince our managers to let me use the AS card and get a benefit
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Old Jan 24, 2020, 4:43 pm
  #77  
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Originally Posted by ctporter
I am flying to CHS with my SO for a conference in October. My round trip Main Cabin/PE fare (they are the same price for me due to my 75k status) was $468 his was $135.23 which is a difference of $332.77. I consider that a huge savings and am happy to take advantage of it. We are both in PE and are FC wait listed. In addition, I do get miles due to using that card, so it works for us quite well. For my work trips I am required to use the corporate card that provides zero benefits to me, so by using the companion fare provisions I was able to convince our managers to let me use the AS card and get a benefit
I'm glad that you get use out of it. Many here do!

I usually travel alone. Even when I don't, it's rare that my dates and match up exactly with someone else's. I don't think I have ever booked a round trip on the same PNR as someone else.

I used to get companion passes with the old VX card too. Every single one expired unused.

My sign-up companion pass (the free one, not the $99 one) expires in March and I'm happy to let it go.

I also don't think that the AS card is a particularly good one for booking flights. I booked some flights last night and I was happy to put them on my new Amex Plat for 5x pts. Previously I preferred to use my CSR for the travel insurance in addition to 3x pts.

For me the best benefit of the card is the discount on in-flight purchases. I don't buy enough F&C plates to make the card worthwhile though. That's a lot of cheese...
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Old Jan 24, 2020, 6:56 pm
  #78  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 40
I wanted to check in on Alaska Mileage and award change routings. I know I will have to pay $125 fee, and that isn't a problem for me. Especially if it means I can try both EK 777 and A380.
  1. What restrictions (if any) are on the routing? I would like to book a DPS-DXB-JFK, but only routings have EWR. Can I change the routing for the cost of the $125? Or must the change be the same routing? Would a routing change incur an additional change in miles? If the first route was 180k, and the new one is 180k, would I just have to pay the $125
or

2) If I book a mixed Alaska itinerary, and one of the legs opens up in business/first, can I have Alaska upgrade that leg with (or without) the $125 fee?
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Old Jan 24, 2020, 7:02 pm
  #79  
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Originally Posted by iletired
I wanted to check in on Alaska Mileage and award change routings. I know I will have to pay $125 fee, and that isn't a problem for me. Especially if it means I can try both EK 777 and A380.
  1. What restrictions (if any) are on the routing? I would like to book a DPS-DXB-JFK, but only routings have EWR. Can I change the routing for the cost of the $125? Or must the change be the same routing? Would a routing change incur an additional change in miles? If the first route was 180k, and the new one is 180k, would I just have to pay the $125
or

2) If I book a mixed Alaska itinerary, and one of the legs opens up in business/first, can I have Alaska upgrade that leg with (or without) the $125 fee?

You can change source, destination, routing, or airline. In fact you can cancel and pay $125 to redeposit the miles and make a brand new booking (though this will cost you an extra $12.50, since the partner booking fee is not refunded if you do this -- if you change the ticket you don't pay the partner booking fee again). If it's EK you can do this all online.

As for #2 , I'm not sure. I think they should waive it but I've heard mixed reports.
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Old Jan 24, 2020, 10:20 pm
  #80  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Originally Posted by iletired

2) If I book a mixed Alaska itinerary, and one of the legs opens up in business/first, can I have Alaska upgrade that leg with (or without) the $125 fee?
If you pay the award miles for a cabin, but it isn't available, i.e you book XXX-LAX in J/F, and then LAX-YYY in Y because of availability, if space opens up you can be put into higher cabin on LAX-YYY that you paid for without a fee. (Since you would be paying J/F award prices).
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 10:20 am
  #81  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 756
Flying to Cabo on February 20. Plane got switched from a 900 to a reconfigured 320. Are the screens still in, or were they removed during the cabin reconfiguration? I was on 2 320’s last year which had both been redone with space flex galleys and such, but still had the screens in and actively showing content.

Thanks
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 1:52 pm
  #82  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: HVN
Posts: 117
Just managed to squeak over 20K miles in December so I'm MVP for the first time.

