Alaska Airlines is driving me crazy with award seats out of Denver to Maui/ Kauai

[rickandcindy23]

I have been doing manufactured spend on my Starwood Amex, and I have been transferring those miles to Alaska liberally. What a mistake. I am coming across a new issue with booking one award ticket in First Class (we buy two and get one with miles). I book as soon as the window opens

Alaska is not offering the times we are used to traveling from Denver with the award seat. They want us to fly into Seattle in the very early morning from Denver, then we have a 24-hour layover in Seattle, as opposed to 12-16 hours. I doubt the hotel would let us start our stay at 9 AM.

Alaska is also not showing all flights available to/from Denver for purchase, either. The overnights don't show up for some dates. It's maybe a glitch? I don't know, but when I called Alaska about it, the lady told me I need to change my return time from "anytime" to a range of time. Didn't work.

The lady at Alaska was very nice and put Rick's ticket down as waitlisted with the miles for the 11:25 AM flight from Denver, and I am waiting to buy Mom's and my tickets until he gets that flight; otherwise, we will be in First Class, possibly, and he will be in coach from Den-Sea. I would have to take the coach seat in the end because Rick is tall and needs more legroom.

If we are all going to go to/from Maui or Kauai out of Seattle, and we cannot get the First Class seats out of Denver to Seattle anymore, I am going to book Southwest for those flights instead. Southwest is almost free because of manufactured spend. I prefer flying into Seattle that way, then spend the night and get that award seat out of Seattle. It's an alternative and maybe will keep me from frustration.

If you plan to get the Alaska credit card to use toward First Class award seats, you should know that they have certainly changed the ability to see flights online that require stops, and they have tightened up on award seats as well.

 

[Luanne]

Cindy, on our trip to Hawaii next April we decided that instead of flying straight through (for us it would be on United) we'd fly to San Francisco, spend a few nights there, then fly out of Oakland direct to Kona. I had posted my problems with trying to find a "cheap" flight with Alaska Airlines on another thread.

We are also going to fly Southwest from Albuquerque to Oakland. I have enough points for one roundtrip currently and hope to have enough for the second one by the time I can book them.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

Have you looked at going thorough Portland, Oakland or San Jose instead of Seattle ?

 

[MichaelColey]

Award tickets everywhere have become more and more difficult.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I have been doing manufactured spend on my Starwood Amex, and I have been transferring those miles to Alaska liberally. What a mistake. I am coming across a new issue with booking one award ticket in First Class (we buy two and get one with miles). I book as soon as the window opens

Alaska is not offering the times we are used to traveling from Denver with the award seat. They want us to fly into Seattle in the very early morning from Denver, then we have a 24-hour layover in Seattle, as opposed to 12-16 hours. I doubt the hotel would let us start our stay at 9 AM.

Alaska is also not showing all flights available to/from Denver for purchase, either. The overnights don't show up for some dates. It's maybe a glitch? I don't know, but when I called Alaska about it, the lady told me I need to change my return time from "anytime" to a range of time. Didn't work.

The lady at Alaska was very nice and put Rick's ticket down as waitlisted with the miles for the 11:25 AM flight from Denver, and I am waiting to buy Mom's and my tickets until he gets that flight; otherwise, we will be in First Class, possibly, and he will be in coach from Den-Sea. I would have to take the coach seat in the end because Rick is tall and needs more legroom.

If we are all going to go to/from Maui or Kauai out of Seattle, and we cannot get the First Class seats out of Denver to Seattle anymore, I am going to book Southwest for those flights instead. Southwest is almost free because of manufactured spend. I prefer flying into Seattle that way, then spend the night and get that award seat out of Seattle. It's an alternative and maybe will keep me from frustration.

If you plan to get the Alaska credit card to use toward First Class award seats, you should know that they have certainly changed the ability to see flights online that require stops, and they have tightened up on award seats as well.

I too have seen situations in which the round trips offered when using awards don't include all flight combinations. I have found, though, that if I make the reservation as two one-way segments I can get the routings that I want (assuming that award seats are available on those flights).

 

[rickandcindy23]

I too have seen situations in which the round trips offered when using awards don't include all flight combinations. I have found, though, that if I make the reservation as two one-way segments I can get the routings that I want (assuming that award seats are available on those flights).

Yes, it's odd that I cannot see all legs of the flights, but I see the flights I want showing as available, but only with the two-stop flights.

If we are going to spend the night in a hotel on our way back, I don't want to get up at 5 AM Hawaii time to catch that flight, either. That defeats the purpose of using Alaska.

But I will conform, if I must, and that most likely requires the three of us to fly Southwest to/from Seattle or other city on the West Coast.

