Alaska's Airport Upgrades: What To Expect Before Your Flight

Alaska Airlines offers several ways for Mileage Plan elite members and those without elite status to upgrade their seats at the airport. The airline is one of the few to offer upgrade options even on its lowest-priced economy tickets, known as Saver fares.

For those without elite status, upgrades can be purchased for a fee, starting at $23, or with miles. Mileage Plan members can also use miles to upgrade their seats when purchasing their tickets.

For Mileage Plan elite members, there are complimentary upgrades to first class and Premium Class, which is Alaska's extra-legroom economy section. Elite members can also use guest upgrade codes to upgrade friends or family members who are not travelling with them.

Mileage Plan members can receive complimentary upgrades

MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K members

These Mileage Plan members are eligible for immediate upgrades to first class and Premium Class at the time of booking, provided they have booked a qualifying airfare. Qualifying airfares include the highest-priced economy fare classes on Alaska Airlines: Y, B, H, K, and M.

MVP Gold members

MVP Gold members are eligible for immediate upgrades to Premium Class at the time of booking, provided they have booked a qualifying airfare. They can also be upgraded to first class immediately after booking, depending on the availability of upgrade inventory.

MVP members

MVP members are not eligible for immediate upgrades at the time of booking. However, they may receive complimentary upgrades to first class or Premium Class within 48 hours of departure, depending on the availability of upgrade inventory.

Upgrade priority

If there are more passengers eligible for an upgrade than there are available seats, Alaska Airlines creates a waitlist. The priority of the waitlist is determined by the following factors, in order of importance:

• Elite status level: Higher elite status means higher upgrade priority.
• Fare class: Tickets booked into higher fare classes (usually more expensive tickets) get upgraded before lower fare classes.
• Million Miler milestones: Members who have achieved a Million Miler milestone get upgraded before members who haven’t.
• Time of booking: If there is still a tie, priority is given to the passenger who booked first.

Companion upgrades

MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, and MVP Gold 100K members can use their complimentary upgrades to upgrade one companion travelling with them on the same flight and in the same reservation/class of service.

Guest upgrades

In addition to complimentary upgrades, MVP Gold members receive four Gold guest upgrade certificates each year. These can be used to upgrade friends or family members who are not travelling with them or for their own immediate upgrade when purchasing a fare that qualifies for a guest upgrade.

Flights eligible for a guest upgrade include flight numbers 001-2999 and 3300-3499. Tickets purchased in Y, B, H, K, M, L, V, S, or N fare classes are eligible for guest upgrades, while Q, O, G, and X fare classes are not.

First Class upgrades can be purchased for a fee

Alaska Airlines offers first-class upgrades for a fee, which can be purchased during online check-in within 24 hours of your flight's departure. The exact price you'll pay depends on the distance of your one-way flight, with upgrades starting at $23 for very short flights and costing around $200 for cross-country trips.

These upgrades are only available if there is first-class availability. If you're interested in an upgrade, it's a good idea to be proactive and ask at the gate, as they are more likely to be offered on less-travelled routes.

It's worth noting that Saver fares are not eligible for paid upgrades. Additionally, if you upgrade after checking your bags, you won't be eligible for a refund on baggage fees.

First Class upgrades can be purchased with miles

Alaska Airlines offers its passengers the option to purchase First Class upgrades with miles. When booking a flight on Alaska Airlines, you can select "Mileage" as your upgrade type on the advanced booking search page. Flights that are eligible for an upgrade will display a "U" next to the airfare in the search results. After purchasing your flight, you will need to call Alaska Airlines to apply your upgrade award. A first-class upgrade costs 15,000 Alaska Airlines miles.

Upgrading with miles is also possible for existing reservations. You can upgrade an existing reservation with miles by calling Alaska Airlines reservations. The price remains the same at 15,000 miles for a one-way upgrade, and this includes connecting flights.

It is important to note that not all tickets are eligible for mileage upgrades, so you must search for fares that can be upgraded with miles. Additionally, upgrades with miles are not allowed with Saver fares.

Elite members can receive complimentary Premium Class upgrades

Elite members of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan can receive complimentary upgrades to Premium Class. Premium Class seats offer 4 extra inches of legroom, early boarding, and complimentary alcoholic beverages.

To be eligible for complimentary upgrades, your qualifying Mileage Plan number must be included in your reservation, and flight miles must be credited to Mileage Plan.

Certain fares are eligible for immediate upgrade into Premium Class, provided there is space available. To ensure you are purchasing a fare that qualifies for an immediate upgrade, use the "`Upgrade fare type` filter when booking your flight.

If you have purchased an eligible fare but there are no Premium Class seats available, you will be placed on the upgrade waitlist.

MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K members are eligible to choose a Premium Class seat at the time of booking, on all fare classes except for Saver fares. If no Premium Class seats are available at the time of booking, members will be placed on the waitlist.

MVP and MVP Gold members can choose a Premium Class seat at the time of booking on certain fare classes. During booking, members can filter their search results using the "Upgrade fare type" option to display the lowest fare that will provide them with immediate access to Premium Class.

All other eligible lower fares will not be able to immediately select a Premium Class seat, but members will be added to the Premium Class upgrade list and will be eligible for an upgrade within the normal upgrade window for their tier.

Complimentary upgrades for Mileage Plan elites on Saver fares may be available 2 hours prior to departure.

Elite members can receive complimentary First Class upgrades

Elite members of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan can receive complimentary upgrades to First Class. The highest-tiered elite members, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K, are eligible for immediate upgrades to First Class when purchasing qualifying fares, provided there is space available.

Lower-tiered elite members, such as MVP and MVP Gold, can also receive complimentary upgrades to First Class, but they are not guaranteed immediately after booking. Instead, they are placed on an upgrade waitlist and are upgraded based on the following criteria:

• Elite status level: Higher elite status gets upgraded first.
• Fare class: Higher fare classes (usually more expensive tickets) get upgraded before lower fare classes.
• Million Miler milestones: Members who have achieved a Million Miler milestone get upgraded before those who haven't.
• Time of booking: The earlier you book your ticket, the better.

In addition to complimentary upgrades for themselves, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K, and MVP Gold 100K elite members can also receive complimentary upgrades for one travel companion booked on the same flight and reservation.

It's important to note that not all First Class seats are initially released for upgrades. Within 60 minutes of departure, any remaining First Class seats, even those not initially designated for upgrade, will become available for upgrade.

Frequently asked questions