Few newbie questions:

1) I'm imagining I'm not too likely to get moved to F on a Thurs. night Westbound NYC-SFO flight as a low fare class MVP, right? I originally grabbed an exit row seat, but it seems like if you're seated in an exit row, you're not eligible to be upgraded. Do people just pick a "preferred" seat and hope to be upgraded? Or is it better to play it safe and stay in exit row? Or do people just switch if they don't get upgraded?

2) The MVP benefits page mentions a "dedicated phone line", but I can't find what the number is anywhere. Is it actually a separate phone number? That's how it was on AA.

3) Before I realized how early Alaska boards planes, I showed up to the gate 15 minutes before departure and the gate agent yelled that I was the last one to board, and when I scanned my boarding pass she let me know that she had re-assigned my seat. When I got on the plane I saw I was no longer in an exit row, but in a middle seat next to someone that really could have used the extra space. Fortunately I saw that my original seat in the exit row was unoccupied so I just sat there. Any reason she would do that, or was it just a punitive measure for showing up late?
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 2:28 pm
  #83  
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Originally Posted by Tweed Jet Set
Just managed to squeak over 20K miles in December so I'm MVP for the first time.

Few newbie questions:

1) I'm imagining I'm not too likely to get moved to F on a Thurs. night Westbound NYC-SFO flight as a low fare class MVP, right? I originally grabbed an exit row seat, but it seems like if you're seated in an exit row, you're not eligible to be upgraded. Do people just pick a "preferred" seat and hope to be upgraded? Or is it better to play it safe and stay in exit row? Or do people just switch if they don't get upgraded?

2) The MVP benefits page mentions a "dedicated phone line", but I can't find what the number is anywhere. Is it actually a separate phone number? That's how it was on AA.
1) Where you sit has no bearing on your upgrade probability or position. Sit where it seems the best for you. Premium seats open up for MVP at T-48 so you can freely select those then. I can't say the odds of an MVP UG, but Thursday is a very popular time to fly westbound for business people who are more likely to have status or pay for the seats. But, you never know, just don't plan on it.

2) If you call from the app then you should be sent to the dedicated MVP line, not sure where else the number is as I just use that number then save it.
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 2:51 pm
  #84  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
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Posts: 3,284
Originally Posted by phllax
Flying to Cabo on February 20. Plane got switched from a 900 to a reconfigured 320. Are the screens still in, or were they removed during the cabin reconfiguration? I was on 2 320s last year which had both been redone with space flex galleys and such, but still had the screens in and actively showing content.

Thanks
You never know until you're in the seat (it could be swapped again to an A319), but the reconfig. A320s do not have screens and are BYOD with streaming.
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 2:57 pm
  #85  
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Originally Posted by Tweed Jet Set
Just managed to squeak over 20K miles in December so I'm MVP for the first time.

Few newbie questions:

1) I'm imagining I'm not too likely to get moved to F on a Thurs. night Westbound NYC-SFO flight as a low fare class MVP, right? I originally grabbed an exit row seat, but it seems like if you're seated in an exit row, you're not eligible to be upgraded. Do people just pick a "preferred" seat and hope to be upgraded? Or is it better to play it safe and stay in exit row? Or do people just switch if they don't get upgraded?

2) The MVP benefits page mentions a "dedicated phone line", but I can't find what the number is anywhere. Is it actually a separate phone number? That's how it was on AA.

3) Before I realized how early Alaska boards planes, I showed up to the gate 15 minutes before departure and the gate agent yelled that I was the last one to board, and when I scanned my boarding pass she let me know that she had re-assigned my seat. When I got on the plane I saw I was no longer in an exit row, but in a middle seat next to someone that really could have used the extra space. Fortunately I saw that my original seat in the exit row was unoccupied so I just sat there. Any reason she would do that, or was it just a punitive measure for showing up late?
Alaska won't automatically move you to a premium seat from an EE row. This is because many people prefer EE to premium. It does not affect first class upgrades.

