Section I - General Rules

Revised: August 23, 2011
Previous versions

Rule 87AS - Denied Boarding Compensation: (applicable for transportation to/from the U.S.A.)

When AS, at an airport in the United States/Canada, is unable to provide previously confirmed space due to more passengers holding confirmed reservations and tickets than there are available seats on a flight, AS will take the actions specified in the provisions of this rule. This rule shall only apply to as flights departing from the United States for foreign transportation.

1. Definitions:
   1. Airport means the airport at which the direct or connecting flight, on which the passenger holds confirmed reserved space, is scheduled to arrive or some other airport serving the same metropolitan area that is served by the former, provided that transportation to the other airport is accepted by the passenger.
   2. Alternate Transportation means transportation by an airline licensed by the Department of Transportation and/or the NTA(a) or other transportation which, at the time the arrangement is made, is planned to arrive at the passenger's next scheduled stopover (of 4 hours - no longer) or destination no later than 2 hours for flights within the United States, including territories and possessions, or 4 hours for international flights after the passenger's originally scheduled arrival time.
   3. Carrier means (a) an air carrier, except a helicopter operator, holding a certificate issued by the Department of Transportation and/or the NTA(a) pursuant to section 401(d)(1) and (2) of the act and/or Section 9 of the Air Carrier Regulations authorizing the transportation of persons, or (b) a foreign route air carrier holding a permit issued by the Department of Transportation and/or the NTA(a) pursuant to Section 16(3) of the Air Carrier Regulations authorizing the transportation of persons.
   4. Confirmed Reserved Space means space on a specific date, flight, and class of service that has been requested by a passenger and that AS or its agent has verified by appropriate notation on the ticket or in any other manner provided by AS's rules, as being reserved for the accommodations of the passenger.
   5. Comparable Air Transportation means transportation provided by U.S. air carriers or foreign air carriers holding certificates of public convenience and necessity or foreign permits issued by the Department of Transportation and/or the Canadian Transport Commission.
   6. Ticket Lifting Point/Boarding Area means the point where the flight coupon is lifted and retained by AS.
   7. Sum of the Values of the Remaining Flight Coupons means the sum of the applicable one-way fares or 50% of the applicable round-trip fares, as the case may be, including any surcharges and air transportation taxes, less any applicable discounts.
   8. Stopover means a deliberate interruption of a journey by the passenger, scheduled to exceed 4 hours, at a point between the place of departure and the place of destination.
2. Request for Volunteers: AS will request passengers who are willing to do so, to voluntarily relinquish their confirmed reserved space in exchange for compensation in an amount determined by AS. If a passenger is asked to volunteer, the carrier will not later deny boarding to that passenger involuntarily unless the passenger was informed at the time he/she was asked to volunteer that there was a possibility of being denied boarding involuntarily and of the amount of compensation to which he/she would have been entitled in that event. The request for volunteers and the selection of such persons to be denied space shall be in a manner determined solely by AS. In exchange for voluntarily relinquishing confirmed space, AS may, at its option, compensate the passenger with credit valid for the purchase of transportation on AS in lieu of monetary compensation. Exception: Transportation compensation provided by Alaska or its Substitute Service Carrier may be credit valid for transportation solely on each individual carrier's route system.
3. Boarding Priorities: If a flight is oversold (more passengers hold confirmed reservations than there are seats available) no one may be denied boarding against his/her will until AS personnel first ask for volunteers who will give up their reservations willingly, in exchange for a payment of AS's choosing. If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily in accordance with boarding priorities. Passengers with confirmed reservations who have not received a boarding authority will be accommodated in the order in which they present themselves at the loading gate designated for their flight until all available seats are occupied, except that passengers who are physically handicapped to an extent that failure to carry would, in AS's opinion, cause severe hardship, or any other passenger, including unaccompanied children under 12 years of age, who would suffer severe hardship in AS's opinion will be accommodated before all other passengers (including tour conductors) holding confirmed space tickets. Business commitments will not, of themselves, constitute a severe hardship. Accompanied children under 12 years of age will be included in the same category as the accompanying passenger.
4. Transportation for Passengers Denied Boarding: AS will transport persons denied boarding, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, without stopover on its next flight on which space is available at no additional cost regardless of class of service, and if unable to provide onward transportation acceptable to the passenger, at the request of the passenger, will transport the passenger by other carrier or combination of carriers without stopover on its (their) next flight(s) in the same class of service as the passenger's original outbound flight(s), or if space is available on a flight(s) of a different class of service acceptable to the passenger, such flight(s) will be used without stopover at no additional cost to the passenger only if it (they) will provide an earlier arrival at the passenger's destination, next stopover point, or transfer point.
5. Compensation for Involuntary Denied Boarding: In addition to providing transportation as described in Paragraph (d) above, passengers involuntarily denied boarding will be compensated for AS's failure to provide confirmed space in accordance with the provisions below.
   1. The passenger holding a ticket for confirmed space must present himself/herself for carriage at the appropriate time and place, and must have complied fully with AS's requirements as to ticketing, check-in, and reconfirmation procedures, and must have met all requirements for acceptance for transportation. The flight for which the passenger holds confirmed reserved space must be unable to accommodate the passenger and depart without him/her, except that the passenger will not be eligible for compensation if the flight on which he/she holds confirmed reserved space is unable to accommodate him/her because of government requisition of space or substitution of equipment of lesser capacity when required by operational or safety reasons.
      Note: AS will inform passengers of its rules concerning check-in time limits by publication on its website, and that failure to comply with those rules will result in the cancellation of the passenger's reservation and will render him/her ineligible for denied boarding compensation.
   2. Amount of Compensation:
      1. Subject to paragraph e) 1) above, AS will tender compensation in the amount of 200% of the fare to the passenger's next stopover, or if none, to his final destination, with a maximum of USD/CAD $800. However, the compensation shall be one-half the amount described above, with a USD/CAD $400 maximum if AS arranges for comparable air transportation, or other transportation that is used by the passenger, which, at the time arranged, is planned to arrive at the airport of the passenger's next stopover, or if none, at the airport of the passenger's final destination not later than two hours after the time the direct or connecting flight from which the passenger was denied boarding is planned to arrive, in the case of interstate air transportation, or four hours after such time in the case of foreign air transportation.
      2. If the offer of compensation is made by AS and accepted by the passenger, such payment will constitute full compensation for all actual or anticipatory damages incurred or to be incurred as a result of the failure to provide confirmed reserved space. Passengers who are offered such compensation will not be provided with amenities and services offered under the provisions of Rule 95.
   3. Time of offer of compensation: The offer of compensation will be made on the day and at the place where the failure to provide confirmed reserved space occurs, and, if accepted, will be receipted for by the passenger. Provided however, that when AS arranges alternate means of transportation that departs prior to the time the offer can be made to the passenger, the offer shall be made by mail or other means within 24 hours after the time failure occurs.
6. Notice Provided Passengers:

