Any thoughts on how earning for Virgin and Alaska status qualification will be combined at year end?

I am SFO-based and will likely only qualify for Silver on Virgin, but I do fly a number of AA flights on the East Coast that I could credit to Alaska...

Alaska has said they'll be looking at activity with both airlines for determining 2018 Mileage Plan status. Depending on what you're paying for your VX flights, it may be worth crediting them to Mileage Plan instead of Elevate. If you're worried about losing your Elevate benefits on VX flights, don't. You can actually have both FF numbers added to your booking.

I read the entire thread but didn't see it. I am flying SFO-LAX-DAL on Monday then DAL-LAS-SFO 10 days later. I am an Alaska MVPG75K if it makes any difference in the answers (don't think it does) Some questions.

1. I paid for premium seating (not MCS). If I pay to upgrade to MCS do you get the premium fees back? or is the fee less because I paid for premium seats?

2. As I have 2 segments each way, when can I try and upgrade to MCS or F. The web site says 24 hours before departure (MCS) and 6 hours before departure (F). Is that before the first departure of the itinerary or before each leg? So for SFO-LAX-DAL 24/6 hours before the SFO-LAX leg? Or 24/6 before SFO-LAX and 24/6 hours before LAX-DAL?

3. If do the MC-MCS upgrade at T-24, can you then immediately MCS-F upgrade as it says 24 hours before?

Have to see what the prices are for each before commit but would like to know the process. Right now my seats are:

5/1/17
SFO-LAX 9E on a 320
LAX-DAL 4C on a 319
5/10/17
DAL-LAS 4D on a 319
LAS-SFO 4C on a 320

Thanks.

1: No. There's no price break and you don't get refunded the premium seat fee.

2: If you want to try and upgrade all segments, you have to check in at T-24 for the last segment. I'm your case, the LAX-DAL flight on your first leg.

3: If you want to try and upgrade directly to first, you have to wait until T-6 to check in. Your other option is to check in and upgrade to MCS at T-24 and then call in to VX at T-6 to see if first upgrades are available. They can process the upgrade to F on the phone. You can also check with an agent at the ticketing desk or gate when you get to the airport.

Thank you. I appreciate the answers.

I would suggest this as the preferred option. Also, if you can get MCS with an open middle seat, I'd pass on paying for the F upgrade, unless you're really wanting to try F.

I'm traveling with my 2 toddlers and wife and currently have no seat assignment by choice, since there are no seats on the plane that are FREE that can accommodate 3 in one row.

When will the Main Cabin paid seats be available to change to for free? is it the 24 hour mark at OLCI?

any tips?

There are a lot of available seats up front but requires payment for each seat.

Thanks

Yep. T-24. At that point the seats become free.It's on their fees page in the fine print: "Unreserved preferred seats will be released 24 hours prior to departure and available to all Main Cabin guests for no additional fee."

As I understood it, you either earn status in one program or the other (or both if you fly that much). So;

elevate status = VX status points for CY2017 = Status year 2018.
Elevate Silver will be matched to Mileage Plan MVP for 2018
Elevate Gold will be matched to Mileage Plan MVP Gold for 2018
Elevate discontinued early 2018

Mileage Plan Status = MP miles for CY2017 = Status year 2018
Mileage Plan Status is not auto matched to elevate status

If you will, status points do not migrate between programs. Only elevate silver and gold are auto matched MVP and MVP gold? All this for status year 2018.

Does this sound like the correct process going forward?

My understanding is that Elevate will sunset on 12/31/2017.

I think they will look at actual elevate points to match. For 2017, I got matched from VX Gold all the way to Mileage Plan MVP Gold 75k -- though I have yet to take an AS flight this year and probably will not.

I was matched VX Gold to MVP Gold. Other member's of the family had points in both plans and were gifted status on combined totals into MP. Somewhere I remember reading Alaska was only looking at individual plans for status totals for CY2017, but honestly can't remember where I read this.

I should have included: when I was matched from VX Gold to MVP Gold 75k, I had over 75,000 VX status points for the year.

That makes sense, as I was status matched VX Gold in 2016, and then only received MVP Gold.

Does VX charge a change fee when upfaring a ticket from Main Cabin to First? A search from a few years ago would indicate yes, but I wasn't able to find anything more recent.