SFO_FT

Hi. Has had anyone had a gate agent allow an MVP companion to accompany an upgraded MVP, either to prem (or even F)? Looking at some really wide-open flights to Mexico. Interested to learn if anyone has had a agent do a comp upgrade, at least to premium, for the companion of an MVP. Recognize upgrade to F would likely require the usual $ amount, but maybe at least to prem if there the load is 10-20%?

jsguyrus

I don't think anyone has enough current experience to know the answer. No one is used to traveling with a 20% load.

Personally I wouldn't be going to Mexico right now.

jrl767

fixed that for you ...

anteater

Theres no “complimentary” upgrade for MVP companions. You’re asking for a freebie, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Some employees are accommodating and some follow the rules.

glitchy

If you want policy, the answer is "no".

If you want anecdote, "I'm an MVP, the friend I'm travelling with isn't, any way to get both of us into First?" has a 100% success rate for me in the last week. (...out of a sample size of one.) I was fully expecting to be asked to pony up $200 or 15k miles but she asked if I was Gold (not this year) and hmmed a bit and typed some and then said yes.

Even with decent loads and more normal circumstances, if there are multiple U seats hanging around it's worth asking nicely.

anteater

Polite behavior tends to be rewarded, but why people feel entitled to handouts is beyond me. If you want that benefit, earn it by being Gold / 75K or paying the upgrade fee.

scklumb

It doesn't hurt to ask. I have a friend MVP, who was traveling with another friend, who didn't have status, on two different reservations. This was 6 months ago BTW.
SEA-SLC, MVP was upgraded at window. a couple of hours before flight, half of F was empty, no one on upgrade list. I told my friend to go ask the gate agent, if his non status friend could fly with him in first.
He said, the agent said, "let me look...." after 15 secs of typing. His friend was upgraded gratis

Sandonkey

Neither the OP nor anyone else in this thread has said anything about being entitled to a handout.

RAD_PDX

I never had any luck when flying with a companion on PAE-PDX flights when loads were ~30%. Obviously the underlying circumstances for the light loads were much different. Whether that matters or not is unknown.

I'd just politely ask, "Is there anything I can do to get an upgrade for my companion?"

anteater

Expecting an upgrade not paid for or a benefit not earned (due to status) for free... handout.

NoLaGent

Odd, I don't see a single example of an expectation in any of these responses. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

anteater

People are asking ‘can I do this action with any chance of success‘. Expecting isn’t strictly a guaranteed endeavor.

I am willing to venture that if this behavior denied them an upgrade or some other benefit the logic would change to it being unfair.

Carry on!

NoLaGent

I agree, it's definitely not. By definition it's a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. Still don't see a single example of that.

Carrying on, because you're wrong.

anteater

If you want to look at either definition, sure.

'A strong belief that something will happen' or that 'something can occur'. If a flyer knows there is an X% chance that they can obtain a free upgrade for their companion (reports in the thread are favorable on the odds) and the downside to asking is negligible, you could say that is a strong belief given the benefit is high and the risk is low.

Just because you don't agree with what people have written doesn't make it true. It makes it your opinion.

I stand by my statement. Hoping that you can obtain a free upgrade or a benefit not available for your elite status with any chance of success is expecting a handout. The expectation is that it might work. Expectation isn't necessarily a guarantee. You should consider things in context. Let's look at what OP has said:

1) Has a trip and knows the policy. Knows the companion isn't entitled to an upgrade and an upgrade has a cost.
2) Wants data points on if it is possible to get it for free

It isn't difficult to deduce that OP wants to receive a benefit for which he or she isn't entitled. And.. a quick call to Customer Care reveals that yes the upgrade process sometimes will upgrade MVP's traveling with non-status companions and that gate agents sometimes do upgrade MVP's traveling with non-status companions. When asked if gate agents were authorized to do so, CC stated no. OP expects Alaska to honor benefits granted through the FF program for his tier, but at the same time is looking to exploit the possibility of a free upgrade which is the benefit of the next tier. A bit ironic.

One of the benefits is being in the FC cabin is the privacy and increased personal space. Passengers can either pay to be in those seats, or earn the upgrade via elite status. People expecting, seeking, hoping (choose your own word) to get seated there without providing recompense is a different matter entirely, but an interesting one indeed. If you want something shouldn't you pay for it? If not, is that not 'entitlement' or 'freeloading' (choose your own non-loaded word)?

SFO_FT

OP here. Was careful in my wording and just asking if anyone had experienced this situation. The word “expectation” can, to some people, incorporate “entitlement,” which is not at all what I was “expecting”. Based on the folks that asked, nicely I expect, AS appears to allow their gate agents some leeway and so I expect that it’s at least worthwhile to ask, but at the same time, I recognize there’s zero entitlement to the upgrade.

At some airlines, I’m looking at you most Asian and European carriers, the thought of a waiver-and-favor is a fantasy. At US and some Australasian carriers, agents are a bit more forgiving and willing to bend the rules to provide good customer service, especially in a bid to maintain loyalty during trying times.

Use of the loaded word “expectation” does not apply to my query. I was just asking for data points.