Alaska Airlines - who knew???

Yes, its a good airline. Always ranks high in surveys. I had to deal with their customer service once, and was very happy with their help.

Free cancellation up to 60 days ahead.

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/optional-services-fees

They have a great mileage program as well, with some useful partner airlines.

We live in Alaska and fly them frequently. They are our fav airline. Their frequent flyer program is the best in the business.
I just flew them yesterday and was having trouble accessing the gogo inflight entertainment, so I asked to flt attendent for help. She couldn’t help since she didn’t know about it, but felt bad and gave me a free digi player!

Well....I've now got a $1,000 credit so guess I should sign up for their loyalty program:). I mainly fly to the west coast to visit kids/grandkids so it's workable for me.

Alaska miles can be used on American Airlines for domestic routes. We flew back to Seattle from JFK last month on American with our Alaska miles. We liked the flight departure better than the Alaska flights.

Great airline. Puts most other domestic US airlines to shame.

This year will be the fifth year in a row I've flown to Europe with Alaska miles - on a partner like AA or (former partner) Delta. With miles, the 60 day cancellation policy means you get a full refund of your points too, not just a credit. (Minus a $12.50 partner booking fee each way, if there was a partner airline.)

If you don't mind playing the credit card game, you can get 30,000 Alaska miles with their BofA visa card (no foreign transaction fees) and spending $1,000 in three months. (Though the $75 annual fee isn't waived first year, there's a trick to get a $100 credit when you sign up, offsetting the fee.) And BofA/Alaska let you cancel the card after the first year (avoiding the fee) and just get a new card and getting the miles bonus all over again. In fact, you can just get a second card a few months later and earn a second bonus.

Off-peak overseas flights just went up to 22.5K miles minimum each way (was 20K), but 30K miles from two cards - which you can earn in less than a year - will get you a round trip ticket to Europe.

Glad to hear a positive outcome, Jill! I've been a long-time Delta mileage plan member but started using Alaska this past year and picked up their credit card to have the "Buy 1 ticket, get one offer". I hope they continue with the positive customer experience!

Answering your question, yes I know and it’s my preferred carrier. When calling agents, they quickly understand the issue(s) and solve same easily if at all possible as they have more authority. Very, very few firms match their level of customer service.

We too are big fans of Alaska Air, we use them whenever we can. Nonstops to NY, Boston, Florida as well as all over the west, also Hawaii. Their miles don't expire either. Partners include American, British, Icelandair, and others we like. Great customer service, easy check in, reliable baggage, as comfortable as economy seats get.

Delta is trying to kill off Alaska by moving big time into Seattle. They compete on most of the longer routes and jettisoned the partnership they used to have, also poached Aeromexico away from Alaska partnership. We've flown Delta but we don't any more if we have a choice.

Alaska Airlines fans may be encouraged by its eastern-facing strategy as it absorbs Virgin America. The deal is in motion and VA has released a map showing the combined network, with tickets on sale now.

https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/airport-destinations

https://blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/virgin-america-alaska-single-operating-certificate/

Always been happy with Alaska Air and their policies and associated fees have always seemed less greedy that other airlines (Southwest excluded). Unfortunately I don't get to fly them much anymore unless I am going to the West coast. Good to hear they are flexible when it matters.

Thanks for the info Southern. Still only direct flights from Denver are Seattle and SFO, but I'll take it!

I'm sorry when I read the title I thought "did the president just equate Alaska Airlines with health care- who knew?" Sorry :) But that thought gone out of my head - all of us who fly Alaska Airlines regularly and continue to vote them the best US carrier. Did you know that if the flight you are booked on goes down in price you can ask them for the difference in a credit? They have tons of great customer service things. WE KNEW - is the answer

Here is a great story about Alaska Airlines,

When I was a very young man just out of the service after Vietnam I worked for a while as a cook on the North slope oil fields near BP Base at Deadhorse Alaska. (this is at where the pipeline starts) the pipeline was being built and I was Working on an oil rig 20 miles out in the Beaufort Sea.

Alaska Airlines was our only real link to the outside. I worked 6 weeks on and two off and was paid $1200 per week in 1974. Our fare from Deadhorse to Anchorage was covered by the company. But after that we had to pay. But all we had was 6 weeks of Pay Checks...no cash. When they landed at Deadhorse because of the extreme cold they had to keep the engines running the entire time on the ground to be sure to be able to take off.

Once we reached Anchorage Alaska Airlines would take one of our pay checks put it in a bag for the flight purser in Anchorage, issue us a ticket and we would get the change in Seattle. There was not enough cash at the Alaska desk in Anchorage to cover the change from all those oil worker checks.

They treated us very well...I have fond memories of those flights...at least the ones I remember.

That is a great story, aarthur perry.

I lived in Fairbanks through the 1970's and in those days most Alaskans preferred Wien Air over Alaska, which they called "Elastic Scarelines" after the Juneau crash. In those days our main connection to "Outside" was PanAm, with a 747 flight to Seattle. Also Western Airlines (remember them? "The only way to fly") had flights from Anchorage to Hawaii. We boarded a flight in Fairbanks to Anchorage on our way to Hawaii when it was 30 below outside. Fairbanks had no jetways then: we had to walk outside and go up the stairs to board the plane. But going to Hawaii, no one wanted to wear a coat which would just be a burden once we got there.