   Our apology at this moment may seem immaterial and secondary to your concerns, but we are genuinely sorry that you have been involuntarily denied boarding on our flight. Our foremost concern is to reaccommodate and compensate you as quickly as possible.

   While this form describes your rights in regulatory terms as required by the Department of Transportation, we also feel it is equally important to answer any questions you may have at this time.

   Compensation for Denied Boarding
   If you have been denied a reserved seat on Alaska Airlines, you are probably entitled to monetary compensation. This notice explains the airline's obligation and the passenger's rights in the case of an oversold flight, in accordance with regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.).

   Volunteers and Boarding Priorities
   If a flight is oversold (more passengers hold confirmed reservations than there are seats available), no one may be denied boarding against his or her will until airline personnel first ask for volunteers who will give up their reservation willingly, in exchange for a payment of the airline's choosing. If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily in accordance with the following boarding priority of Alaska Airlines.

   When it becomes necessary to involuntarily deny boarding to confirmed travelers, customers will be boarded in the following order until all available seats are occupied:

   • All customers holding confirmed seat assignments will be boarded.
   • Customers who are not holding confirmed seat assignments will be boarded in order of the time they check in. The computer records the time of check-in when seat requests cannot be immediately accommodated.
   • Possible exceptions may be made in the case of unaccompanied minors, qualified handicapped individuals, or any other passenger, who in the carrier's opinion, may suffer severe hardship. Business commitments will not of themselves constitute a severe hardship.

   Compensation of Involuntary Denied Boarding
   If you are denied boarding involuntarily, you are entitled to a payment of "denied boarding compensation" from the airline unless:

   1. you have not fully complied with the airline's ticketing check-in, and reconfirmation requirements, or you are not acceptable for transportation under the airline's usual rules and practices; or
   2. you are denied boarding because the flight is canceled; or
   3. you are denied boarding because a smaller capacity aircraft was substituted for safety or operation reasons; or
   4. on a flight operated with an aircraft having 60 or fewere seats, you are denied boarding due to a safety-related weight/balance restriction that limits payload; or
   5. you are offered accommodations in a section of the aircraft other than specified in your ticket, at no extra charge, (a passenger seated in a section for which a lower fare is charged must be given an appropriate refund)
   6. you are offered accommodations in a section of the aircraft other than specified in your ticket, at no extra charge (a passenger seated in a section for which a lower fare is charged must be given an appropriate refund); or
   7. the airline is able to place you on another flight or flights that are planned to reach your next stopover or final destination within one hour of the planned arrival time of your original flight.

