Mar 11, 2020, 10:41 pm
Last edit by: hur88
Alaska Airlines is waiving change fees both for flights ticketed on or before Feb 26 (for original travel dates until May 31) and for flights ticketed after Feb 26 (for original travel dates until Feb 28, 2021).
Excerpted from the associated FAQ:
Excerpted from the associated FAQ:
What if I used miles? If you used miles to purchase your ticket, for travel in March, we’ll re-deposit the miles in your Mileage Plan account.
What if I used a companion fare? If you cancel your reservations entirely, and if it included a companion certificate, we will reinstate your certificate with original expiration date or June 30, 2020, whichever comes later. Please call Reservations for assistance with canceling tickets using companion certificates
What do I do if I’ve already paid the change fee? If you traveled or are traveling between February 27, 2020 and May 31, 2020 and you were charged an out of pocket change fee, please contact Reservations. We’ll take care of the change fee to your original form of payment.
What if I used a companion fare? If you cancel your reservations entirely, and if it included a companion certificate, we will reinstate your certificate with original expiration date or June 30, 2020, whichever comes later. Please call Reservations for assistance with canceling tickets using companion certificates
What do I do if I’ve already paid the change fee? If you traveled or are traveling between February 27, 2020 and May 31, 2020 and you were charged an out of pocket change fee, please contact Reservations. We’ll take care of the change fee to your original form of payment.
Waiver for Tickets Purchased Through 12/31/2020
Mar 12, 2020, 12:26 pm
#92
Join Date: Aug 2018
Programs: AA Exec Plat, Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 621
Can anyone speak to how the change/cancellation fee waiver works if you book your ticket through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal? Asking since I know Alaska basically can't make any changes to the tickets ever since the UR portal switched over to Expedia.
Mar 12, 2020, 12:36 pm
#93
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVP Gold 100K
Posts: 2,329
I'm not sure if it is the same or not, but I have successfully changed a flight booked through Amex travel. I did it all online with AS and there were no fees associated.
Mar 12, 2020, 1:32 pm
#94
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,950
In both cases it does seem you have to call. I tried to cancel a companion fare trip for this Friday online and was warned that the companion certificate would be forfeited (the normal policy), and Twitter confirmed that I need to call and sit on hold to get the new companion certificate issued. But still, ^ to Alaska.
I forget that you can no longer do reservation-related stuff by Twitter but can by SMS.
All in all, I appreciate Alaska's flexibility here.
Mar 12, 2020, 4:38 pm
#96
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,950
(My profile is out of date; I am now status-less.)
Mar 12, 2020, 4:41 pm
#97
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,217
Last night it said 3 hours, early this morning (7 am) it said 4-7 MINUTES so I waited on hold, actually took 28 minutes (which wasn't too bad). I have to say every airline, hotel, etc. I've called have been remarkably nice, unflustered, and efficient. It is what it is.
Mar 12, 2020, 5:18 pm
#98
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 658
Since March Madness tournament is off, I'm going to cancel my trip to Vegas next weekend. There's literally going to be no sports to bet on!
I'm going to have to call in though, I used a $150 voucher (from an 8 hour delay) to cover part of the airfare. I know that normally those vouchers are use & lose, which is why I used it on a trip I had all confidence I would NEVER cancel (I love this annual trip) - but these are extraordinary times.
I'm going to have to call in though, I used a $150 voucher (from an 8 hour delay) to cover part of the airfare. I know that normally those vouchers are use & lose, which is why I used it on a trip I had all confidence I would NEVER cancel (I love this annual trip) - but these are extraordinary times.
Mar 12, 2020, 5:21 pm
#99
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: AS, WN, UA
Posts: 127
I searched "forfeit discount code" but didn't see anything come up; forgive me if this is a repeat. I did see the bit about Companion Fares that are expiring not being reissued with a cancellation, but was wondering about other discount codes. I have an e-cert after a disastrous previous flight that I applied in Feb for an upcoming trip in March. That trip is now off but it looks like if I cancel the trip I still need to check a box agreeing that I am forfeiting the discount code. No way around that? It wouldn't have expired until August.
Tried calling Customer Care but got the "more than 3 hours" hold. Hopefully I catch it when they call back. Thoughts, tips, just out of luck?
Tried calling Customer Care but got the "more than 3 hours" hold. Hopefully I catch it when they call back. Thoughts, tips, just out of luck?
Mar 12, 2020, 5:26 pm
#100
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: LAX
Posts: 2,851
Had an award ticket which I redeemed for 140k for round trip first class to Australia . Due to the free one way add on I have the remainder of the award ticket from LAX to YVR
how many points should be deposited back in my account when I cancel ?
how many points should be deposited back in my account when I cancel ?
