_fx

This is true, but the solution is to just text them. I’ve never had a problem getting a reservation refunded even after departure so long as my text was clearly sent prior.

Kacee

Not sure what you mean by "text" - for a long while, chat was unavailable. Not sure if it's back up.

I've fought with DL about four times over bogus "no show" ticket cancels, and am batting 500 on getting credit back. On one, I had to go all the way to DOT complaint. Regardless, it's not a pleasant experience.

WillTravel4Food

Blasphemous statement there. Needless to say, I disagree. But then every region of the country has its comparable. The Seattle fascination with Dick's Drive-in just doesn't make sense to me, but then I was raised in LA - and promptly left when I was 19.

That aside, if AS pilots are still on strike in December then it's going to be difficult to find any available seats on short notice. UA, DL, AA, and SW will all be picking up the extra load and I wouldn't count on a quick unplanned move to another same day flight. So if you're going to be implementing your risk mitigation, then now is the time to do so. I wasn't so fortunate and now we have a risky connection in LAX next month due to AY moving their LAX-ARN flight from the afternoon to 11:35am. The only flight option is a 06:00 departure SEA-LAX. I can only hope they don't receive authorization to strike before August.

sltlyamusd

I’m not sure I agree with UA being more reliable right now. Have an upcoming domestic flight with them that was delayed over 12 hours three out of the past seven days in the absence of weather issues!

NoLaGent

I somewhat agree with you, as I’ve moved all of my travel back over to UA for the time being. The difference, however, comes in the form of irrops recovery.

Wed. aftn. I was traveling LAS-SFO and our plane went mx w/rolling delays. UA eventually cxld a DEN flt to swap us into that frame and get us out of there, which is something AS doesn’t really have the current flexibility to do.

sltlyamusd

I totally agree about irr ops recovery, which is why I booked UA ORD-SFO over AS. With one flight a day on AS, I can't really trust that I'll get where I need to be in a reasonable timeframe if something goes wrong. On routes where AS has higher frequency, I'm still booking them for now.

sullim4

Heh, I am facing this exact same question. Need to get to LAX for a LATAM flight to SCL that departs at 5pm on a Saturday in September.

AS has the most frequency and I would be fine flying into SNA/BUR/ONT if it's absolutely necessary, but I think I will end up booking with cash on DL as the primary ticket and have a backup mileage ticket on AS since I'm low on SkyPesos but flush with AS miles.

djp98374

if you have miles with any airline…even united, American, southwest….book in points/ miles a back up ticket because you can cancel last minute and not deal with having expiring fare from the day you bought it.

the other option is booking a fully refundable ticket as a back up on a different airline than the primary one. You book a non refundable one thrn the funds lady only 1 year from purchase date.

buying a ticket now fora December flight….unless it’s over Christmas/ New Years weeks like from the 16th- early January….you can wait till you book the refundable ticket till the prices are lower. If it’s the end of de ember book it now before fares increase

jrl767

AS indeed has that flex at SEA, which is where OP would be impacted … though whether they *would* take that step is another conversation

NoLaGent

Agree 100%, but in the current environment, even that ability at SEA is greatly diminished.

AKLifetimeFlyer

If I have an ANC-SEA-KEF itinerary booked with AS Miles, and my AS flight gets cancelled to SEA, what happens to my second leg on FI? I was thinking of booking ANC-SEA on DL as a backup that leaves ANC and gets into SEA at nearly the exact same time. My scheduled layover is nearly 4 hours, so I would have time to exit security upon arrival, get bags, and check in on FI in SEA. I just want to make sure that the FI leg wouldn't get screwed up since it's the same reservation as my AS flight, if AS were to cancel.

Alternatively, I could book myself on AS for the next ANC-SEA flight as a backup, which departs an hour later from my scheduled one.

LWkitty

I 100% agree with you on that one! Every time I'm in CA, I have to get my In-N-Out fix.

That said, even if you don't care for the food, the In-N-Out location on Sepulveda has some of the best plane spotting in the country. It's worth going for that reason alone

VegasGambler

I just don't understand why their french fries have to taste like unflavored low sodium low fat vegan cardboard.

The shakes are pretty good. The burgers are meh; too thin on the meat. I like a thick patty.

nomiiiii

If it is a connected ticket then you don't need to worry, and you must take the first flight in the reservation to be able to fly the second segment. So if for some reason your first segment is cancelled you'll need to ask an agent in ANC airport to put you on the next flight to seattle under the same reservation, you can't just book a different ticket and take that.

Aliquot

if your AS flight is canceled AS will rebook you to KEF. You paid for trsportation from ANC-KEF. AS will honor that. (It gets a little more complicated with advance shedule changes).

If you buy your own ticket to get to SEA your entire reservation will be canceled.