I guess I will keep building my Starpoints for other airlines.

I know airlines are tightening up on award seats, but how many people are going to buy Den-Sea in First Class with cash?

 

[tante]

I live in Denver and we always stop in cali when flying to maui. Once we did San Diego but usually San Fran. If you have the time why not spend a few days in a great city on the way there.

 

[Luanne]

I live in Denver and we always stop in cali when flying to maui. Once we did San Diego but usually San Fran. If you have the time why not spend a few days in a great city on the way there.

Please don't call it "cali". Californians hate that. (This from a native)

It would be like saying we're going to "colo".

 

[tante]

Please don't call it "cali". Californians hate that. (This from a native)

Any chance to get you guys to shorten the name? Pretty please

 

[Luanne]

Any chance to get you guys to shorten the name? Pretty please

At least California is just one word.

 

[tante]

At least California is just one word.

Shots fired at the Dakotas.

 

[Luanne]

Shots fired at the Dakotas.

And the Carolinas, the "New" states and West Virginia (which has as many syllables as California).

Do you want it shortened because it takes too long to write, or too long to say? If it's writing just use CA.

 

[SmithOp]

At least California is just one word.

At least he didn't call it Frisco!

I've lived here since 1973, Cali doesn't bother me that much, easier than hearing our former guvernator call it Cauliforyah.

 

[tante]

So try to stop in cali for a few days in frisco or diego.

 

[Luanne]

So try to stop in cali for a few days in frisco or diego.

Oh you had to go there. You know that will ban you from the state for life. :hysterical:

To be honest I've never heard anyone say just diego though.

 

[Luanne]

At least he didn't call it Frisco!

I've lived here since 1973, Cali doesn't bother me that much, easier than hearing our former guvernator call it Cauliforyah.

Having lived in California only since 1973 you don't qualify as a native, so maybe that's why it doesn't bother you much. It kind of is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

I may live in New Mexico now, but I'm a second generation California through and through.

And I will never accept that man as our former governor.

 

[PigsDad]

Please don't call it "cali". Californians hate that. (This from a native)

Luanne, you might flip your lid listening to this song from Radical Something (a Cali-native group ).

At least he didn't call it Frisco!

"Cali", "Frisco" -- this song has it all!

BTW, "Colo" has a Frisco...

[youtube]f92yfPFl9NY[/youtube]

(I would link to the real music video, but this video is much more fun.)

Kurt

 

[Ken555]

This thread has finally become interesting.


Sent from my iPad

 

[Luanne]

BTW, "Colo" has a Frisco...

Kurt

So does Texas. But not California.

Put it this way, you will very rarely if ever, hear a California refer to it as "cali" or San Francisco as "frisco".

 

[klpca]

Thank you, Luanne from another native Californian.

Nothing says I'm not from here like saying Cali or Frisco. Well, except swimming in the ocean in January.

 

[Dandelione]

At least here in SoCal, people call it Frisco now and then, including people who have lived here all their lives. Me as a non-native had no idea what they meant until someone explained it to me.

 

[rickandcindy23]

BTW, "Colo" has a Frisco...

Yes, we do have a Frisco, and there is a nice timeshare there called Val Chatelle, which we own.

My brother-in-law lived in San Francisco most of his life: born there and returned at the age of 19, died there a few years ago. God rest his soul. Anyway, the above statement made me remember something between Rick and Ronnie that still makes me grin. Ronnie called one day, and we were packing the car for Frisco to stay at Val Chatelle, and Rick told him we were getting ready to roll to Frisco.

Ronnie said, "Hey, bro, no one here in San Francisco calls it Frisco, and it just doesn't sit right with me." Rick said, "Hey, there is a Frisco here in Colorado, and we are headed to Frisco, Colorado."

 

[Ken555]

At least here in SoCal, people call it Frisco now and then, including people who have lived here all their lives. Me as a non-native had no idea what they meant until someone explained it to me.

Those are people who interact with tourists way too often. No native I know would ever say such a thing!


Sent from my iPad

 

[Luanne]

At least here in SoCal, people call it Frisco now and then, including people who have lived here all their lives. Me as a non-native had no idea what they meant until someone explained it to me.

Yeah, but people from SoCal (where I was born and grew up) live in their own special little world.

If you lived in NorCal, you wouldn't call it "Frisco". It's either San Francisco or "The City".

 

[John Cummings]

I live in Denver and we always stop in cali when flying to maui. Once we did San Diego but usually San Fran. If you have the time why not spend a few days in a great city on the way there.

Cali is a city in Columbia South America.