The fact that AS won't automatically move you to premium doesn't mean much. That almost never works anyway. If you prefer to be in a premium seat, just check the app as soon as your upgrade window opens, and you can select any premium seat for free. This is better than waiting for them to do it automatically even if you are not in an EE seat. Basically, premium seat assignments are a free for all. It's first come, first served once your upgrade window opens. When I was MVP I always did this and got my premium seats while Golds who didn't bother to do this were stuck in regular economy.

EE seats generally have a bit (really, just a little bit) more legroom than premium seats, but premium gets you unlimited free drinks and a small snack. The choice is yours! Why AS does not classify EE as premium is beyond me.

And, again, none of this has anything to do with it first class upgrade chances. Also, you may very well get upgraded. I've been on plenty of SFO-NYC and back flights where the upgrade list completely cleared. I am also seeing a lot of $119 R fares with available U space on that route (I'm on one on a Thursday night, coincidentally), so I'm guessing that you have a decent shot. Neither NYC or SFO are particularly elite-heavy (if you were flying to SEA you'd basically have no chance)
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 3:13 pm
  #86  
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Originally Posted by Tweed Jet Set
3) Before I realized how early Alaska boards planes, I showed up to the gate 15 minutes before departure and the gate agent yelled that I was the last one to board, and when I scanned my boarding pass she let me know that she had re-assigned my seat. When I got on the plane I saw I was no longer in an exit row, but in a middle seat next to someone that really could have used the extra space. Fortunately I saw that my original seat in the exit row was unoccupied so I just sat there. Any reason she would do that, or was it just a punitive measure for showing up late?
Without having access to the records or interviewing the gate agent, it's hard to tell. My guess is she was offloading you and just stuck you back in any seat. Alaska does tend to board early, often in advance of the scheduled boarding time (Horizon flights are generally the opposite) and if you're not in the boarding area by the cutoff time T-30, your seat assignment and reservation including any down line flights may be cancelled.

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/tr...boarding-times

Having said that, there's no reason other than an imminent safety danger for an AS employee to yell at you. Please do fill out the post flight survey at alaskalistens.com.
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Old Jan 26, 2020, 1:05 pm
  #87  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Anchorage AK
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 99
Originally Posted by Tweed Jet Set
1) I'm imagining I'm not too likely to get moved to F on a Thurs. night Westbound NYC-SFO flight as a low fare class MVP, right? I originally grabbed an exit row seat, but it seems like if you're seated in an exit row, you're not eligible to be upgraded. Do people just pick a "preferred" seat and hope to be upgraded? Or is it better to play it safe and stay in exit row? Or do people just switch if they don't get upgraded?
You might get lucky. Not the same route, but I was upgraded LAX-JFK and JFK-LAX last January as a lowly MVP. When booking I always just grab the most forward seat I can for quicker disembarking and hope I get bumped into Premium or F.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 7:21 pm
  #88  
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: HVN
Posts: 117
Originally Posted by safari ari
1) Where you sit has no bearing on your upgrade probability or position. Sit where it seems the best for you. Premium seats open up for MVP at T-48 so you can freely select those then. I can't say the odds of an MVP UG, but Thursday is a very popular time to fly westbound for business people who are more likely to have status or pay for the seats. But, you never know, just don't plan on it.

2) If you call from the app then you should be sent to the dedicated MVP line, not sure where else the number is as I just use that number then save it.
Thanks. I figured Thursday night would be tough with business travelers. My question was just around the upgrades from exit row, since Alaska's website says they don't upgrades from those. It makes sense now why they do that and now I know it's only for Premium upgrades and not upgrades to First.

Originally Posted by VegasGambler
Alaska won't automatically move you to a premium seat from an EE row. This is because many people prefer EE to premium. It does not affect first class upgrades.

The fact that AS won't automatically move you to premium doesn't mean much. That almost never works anyway. If you prefer to be in a premium seat, just check the app as soon as your upgrade window opens, and you can select any premium seat for free. This is better than waiting for them to do it automatically even if you are not in an EE seat. Basically, premium seat assignments are a free for all. It's first come, first served once your upgrade window opens. When I was MVP I always did this and got my premium seats while Golds who didn't bother to do this were stuck in regular economy.