   Amount of Denied Boarding Compensation

   Domestic Transportation: Passengers traveling between points within the United States (including the territories and possessions) who are denied boarding involuntarily from an oversold flight are entitled to:

   1. No compensation if the carrier offers alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the passenger's destination or first stopover not later than one hour after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight; or
   2. 200% of the fare to the passenger's destination or first stopover, with a maximum of $650, if the carrier offers alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the passenger's destination or first stopover more than one hour but less than two hours after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight; or
   3. 400% of the fare to the passenger's destination or first stopover, with a maximum of $1,300, if the carrier does not offer alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the airport of the passenger's destination or first stopover less than two hours after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight.

   Length of Delay	Compensation Due
   0 to 1 hour arrival delay	No Compensation
   1 to 2 hour arrival delay	200% of one-way fare (no more than $650)
   Over 2 hours arrival delay	400% of one-way fare (no more than $1300)

   International Transportation: Passengers traveling from the United States to a foreign point who are denied boarding involuntarily from an oversold flight originating at a U.S. airport are entitled to:

   1. No compensation if the carrier offers alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the passenger's destination or first stopover not later than one hour after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight; or
   2. 200% of the fare to the passenger's destination or first stopover, with a maximum of $650, if the carrier offers alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the passenger's destination or first stopover more than one hour but less than two hours after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight; or
   3. 400% of the fare to the passenger's destination or first stopover, with a maximum of $1,300, if the carrier does not offer alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the airport of the passenger's destination or first stopover less than two hours after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight.

   Length of Delay	Compensation Due
   0 to 1 hour arrival delay	No Compensation
   1 to 4 hour arrival delay	200% of one-way fare (no more than $650)
   Over 4 hours arrival delay	400% of one-way fare (no more than $1300)

   Alternate Transportation: "Alternate transportation" is air transportation with a confirmed reservation at no additional charge (by any scheduled airline licensed by DOT), or other transportation accepted and used by the passenger in the case of denied boarding.

   Method of Payment
   Except as provided below, the airline must give each passenger who qualifies for involuntary denied boarding compensation a payment by cash or check for the amount specified above, on the day and at the place the involuntary denied boarding occurs. If the airline arranges alternate transportation for the passenger's convenience that departs before the payment can be made, the payment shall be sent to the passenger within 24 hours. The air carrier may offer free or discounted transportation in place of the cash payment. In that event, the carrier must disclose all material restrictions on the use of the free or discounted transportation before the passenger decides whether to accept the transportation in lieu of a cash or check payment. The passenger may insist on the cash/check payment or refuse all compensation and bring private legal action.

   Passenger's Options
   Acceptance of the compensation may relieve (name of air carrier) from any further liability to the passenger caused by its failure to honor the confirmed reservation. However, the passenger may decline the payment and seek to recover damages in a court of law or in some other manner.

