Complimentary upgrades
Being upgraded to a better seat is one popular perk of Mileage Plan™ elite status. We are committed to offering one of the most generous upgrade policies in the industry, and ensuring that we continue recognizing our top members with the benefits you value most.
Premium Class upgrades
Premium Class seats feature 4 inches of additional legroom, early boarding and complimentary cocktails, hand selected wine, and beer (where beverage service is normally served). We offer unlimited complimentary upgrades to Premium Class as a benefit of Mileage Plan™ elite status.
Accepting a Premium Class upgrade will not affect your placement on the waitlist for First Class upgrades.
Qualifying for complimentary upgrades
Fares that qualify for immediate upgrade at booking
Certain fares are eligible for an immediate upgrade into Premium Class, provided space is available. To ensure you are purchasing a fare that qualifies for an immediate upgrade, and to view available upgrade space, select your tier level under the "Upgrade fare type" filter on the advanced search booking form when shopping for flights, and look at the column labeled “Premium Class Upgrade” to see the applicable fare.
| Elite level | Fare class |
|---|---|
| MVP® members | Y, B or H fares |
| MVP® Gold members | Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S or N fares |
| MVP® Gold 75K and MVP® Gold 100K members | All fares except for X |
If you booked an eligible fare class and there are no Premium Class seats available for your flight, you will be immediately placed on the upgrade waitlist.
Discounted fares and nonrefundable awards upgrade windows
If you have purchased one of our eligible discounted fares that does not qualify for immediate upgrade, you will be placed on the upgrade waitlist at the upgrade window for your status level.
| Elite level | Fare classes | Upgrade windows starting at: |
|---|---|---|
| MVP members | K, M, L, V, S, N, Q, O, G or T fares | 48 hours prior to departure |
| X fares | 2 hours prior to departure | |
| MVP Gold members | Q, O, G or T fares | 72 hours prior to departure |
| X fares | 2 hours prior to departure | |
| Gold 75K and Gold 100K members | All fares except X | Immediate upgrade* |
| X | 2 hours prior to departure |
Once you have reached the designated upgrade window. If an upgrade is available on your flight, you will be upgraded immediately. If there are no upgrades available for your flight, you will remain on the waitlist until one is available.
Saver fares (booked in X class of service)
Saver fares (booked in X class of service) are not eligible for Elite upgrades at time of booking. Paid upgrades may be available the day of departure, at the check-in kiosk or counter/gate. If you purchase a paid upgrade with a Saver fare, Saver fare restrictions still apply.
Complimentary upgrades for Mileage Plan elites on Saver fares may be available 2 hours prior to departure. Upgrades with miles are not allowed with a Saver fare. Seating options are limited with Saver fares.
How the upgrade waitlist works
Once on the waitlist, upgrades will be processed in the following order:- Elite status level
- Fare class
- Million Miler milestone
- Time of booking
Once you are on the upgrade waitlist and within the upgrade window for your status level, we’ll continue to look for available upgrades and process them until approximately 1 hour prior to departure. Any upgrades that become available less than 1 hour prior to departure will be processed by the agent at the boarding gate.
Once check-in begins, the waitlist is available to view either via the mobile app, the gate information display, or on alaskaair.com under flight status. Note that if you are flying on a Saver fare (booked in X class), you will not be added to the waitlist until within 2 hours of departure.
Upgrading a Premium Class companion
MVP Gold, Gold 75K, and Gold 100k members may upgrade one companion traveling with them on the same flight, in the same reservation. If a reservation includes more than one companion, it will not be eligible for complimentary upgrades.
MVP® members receive upgrades for themselves only - no companions.
If you have a companion in your PNR and there is only one available upgrade, the process will move to the next passenger on the waitlist.
Automatic Upgrade Exceptions
Upgrades to Premium Class will only be processed automatically if the same seat type is available to upgrade you into (e.g. aisle to aisle, window to window). Members holding a middle seat in the Main Cabin are eligible to be automatically upgraded into any Premium Class seat type.
Members will never be automatically upgraded out of an Exit Row seat. If you are seated in an Exit Row and wish to move into Premium Class, you can select a Premium Class seat from the seat map within your eligibility window.
Elite members are also eligible for upgrades on flights operated by American Airlines. Learn more.
Have more questions about upgrades? See our Mileage Plan Upgrade FAQ page.