Mar 12, 2020, 5:59 pm
#102
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Seattle, Wa
Programs: AS 75K & BR Member- HHonors Diamond - Hertz PC - Marriott Titanium - IHG Ambassador
Posts: 2,379
Alaska has always been kind and reissued e-certs for me when plans change. Ask nicely. They’ll probably reissue for you.
Mar 13, 2020, 5:52 pm
#104
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 981
Looks like a conference I had to attend in San Diego at the end of the month is about to cancel, and my spouse was coming with me on a companion cert. The tickets were purchased months ago so only the new waiver option would apply. I had open questions which I direct messaged to Alaska Airlines on Twitter and got the following responses, which may help others here.
Q: Travel begins before the March 31 cutoff, but the return is April 1. I'm assuming the waiver would still apply because the outbound portion of the roundtrip ticket is before the waiver cutoff date?
A: Yes, the waiver will apply if the round trip on the itinerary starts prior to April.
Q: Because my spouse and I are on the same PNR and I paid for both my ticket and the companion fare, I'd be the one getting the flight credit for future travel in My Wallet. I'm assuming that I would get full dollar credit for both of our tickets on the PNR (even though one was a companion fare), but the companion certificate would be lost?
A: Yes, you would receive a credit for the full dollar amount in the form of a credit. To avoid losing your companion fare, you can choose to save the value on the ticket, without depositing it to your wallet. That way when you rebook, you can just use the ticket value and companion fare for the new booking.
Q: If I do decide to save the value on the ticket instead of in MyWallet, does the fee waiver travel with it? In other words, if I choose to use the companion cert and related value later, will there still be no change fee?
A: Yes, there will still be no change fee applied if you choose to save the value to the ticket.
If I ultimately decide to split the PNR so only the companion cert and its value are saved to one of the two tickets and the regular non-discounted ticket's value is deposited in My Wallet, that will require either calling or texting a CSR. But I may not bother, as the companion cert's original expiration date may make it a brown banana. Better to get the dollar credit at this point.
Alaska Airlines responded very quickly and thoroughly on Twitter, too. It was impressive, and appreciated.
Q: Travel begins before the March 31 cutoff, but the return is April 1. I'm assuming the waiver would still apply because the outbound portion of the roundtrip ticket is before the waiver cutoff date?
A: Yes, the waiver will apply if the round trip on the itinerary starts prior to April.
Q: Because my spouse and I are on the same PNR and I paid for both my ticket and the companion fare, I'd be the one getting the flight credit for future travel in My Wallet. I'm assuming that I would get full dollar credit for both of our tickets on the PNR (even though one was a companion fare), but the companion certificate would be lost?
A: Yes, you would receive a credit for the full dollar amount in the form of a credit. To avoid losing your companion fare, you can choose to save the value on the ticket, without depositing it to your wallet. That way when you rebook, you can just use the ticket value and companion fare for the new booking.
Q: If I do decide to save the value on the ticket instead of in MyWallet, does the fee waiver travel with it? In other words, if I choose to use the companion cert and related value later, will there still be no change fee?
A: Yes, there will still be no change fee applied if you choose to save the value to the ticket.
If I ultimately decide to split the PNR so only the companion cert and its value are saved to one of the two tickets and the regular non-discounted ticket's value is deposited in My Wallet, that will require either calling or texting a CSR. But I may not bother, as the companion cert's original expiration date may make it a brown banana. Better to get the dollar credit at this point.
Alaska Airlines responded very quickly and thoroughly on Twitter, too. It was impressive, and appreciated.
For anyone trying to cancel outside the official window - if AS is currently telling you they cannot waive fees, then do not cancel now. There's no benefit to cancelling early and paying fees, and there's no penalty for waiting longer to see if the situation changes. The cancellation period could be extended in the future to cover your needs.
Mar 13, 2020, 6:02 pm
#105
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 981
I don't see it highlighted, but the Alaska blog post describing the new waiver policy, including for tickets issued before Feb 26, has some very customer friendly policies:
In both cases it does seem you have to call. I tried to cancel a companion fare trip for this Friday online and was warned that the companion certificate would be forfeited (the normal policy), and Twitter confirmed that I need to call and sit on hold to get the new companion certificate issued. But still, ^ to Alaska.
In both cases it does seem you have to call. I tried to cancel a companion fare trip for this Friday online and was warned that the companion certificate would be forfeited (the normal policy), and Twitter confirmed that I need to call and sit on hold to get the new companion certificate issued. But still, ^ to Alaska.