Rule 90AS - Refunds

1. General: Refund by carrier for an unused ticket or portion thereof, exchange order or miscellaneous charges order will be made in accordance with the following conditions, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (F) of this rule:
   1. Persons requesting refund must surrender to carrier all unused flight coupon(s) of the ticket, exchange order or miscellaneous charges order.
   2. Carrier will refuse refund on a ticket which has been presented to government officials of a country or to the carrier as evidence of intention to depart therefrom unless the passenger establishes to the carrier's satisfaction that he has permission to remain in the country or that he will depart from there by another carrier or conveyance.
   3. Carrier shall make all or any individual refunds in the country/currency of issuance. All tickets purchased in Mexico will be treated as deferred refunds and will be forwarded to AS Mexico based accounting offices for processing. No refunds will be made at Mexico based regional sales offices.
   4. Any tax or other charge that is imposed by a government authority and required to be collected from a passenger will be in addition to the published fare. Such taxes and other government-imposed charges are refundable only if the purchased fare is itself refundable according to carrier's fare rules.
2. Currency: All refunds will be subject to government laws, rules, regulations, or orders of the country in which the ticket was originally purchased and of the country in which the refund is being made. Refunds will be made subject to the following provisions:
   1. Voluntary refunds of tickets, miscellaneous charges orders, or deposit receipts purchased in currency other than U.S. dollars shall be made in currency used for such purpose, and in country where such purchase was made.
   2. Voluntary refunds of tickets, miscellaneous charges orders, or deposit receipts purchased in U.S. dollars may be made in U.S. dollars or local currency in any country provided such refund is not prohibited by local governmental exchange control regulations at point of refund.
   3. Involuntary refunds of tickets, miscellaneous charges orders, or deposit receipts shall be made in the currency used for such purchase and in the country where such purchase was made, whenever possible. However, U.S. dollars refunds or refunds in the currency of the country where the involuntary refund is necessary may be made on request of passenger provided refund in such currency is not prohibited by local governmental exchange control regulations.
   4. Refunds will be made in the currency in which the fare was paid, or in lawful currency of the country of the carrier making the refund or of the country where the refund is made or in the currency of the country in which the ticket was purchased, in an amount equivalent to the amount due in the currency in which the fare or fares for the flight covered by the ticket as originally issued was collected. Note: Despite the foregoing provisions, carrier will reserve the right to refuse to make any refund authorized by this tariff in a currency other than that used in the purchase of the ticket to be refunded or at a place other than that at which payment for such ticket was made.
3. Person to Whom Refund is Made: Except as provided below, AS will refund in accordance with this rule only to the person named as the passenger on the ticket.

   Exception 1

   1. Tickets issued in exchange for a Prepaid Ticket Advice (PTA) and/or Miscellaneous Charges Order (MCO) will be refundable only to the purchaser of the PTA and/or Miscellaneous Charges Order.
   2. Tickets issued under a Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP) will be refundable only to the subscriber against whose account the ticket was charged.
   3. Tickets issued against a transportation request issued by a government agency, other than the U.S. Government, will be refunded only to the government agency which issued the transportation request.
   4. Tickets issued against a U.S. Government Transportation Request, (GTR) will be refunded only to the U.S. Government agency which issued the U.S. Government Transportation Request, by check made payable to the "Treasurer of the United States".
   5. Tickets issued against a credit card honored by AS will be refunded only to the account of the person to whom such credit card was issued.

   Exception 2: Tickets refundable to person other than passenger. If, at the time of purchase, the purchaser designates on the ticket another person or entity to whom refund shall be made, the refund will be made to the person so designated. A refund made in accordance with this procedure to a person representing him/herself as the person so designated on the ticket or exchange order shall be deemed a valid refund, and AS will not be liable to the true passenger for another refund.

   Exception 3: If at the time of application for refund, evidence is submitted that a company purchased the ticket on behalf of its employee, or the travel agent has made refund to its client, such refund will be made directly to the employee's company or the travel agent.

