About Complimentary Upgrades
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ offers Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades to First Class as a benefit of Elite Status membership. We understand the difficulties associated with being a road warrior, and we want to make your flying experience with us as comfortable as possible.
- Complimentary Upgrades are booked into "U" class of service and are subject to availability as "U" class may not be available on all flights.
- Qualifying Elite Mileage Plan number must be in the reservation to qualify for a complimentary upgrade.
- Complimentary upgrades are not available when traveling on an award ticket, including the Money & Miles award.
How Complimentary Upgrades Work
For MVP® Members: Qualifying fares are booked in "Y" class - listed as "Full Flex" when booking at alaskaair.com. All other fares are eligible for upgrade at 48 hours prior to departure.
For MVP® Gold members: Qualifying fares are booked in "Y, S, B, M, or H" class - listed as "Value" "Full Flex" when booking at alaskaair.com. All other fares are eligible for upgrade at 72 hours prior to departure.
For Gold 75K members: Qualifying fares are booked in "Y, S, B, M, or H" class - listed as "Value" "Full Flex" when booking at alaskaair.com. All other fares are eligible for upgrade at 120 hours prior to departure.
For Qualifying Fares:
If you have purchased the qualifying fare for your Elite Level, you are eligible for an immediate upgrade. If an upgrade is available on your flight, you will be upgraded immediately. If there are no upgrades available for your flight, you will be immediately placed on the upgrade waitlist.
For All Other Fares:
If you have purchased one of our discounted fares, you will be placed in the upgrade request queue until the eligibility designated by your Elite Level. Once you have reached the designated upgrade window, upgrades will be processed in the order that they were placed on the request queue. If an upgrade is available on your flight, you will be upgraded immediately. If there are no upgrades available for your flight, you will be placed on the upgrade waitlist.
What Happens Once I'm on the Upgrade Waitlist?
Upgrades are processed in the order that they are placed on the upgrade waitlist. Once you are on the upgrade waitlist, the processor will continue to look for available upgrades and process them until approximately 24 hours prior to departure, when the check-in window opens.
Once you have checked in for your flight, whether via the web, mobile check-in, at a kiosk, or with an agent, you will be placed on the airport waitlist in your original upgrade waitlist order. The boarding agent will clear any available upgrades prior to departure.
Companion Upgrades
MVP® Gold and Gold 75K members may upgrade one companion traveling with them on the same flight. If your companion is traveling on a separate reservation, please contact the MVP® Gold Desk to process your companion upgrade request. Please note that Companion Upgrades must be requested at the same time as a Complimentary Upgrade. If you have already requested a Complimentary Upgrade, it will be removed and rerequested with the Companion Upgrade in order to assure that you are together on the request queue or upgrade waitlist.
Complimentary Electronic Guest Upgrades
Beginning August 17, 2011, Electronic Guest Upgrades will be issued to 2012 MVP Golds. All valid and currently circulating Paper Guest Upgrades may be used until December 31, 2011.
Complimentary Guest Upgrades are electronic upgrade coupons given to MVP® Gold members to upgrade friends or family members who are not traveling with them, or for their own use for immediate upgrade when not purchasing a qualifying fare. They may also on occasion be provided as a Customer Care gesture in the event of a downgrade or service failure.
Once you have qualified for MVP® Gold status, your Electronic Guest Upgrade codes will be deposited into your My Account profile.
Electronic Guest Upgrade Rules
- Electronic Guest Upgrades are valid on Alaska Airlines flight numbers 1 - 999.
- Electronic Guest Upgrades are booked into "U" class of service and are subject to availability as "U" class may not be available on all flights.
- "U" class must be available at the time of the request, as Complimentary Guest Upgrades may not utilize the upgrade waitlist.
- Tickets purchased in G or T fares are not eligible for Electronic Guest Upgrades (please select "Guest Upgrade" from the "Optional Upgradeable Fares" list when shopping at alaskaair.com to view eligible fares for your itinerary. You can also select "Guest Upgrade" in the filter results on the "Available Flights" page.)
- Each Electronic Guest Upgrade is valid for one-way travel for one person. Connecting flights must have no more than a 4 hour stopover between them.
- Complimentary Guest Upgrades may not be used as a placeholder for a Complimentary Upgrade by an Elite Level member. Once a Complimentary Guest Upgrade has been processed, you may not remove it in order to be placed on the upgrade request queue, upgrade waitlist, or receive a Complimentary Upgrade based on Elite Level.
- Complimentary upgrades are not available when traveling on an award ticket, including the Money & Miles award.
- Electronic Guest Upgrades are transferable but may not be bartered, bought, sold.
Paper Upgrades
All valid and circulating Complimentary Paper Guest Upgrades must be used by December 31, 2011. Instructions for booking a Paper Guest Upgrade are available on the paper upgrade certificate itself.
All Electronic Guest Upgrade rules apply to Paper Guest Upgrades except Paper Guest Upgrades may be used on tickets purchased in G or T fares.
Upgrades on Delta Airlines
Elite Level Mileage Plan™ members are entitled to day of departure upgrades on Delta Air Lines.
Simply enter your Mileage Plan™ number into your Delta Air Lines reservation, and you will be automatically placed on their upgrade list. Upgrades will be cleared in order, at the boarding gate, on the day of departure.
