How To alaska airlines upgrade seat: SteP by StEp GuidE

How To alaska airlines upgrade seat: +1-855-738-4459 SteP by StEp GuidE
Once you have reached the designated update 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 standby list until one becomes available.

It’s easy to envy our traveling friends who live in the western US, since they have direct access to regular Alaska Airlines flights.

Alaska Airlines is firmly established in the West Coast hub cities of Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), Anchorage (ANC), San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX), but flies to 115 destinations across the US. USA, Mexico, Canada and even Costa Rica.

We’ve heard loyalists rave about its Mileage Plan frequent flyer program to the point of becoming cult-like, but the airline’s recent leap into membership in the Oneworld alliance has created even more buzz.

If you’re one of the many Alaska Airlines loyalists, knowing how their upgrade process works is probably high on your list.

Even if you only fly occasionally with Alaska Airlines, it may help to be able to get an upgrade on that flight to Anchorage to connect with your cruise ship, for that West Coast commute or weekend trip. to Mexico

Fortunately, our article focuses on everything you need to know about how to upgrade to a first class seat on Alaska Airlines, including the types of upgrades available, the elite upgrade hierarchy, and how to upgrade with miles or cash.

Want an upgrade on Alaska Airlines? Let’s dive in and find out how to do it.

Types of Alaska Airlines Upgrades
Alaska Airlines has several types of upgrades available. Most are limited to only those travelers who have elite status, but there are upgrades that non-elite travelers can access as well.

First, some clarifications:

Alaska Airlines defines its Premium Class as those seats toward the front of the main cabin; they have 4 inches of additional legroom, include early boarding, and provide complimentary alcoholic beverages
Elite members are those who have attained elite status in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequent flyer program
Complimentary Upgrades
First Class Upgrades — Elite members receive unlimited complimentary upgrades to first class in order of elite status
Fare Class Upgrades — Elite members are eligible for immediate upgrades into Premium Class when purchasing qualifying fares, provided space is available
Premium Class Upgrades — Elite members receive unlimited complimentary upgrades to Premium Class in order of elite status
Companion Upgrades — Certain elite members can upgrade 1 companion traveling with them
Guest Upgrades — Certain elite members receive guest upgrade certificates each year, which can be used when guests are not traveling with the elite member
Paid Upgrades
First Class Upgrades — All travelers may purchase first class upgrades based on availability at 24 hours prior to departure
Upgrade With Miles
First Class Upgrades — All travelers may purchase first class upgrades with miles when purchasing their ticket or on an existing reservation (based on availability)
How To Purchase an Alaska Airlines First Class Upgrade
Paid Upgrades
An upgrade to your existing Alaska or SkyWest (operating on behalf of Alaska) ticket may be purchased within 24 hours of flight departure through online check-in.

Prices for one-way upgrades to First Class are based on distance and start at $23.

You can also purchase an upgrade on the day of departure at a kiosk, at the airport ticket counter, or at the departure gate. Upgrades are subject to availability, of course, and are more likely to be offered on less traveled routes.

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 on the day of departure, at the check-in kiosk or at the boarding gate/counter. If you purchase a paid upgrade on a Saver rate, the Saver rate restrictions still apply.

Complimentary upgrades for Mileage Plan elites with Saver fares may be available 2 hours prior to departure. Thousands upgrades are not allowed with a Saver fare. Seating options are limited with Saver fares.

How to upgrade to premium class

If you’d like all the perks that come along with a higher class of service, there are plenty of ways to upgrade, such as:

During initial booking.

After booking, using the airline’s “Manage reservations” tool.

During check-in (if seats are still available).

MVP, MVP Gold and Gold 75K Mileage Plan elite members are also eligible for a free upgrade to Premium Class, depending on the fare purchased. If that’s you, you can reserve an upgrade online during booking for no additional fee.

If you were hoping to upgrade to premium class using your Alaska Mileage Plan Miles, you’re out of luck; upgrades are available to purchase in cash only. But if you booked an award ticket on Alaska using miles, you can still upgrade to premium class and pay with cash.

» Learn more: The complete guide to Alaska MVP elite status

Is Alaska Airlines premium class worth it?

On long flights where you’d like to be able to stretch out a bit and enjoy a complimentary adult beverage, plus avoid the hassle of waiting in line to board or fight for overhead bin space, an upgrade to Alaska Airlines premium class seats may be worth it. But if early boarding and alcoholic beverages aren’t that important to you, and having less legroom in economy seats isn’t an issue, the cost of an upgrade may not be worth the limited perks.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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 will continue to search for available upgrades and process them until approximately 1 hour prior to departure. Any upgrades that become available less than 1 hour before departure will be processed by the agent at the gate.

Once check-in begins, the waitlist is available to view via the mobile app, the gate information screen, or on alaskaair.com under flight status. Please note that if you are flying a Saver fare (booked in X class), you will not be added to the standby list until 2 hours prior to departure.


If you have a companion in your PNR and there is only one upgrade available, the process will go to the next passenger on the waitlist.

Automatic Upgrade Exceptions

Upgrades to Premium Class will only be processed automatically if the same type of seat is available for upgrade (eg aisle to aisle, window to window). Members occupying an intermediate seat in the Main Cabin can automatically upgrade to any type of Premium Class seat.

Members will never be automatically upgraded from an exit row seat. If you are seated in an exit row and wish to upgrade to Premium Class, you may select a Premium Class seat from the seat map within your eligibility window.