Upgrades on AS?
Mar 10, 2006 | 8:05 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 718
Upgrades on AS?
I'm flying Alaska Air from SFO-SJD in Y in a couple of weeks. It being Spring Break week for California colleges/HSs and a flight to Mexico and all, Y is already completely sold out, according to ExpertFlyer. I'm assuming that the flight is overbooked, and worse still, getting down there if we're bumped will be difficult, if not impossible, given that all the other flights are full as well.
I did notice, however, that there are 3 seats in F available (there are two of us flying). Is AS receptive to upgrading Gold OnePass folks, in anyone's experience? Any chance I could try to arrange this prior to departure, or are my upgrade chances up to the whims of the gate agents?
I did notice, however, that there are 3 seats in F available (there are two of us flying). Is AS receptive to upgrading Gold OnePass folks, in anyone's experience? Any chance I could try to arrange this prior to departure, or are my upgrade chances up to the whims of the gate agents?
Mar 10, 2006 | 8:15 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DFW
Programs: Delta MM, Marriott Life Titanium, Hilton Diamond, United Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 2,908
Originally Posted by kirker
I'm flying Alaska Air from SFO-SJD in Y in a couple of weeks. It being Spring Break week for California colleges/HSs and a flight to Mexico and all, Y is already completely sold out, according to ExpertFlyer. I'm assuming that the flight is overbooked, and worse still, getting down there if we're bumped will be difficult, if not impossible, given that all the other flights are full as well.
I did notice, however, that there are 3 seats in F available (there are two of us flying). Is AS receptive to upgrading Gold OnePass folks, in anyone's experience? Any chance I could try to arrange this prior to departure, or are my upgrade chances up to the whims of the gate agents?
I did notice, however, that there are 3 seats in F available (there are two of us flying). Is AS receptive to upgrading Gold OnePass folks, in anyone's experience? Any chance I could try to arrange this prior to departure, or are my upgrade chances up to the whims of the gate agents?
AS typically offers a paid F upgrades at checkin if there are seats available at a rate of $50 per 1250 miles. So if there is still F when you check in you might be able to buy the seat.
Mar 10, 2006 | 8:27 am
#3
In Memoriam
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: EWR (Wayne Township, NJ) and PHX
Programs: CO OnePass Plat and SPG - Plat, Marriott Plat (don't use -it's a comp), AmericaWest CP
Posts: 4,810
No Elite Upgrades on AS, you may however buy one...
A nice GA will prolly let you board with AS Elites if you have your Elite Card.
-Vincent
A nice GA will prolly let you board with AS Elites if you have your Elite Card.
-Vincent
Mar 10, 2006 | 8:31 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DFW
Programs: Delta MM, Marriott Life Titanium, Hilton Diamond, United Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 2,908
Originally Posted by vincom
No Elite Upgrades on AS, you may however buy one...
A nice GA will prolly let you board with AS Elites if you have your Elite Card.
-Vincent
A nice GA will prolly let you board with AS Elites if you have your Elite Card.
-Vincent
Mar 10, 2006 | 8:50 am
#5
In Memoriam
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: EWR (Wayne Township, NJ) and PHX
Programs: CO OnePass Plat and SPG - Plat, Marriott Plat (don't use -it's a comp), AmericaWest CP
Posts: 4,810
Originally Posted by pmaddock
Be sure to ask the GA nicely - a small number of them actually call out Early Boarding for Partner elites but that's rare. More often than not though when I go up and ask meekly they'll say "it's not official policy but feel free to quietly board when we call out for the MVPs".
-Vincent
Mar 10, 2006 | 9:05 am
#6
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,955
Originally Posted by pmaddock
Be sure to ask the GA nicely - a small number of them actually call out Early Boarding for Partner elites but that's rare. More often than not though when I go up and ask meekly they'll say "it's not official policy but feel free to quietly board when we call out for the MVPs".
Mar 10, 2006 | 9:07 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA Plat (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 11,218
Everytime I've flown AS (I'm based in SEA so it happens a few times a year with SEA being an AS hub), they have always called out partner elites separately and before general boarding - both here in SEA and in the cities I traveled AS to.
Their boarding usually goes:
First Class
MVP Gold
MVP & Partner Elite Highest-Tier
All other Partner Elite
General Boarding
They never actually check for the partner elite card though and AS boarding passes don't show partner elite status, just your number.
-RM
Their boarding usually goes:
First Class
MVP Gold
MVP & Partner Elite Highest-Tier
All other Partner Elite
General Boarding
They never actually check for the partner elite card though and AS boarding passes don't show partner elite status, just your number.
-RM
Mar 10, 2006 | 9:48 am
#8
In Memoriam
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: EWR (Wayne Township, NJ) and PHX
Programs: CO OnePass Plat and SPG - Plat, Marriott Plat (don't use -it's a comp), AmericaWest CP
Posts: 4,810
Originally Posted by RobOnLI
They never actually check for the partner elite card though and AS boarding passes don't show partner elite status, just your number.
-RM
-RM
-Vincent
Mar 10, 2006 | 12:00 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Central Florida
Programs: Bonvoy-Gold, HH-Gold, UA-Gold, *A-Gold, Hyatt-Discoverist
Posts: 2,046
Back in 2000 or 2001, I once was upgraded on AS from SEA-YVR when I mis-connected my original Dash-8 flight and was put on the lone 737 flight to YVR. I asked at the AS transfer desk if elites could be upgraded and since my original CO EWR-SEA leg was upgraded using miles, could I get first. She said it was not AS policy, but she would give it to me anyway because of blahblity-blah...so basically, it's a no but it never HURTS to ask...
- HF
- HF
Mar 10, 2006 | 12:19 pm
#10
In Memoriam
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: EWR (Wayne Township, NJ) and PHX
Programs: CO OnePass Plat and SPG - Plat, Marriott Plat (don't use -it's a comp), AmericaWest CP
Posts: 4,810
Originally Posted by HobokenFlyer
Back in 2000 or 2001, I once was upgraded on AS from SEA-YVR when I mis-connected my original Dash-8 flight and was put on the lone 737 flight to YVR. I asked at the AS transfer desk if elites could be upgraded and since my original CO EWR-SEA leg was upgraded using miles, could I get first. She said it was not AS policy, but she would give it to me anyway because of blahblity-blah...so basically, it's a no but it never HURTS to ask...
- HF
- HF
-Vincent
Mar 10, 2006 | 12:25 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL Diamond, B6 Mosaic, AS MPV Gold, UA Gold MM, Marriott Plat, SPG Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 16,679
I once was upgraded on AS as a CO silver without even asking about it! Same thing has happened to a couple of former coworkers before as well.
So while CO elites are not supposed to get elite upgrades on AS, it has happened on occassion.
So while CO elites are not supposed to get elite upgrades on AS, it has happened on occassion.