Boarding a plane outside at 30 below in Hawaii-bound clothes (no coat) was not fun.

Great story about the pipeline worker paychecks. I can't imagine they do anything like that now, or anyone else would.

Another great story from Lola, which reminds me of meeting a tour group from Fairbanks one January in southern Mexico. Blinking in the sunlight and clothed for the tropics, they told me the Fairbanks airport had a parka-checking station where you leave your winter wear if you're flying to southern latitudes, and pick it up when you return. I guess they have jetways now. We spent time with the Alaskans and enjoyed them a lot, not least their childlike delight at the warm January sunshine.

I wish Alaska flew to Mexico City instead of just the Baja. Then I'd get miles for those trips instead of sacrificing them to the hated Delta via Aeromexico.

Agree - great stories!!! Going to book something with a bit of my refund tomorrow:). Going to see grand babies before heading to Europe:)

I wish Alaska flew to Mexico City instead of just the Baja.

Dick in OLM...I have good news for you: Alaska does fly to Mexico City - and 8 other destinations in Mexico. Not just Baja!
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/route-map?lid=nav:explore-routeMap

Sorry David, I should have qualified -- I meant nonstop SEA-MEX. Only Aeromexico has that, as far as I know, and it's fairly new. And they code share with (grrr) Delta, so no Alaska miles any longer.

RE: Alaska Airlines was our only real link to the outside.

Alaska retired their combi cargo-passenger aircraft in 2017. The cargo went first class (up front) and the passengers were in the back.

Good thing you squeaked this in, as now Alaska has changed the policy - see https://thepointsguy.com/news/alaska-introducing-basic-economy-restricting-generous-change-fee-policy/

Bummer! Thanks for posting the link Fredankell! At least I already booked one flight with my credit although I have lots of credit left to use:)

I just read about the changes - not happy about them - well I don't really care about the basic economy seats but the free cancellation 60 days out has worked at least twice for me in the recent past.

Me too, Donna!!! I'm very unhappy about this change to the change fees. Time to get on social media and scream at them...

@AndrewH... I agree and will! I think loyal Alaska people will let them know how unhappy this makes us. I have been MVP for the past 10 years or so and can't ever get to MVPG no matter how hard I try. I did notice that no dates were mentioned as to when the "free" cancellation more than 60 days out will be implemented...so "maybe" they are watching to see the response.

Agree. The new downturn from Alaska Airlines is very disappointing. Specifically the very negative changes to their policies on cancelations/changing a ticket are a huge loss. Most of all what seems to be going on is Alaska is increasingly joining the "race to the bottom" and with each change is becoming more and more like the hated "big three" legacy US airlines. That's my biggest disappointment: Alaska has always "given more to get more" and they made a point of being different. But that seems to be getting tossed out more and more with each service cut.

My recent experience with dishonest Alaska Airlines:

Purchased two tickets LAX to SEA at about 9 pm. PDT. Got home from work the next night and noticed the fare had dropped by $20 each. They had a price guarantee so I tried to apply for it online. Spent 45 minutes trying to get it to work. I'll spare the gory details about that experience, but needless to say, it didn't work. So I place a call to them. The agent tells me that the price guarantee is good for 24 hours, and that I purchased the tickets at 5 p.m. PDT and it was too late. Of course argument ensued for 30 minutes. Hung up. Then called my credit card company and they confirmed that the charge was made at 12 a.m. EDT.

Called their customer service peeps the next morning, explained what happened and got transferred to someone else. After about 45 minutes finally got the refund. Tell them what horrible customer service this was, and they said they couldn't do anything for me and that they could transfer me to their customer service. I said isn't this customer service, that's the number I called. No, this is reservations they said. So the person that I spoke with initially transferred me from customer service back to reservations. Spent well over two hours with this to be lied to by the first agent and blown off by the second one. Don't know that I want to deal with them again.

I am curious why you did not simply cancel and re-book online, since you were within the 24-hour window for free cancellation. It would have saved a lot of time.

I am sorry for the person who had the challenging issue, but I am so tired of the name calling. "Dishonest" implies that there was a specific attempt to defraud. Could there have simply been some communication issues? It may be that you were looking at one number and they were looking at another?

I have always had nothing but excellent service with Alaska, including getting the price guarantee easily. I have always just called in versus trying to do that online.

ks.... all I can say is wow... in all my years flying on Alaska Airlines even when I call with absurd changes I want to make I have never, ever had anything but great customer service. Today I was checking something in my account and noticed I had to call about a change in an upcoming flight. The return had turned into an overnight flight - No thank you. The customer service rep patiently looked through all the options and I when I suggested she look at flight through PDX - viola' problem solved AND she changed my travel companions flights to match ours and did an exception to waive the service charge.

Lola - re-read my post. Their computer system said that I purchased the ticket at 5 p.m. when I actually purchased it at 9 p.m. I would not have been able to simply cancel the ticket online when I got home after 6 p.m. the following day.

Carol - dishonest - YES. What do you call it when I call customer service and they transfer me back to reservations without saying that is what they are doing, and I'm trying to talk to customer service as I told them. YES - that is dishonest.

Donna - you actually solved your own problem.

KS... true statement. I travel so much with AS that I find myself walking the newer agents through some options.

What do you call it when I call customer service and they transfer me
back to reservations without saying that is what they are doing, and
I'm trying to talk to customer service

Um, an error in transferring the call? Have you never dialed a wrong number?