EE seats generally have a bit (really, just a little bit) more legroom than premium seats, but premium gets you unlimited free drinks and a small snack. The choice is yours! Why AS does not classify EE as premium is beyond me.

And, again, none of this has anything to do with it first class upgrade chances. Also, you may very well get upgraded. I've been on plenty of SFO-NYC and back flights where the upgrade list completely cleared. I am also seeing a lot of $119 R fares with available U space on that route (I'm on one on a Thursday night, coincidentally), so I'm guessing that you have a decent shot. Neither NYC or SFO are particularly elite-heavy (if you were flying to SEA you'd basically have no chance)
Thanks for all the info. I didn't realize that Premium upgrades were such a free for all, I assumed they were just processed in order. Thank for the data points!

Originally Posted by rustykettel
Without having access to the records or interviewing the gate agent, it's hard to tell. My guess is she was offloading you and just stuck you back in any seat. Alaska does tend to board early, often in advance of the scheduled boarding time (Horizon flights are generally the opposite) and if you're not in the boarding area by the cutoff time T-30, your seat assignment and reservation including any down line flights may be cancelled.


Having said that, there's no reason other than an imminent safety danger for an AS employee to yell at you. Please do fill out the post flight survey at alaskalistens.com.
Yeah, I probably overstated the yelling, she just seemed stressed and anxious.

Originally Posted by cragAK
You might get lucky. Not the same route, but I was upgraded LAX-JFK and JFK-LAX last January as a lowly MVP. When booking I always just grab the most forward seat I can for quicker disembarking and hope I get bumped into Premium or F.
Thanks for the suggestion and data point.
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 12:12 pm
  #89  
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Programs: Alaska Mileage Plan
Posts: 22
First time posting here.

I've been saving Alaska miles for a few years in anticipation of a first class Asia or Europe trip for my wife and I. I'm up to 260,000 so I have enough for most airlines, but we are likely to have a child in the coming year and since 2-week babysitters are rare, we aren't going to take the trip without our child within the next several years.

My question is, am I at much risk in seeing my miles devalued by 2024 (whether that be to changes in redemption rates, mergers etc)? Would you rather do everything you can to use the miles now? I've been accruing close to 50k a year through my sig Visa and regular flying, so I'll have close to 500k by the time my wife and I could likely leave our kid for an extended time. Is a dramatic change in mileage plans (to the extent that I'd miss out on first class flights with the miles I have now) very common?

I realize it's all speculation but any insight would be appreciated.
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Old Jan 28, 2020, 12:20 pm
  #90  
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVP Gold 100K
Posts: 2,329
Originally Posted by billgris
First time posting here.

I've been saving Alaska miles for a few years in anticipation of a first class Asia or Europe trip for my wife and I. I'm up to 260,000 so I have enough for most airlines, but we are likely to have a child in the coming year and since 2-week babysitters are rare, we aren't going to take the trip without our child within the next several years.

My question is, am I at much risk in seeing my miles devalued by 2024 (whether that be to changes in redemption rates, mergers etc)? Would you rather do everything you can to use the miles now? I've been accruing close to 50k a year through my sig Visa and regular flying, so I'll have close to 500k by the time my wife and I could likely leave our kid for an extended time. Is a dramatic change in mileage plans (to the extent that I'd miss out on first class flights with the miles I have now) very common?

I realize it's all speculation but any insight would be appreciated.
Welcome to Flyertalk!

If anyone gives you a definitive answer, I would be skeptical. The only thing we can do is take a look back at the last 4 years and use that to guess what the future might bring.

AS miles are unique from those in the big 3 in that you are dependent on AS' relationship with partner airlines. Not only do you have to consider the value of the miles, but also the cycling of airline partners that AS has. If we look back over the last 4 years, there have been several new partner airlines added, but also several lost. Most notably (IMO) American. I can say from my personal experience, that it is becoming more difficult to find premium class award inventory, but it can be done. The most important thing is having a flexible schedule. There is no way to know what options you will have in 4 years. When it comes to award travel in general, I think most people operate with an attitude of "if I see something I like, I grab it now, because it probably won't be there later".
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