chrisrozon

As background, it looks like I'll be 493 miles short of hitting my next status level this year - I didn't start flying again until very late this year, and it just didn't quite work out!
I opened a chat and asked my odds of getting a little special treatment given my long history with Alaska (and Virgin before that), and they answered a bit cryptically that Alaska is "going to announce a plan in the next few weeks for members trying to get or keep status".

Couldn't get any more info out of them, but I wonder if anyone else has seen / heard similar? I can do a quick mileage run down to SFO-LA and back for cheap, but spending a whole day traveling just for status is going to be exceptionally hard to schedule this holiday season and I'd rather wait to see what shake out.

dayone

"For members who held elite status as of January 1, 2021 that are unable to re-qualify by year end 2021, we will extend your status through April 30, 2022 [Available to members with elite status as of January 1, 2021, excluding members in status match promotions]. You'll have another opportunity to retain your status by flying January - April 2022. Look for more details later this year."

PDXPremier

There is 0% chance I would wait and see what the "plan" is if I were only one PDX-SEA flight away from elite status....with the 50% bonus promotion currently in play and over a month left in the year, you should have no problem getting the status from a quick (and cheap) mileage run. I know it's been extended multiple times, but my guess it that the "plan" is just another extension of the 50% EQM promotion which would be great for me since I have multiple flights planned for January.

Flying for Fun

I highly doubt the 50% EQM bonus will be extended. I think the known benefits of the 100K Tier are watered down in 2022 as a result of the 21 months of ongoing 50% EQM bonus extensions, carry-over EQM and how easy it is to attain. One shouldn't expect a full slate of benefits on, at most, two-thirds of the requisite EQM for the new tier.

If you were somehow unable to requalify for your current status in 2021, you will keep that status until April 30th, 2022 and will have an opportunity to extend your status through December 31st, 2022.

What that opportuniy is, we don't know as of yet, but I wouldn't bet it is from continuing to earn a 50% EQM bonus and double-dipping on 2023 status. I can see two possibilities. 1) you do a status "match" challenge for the Elite Tier granted through the extension to earn 'X' BIS EQM in 'Y' time frame, or 2) you are given a challenge to complete 'X' AS segments.

From an IT perspective, AS is already set-up to accommodate status challenges, the only differentiation being that you are challenging from AS to AS instead of UA/DL/AA/.../ to AS. While fulfilling the challenge, you are still earning EQM towards 2023.

I also think it goes without saying that there will not be an opportunity to attain a higher Tier and if the challenge is to retain 75K it will be without the 50K RDM bonus.

James

djp98374

I don’t know current policy.

about 5 yrs ago my mileage was around 19000, 600 and I was MVP that year.

they said I keep ststus being under 500 miles. Fir those a little farther away they gave pay options whivh was in essence the price of a ticket without flying.

djp98374

one year I didn’t meet status as already an MVP. I flew around 13000 miles.

Early the next year I got a status challenge of flying 7000 miles over a 90 day period. I did this on one XC trip.

I did something like
Home-PDX thru SEA ~2800
PDX-LAS Thru SEA ~1500
LAS-home thru LAX~2800
total over 7000 miles. Status restored

my anticipate travel for 2022 I will likely fall short if they don’t still have 50% bonus. I might have a chance at getting status by flight legs flown.

my anticipate 2022 travel as of now…

3 RT trips to SEA/PDX (9-13 legs on AS or AA)
3 family visiting trips on eastern half of US (6-9 legs on AA)
work trip on east coast (2-4 legs on AA)
2 10 day vacation trips in summer ( 8-10 legs on AS or AA)
total 25-36 legs. 30 gets MVP status

the AA flight legs on family/work will be generally short under 500 miles actual miles.


back in the days of delta and AA credit I’d get status via legs.

jamieterv

In the past they have given status if you are with in 500 miles of the tier. Just give them a call and ask.

anteater

If obtaining the next status tier is your goal, I recommend flying those remaining miles.

I wouldn’t expect to be as lenient or generous with the free or paid status bumps by EOY, given their 50% EQM promotion.

As for the unrevealed status retention offer, it is an opportunity to reattain your prior status - not reach a higher tier than you had earned in 2021.

You are so close and there’s a month left. You can do it! 🤙🏻

CalanMan

My suspicion would be that AS will simply sell EQM starting in mid-December like all the airlines used to do pre-pandemic. It's usually very expensive compared to buying cheap tickets, and you don't get the RDM.

If I were in your position, I would absolutely do the quick milage run. And don't make it a whole day! You could probably do it in 3 hours after work on a Tuesday. Out ~6pm, back ~7:30pm, and home in time for a late dinner. With so few miles needed, you could even make one way a redemption, if cost is the issue.

dayone

This is not a normal year. Don't expect that past accommodations will be available this year.

dayone

@jamieterv Welcome to FlyerTalk.

notquiteaff

They already “sold” EQM for credit card spend. Hopefully everyone qualified for that offer did the math and got what they needed.

Waitlisted

James, I wonder if this would be just for qualifying for the “rest” of 2022 (beyond April) or if these matched miles would also then count as 2022 miles for 2023 as would normally be the case. That might be a great way to get a jump on status for 2023. I guess we will all find out in a few weeks.

eponymous_coward

Generally speaking, when AS has done this as an early year challenge the miles count for the next year, but it’s usually done as something like “fly X miles or Y segments to get Z status” (which is then good for the calendar year, plus EQM/segments are credited towards the next year). It doesn’t provide boosted EQM. The only difference might be that until April people will get to retain their current status.

chrisrozon

OP here, turns out I calculated incorrectly - I'm going to be just 243 miles short. Despite my low-key constant pestering, no-one at Alaska could get over the hump of me the extra credit needed, so I've gone ahead and booked a quick SFO-LAX-SFO round trip in the middle of an afternoon to get the needed miles. There's no way I'm risking status over some vague promises of "maybe next year"....

It still strikes me as a completely wasteful exercise, but I know when I'm beat