4. Involuntary Refunds:
   1. The amount AS will refund upon surrender of the unused portion of the passenger's ticket, pursuant to Rule 25 (Acceptance of Children) or Rule 80 (Failure to Operate on Schedule or Failure to Carry), will be:
      1. If no portion of the ticket has been used: An amount equal to the fare, taxes, and charges paid. Exception: AS shall not be obligated to refund any portion(s) of a fully unused ticket which does not reflect a confirmed reservation on an AS flight involved in a schedule irregularity, unless such ticket was issued by AS.
      2. If a portion of the ticket has been used:
         1. Via one-way fares: An amount equal to the lowest comparable one-way fare for the class of service paid for;
         2. Via round-trip, circle-trip, or open-jaw fares: Fifty percent of the round-trip fare for the class of service paid for, for the unflown segment;
         3. Via area fares/flat rate fares: The refund amount will be computed by applying the same rate of discount, if any, applied in computing the original fare from the point of termination to the destination named on the ticket, next stopover, or the point where air transportation will be resumed via: aa) The routing specified on the ticket, if the point of termination was on the routing of the ticket; or, bb) If the point of termination was not on the routing specified on the ticket, the direct routing of any carrier operating service between such points.
   2. If no fare of the type (fare basis) paid by the passenger is published between the point of termination and the passenger's destination or next stopover point, the amount of the refund will be the same proportion of the normal coach Y type fares and fare published between the point of termination and the passenger's destination or next stopover point, as the fare paid is of the normal coach (Y type fares and fare between the passenger's point of origin or previous stopover point and destination or next stopover point. Exception: AS shall not be obligated to refund any portion(s) of a ticket which does not reflect a confirmed reservation on an AS flight involved in a schedule irregularity, unless such ticket was issued by AS.
   3. If alternative surface transportation is provided and is acceptable to the passenger, no refund will be provided.
   4. If fare is for transportation solely on Substitute Service Flights (as defined by Rule 1) involuntary refunds are deferred to the respective substitute service carrier's accounting office for computations.
   5. AS will make no refund if transportation is provided from the point of Schedule Irregularity to the ticketed destination or stopover airport, or its co-terminal indicated below:
   1. 1Burbank/BUR, Long Beach/LGB, Los Angeles/LAX, Ontario/ONT, Orange County/SNA
   2. Orange County/SNA, San Diego/SAN
   3. Palm Springs/PSP, Ontario/
   4. Oakland/OAK, San Francisco/SFO, San Jose/SJC
   5. Washington-Reagan/DCA, Washington-Dulles/IAD, Baltimore/BWI
   6. Newark/EWR, New York/JFK, New York/LGA
   7. Seattle/SEA, Bellingham/BLI
   8. Bellingham/BLI, Vancouver/YVR
5. Communications Expenses: Communication charges, as outlined in Rule 60, will not be assessed, and any such communication expenses paid by the passenger will be refunded.
6. Time Limitation for Refund Requests: Refunds will not apply for tickets presented later than one year from the date of issuance of the original ticket.
7. Voluntary Refunds: The term "voluntary refund," for the purpose of this paragraph, shall mean any refund of a ticket or portion thereof other than an involuntary refund as defined in paragraph (B) above. If named in the routing AS will, at the request of the passenger, and upon surrender of the unused portion of the AS issued ticket, refund to the passenger on the following basis:
   1. If no portion of the ticket has been used, the refund will be an amount equal to the fare and charges paid.
   2. If a portion of the ticket has been used, the refund will be an amount equal to the difference between the fare and charges applicable to the ticket issued to the passenger, and the lowest applicable one way coach fare at the time of ticketing in the same inventory as originally ticketed, or if not available, the lowest one way coach fare in effect at the time of ticketing in a booking class higher than the class originally booked and ticketed and charges applicable to the transportation of the passenger covered by the used portion of the ticket.
   3. Refund will be made in accordance with a)or b) above provided that the unused coupons are surrendered to AS within 1 year of the ticket issue date.
   4. AS assumes no obligation to issue a voluntary refund unless such ticket was issued on AS ticket stock. The term "AS Ticket Stock" means tickets printed or imprinted with the AS carrier code (027) as part of the ticket serial number.

   Note: Any refund will be subject to fare rules of ticket purchased. A credit certificate may be given for any ticket that is non-refundable according to its fare rules

8. Lost Tickets
   1. When a passenger loses his/her ticket, or the unused portion thereof, AS, if it issued the ticket, will refund the following amount:
      1. If no portion of the ticket has been used, an amount equal to the fare and charges paid.
      2. If a portion of the ticket has been used, and aa) The passenger has purchased a new ticket covering the same transportation as that covered by the unused portion of the lost ticket, an amount equal to the fare and charges paid for such new ticket. bb) The passenger has not purchased a new ticket covering the same transportation as that covered by the unused portion of the lost ticket, an amount equal to the difference between the fare and charges paid and the fare and charges applicable to the transportation of the passenger covered by the used portion of the ticket.
   Note: any refund will be subject to fare rules of the original ticket. A non-refundable Credit Certificate may be issued for any ticket that has residual value and is marked nonrefundable.
   2. Application for Refund:
      1. Time limit: Application for refund must be made no later than one month after the expiration date of the lost ticket.
      2. Application must be made on forms prescribed by AS for such refunds, and refunds will not be issued earlier than four months after receipt of proof of loss.
   3. Refund will be made only provided that the lost ticket or lost portion thereof has not previously been honored for transportation or refunded to any person.
   4. AS will make such refund only provided that the person to whom refund is made agrees, in such forms as AS may require, to indemnify AS for any loss or damage which it may sustain by reason of such refund.
   5. A USD 60.00 per ticket service charge shall be imposed for handling lost ticket refund requests, except that no service charge will be imposed for military passengers when transportation is paid for with a U.S. Government Transportation Request (Form No. 1169).

      Exception: If lost ticket is found and returned to AS within 4 months from date of reported loss, service charge will be waived.

9. Refunds Involving Foreign Currency: AS reserves the right to refuse to make any refund in a currency other than that used in the purchase or at a place other than that at which payment was made.
10. Prepaid Ticket Advice Charges: Prepaid ticket advices will not be accepted or processed at any non-automated international ticket offices, regional sales offices, airport ticket counters.