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Upgrades are one of the most coveted benefits of an airline’s frequent flyer program, and anytime an airline makes changes to that process it can cause quite a stir. Alaska Airlines has recently made 3 adjustments to its upgrade process for elite status members, and fortunately, these changes won’t have too much of an impact on most travelers.
One of the challenges Alaska Airlines (and, to be frank, many other airlines) has had is that an upgrade waitlist would only show passengers checked in. So, if you were the first person in line for the upgrade, but at the last minute a higher passenger checked in, your position on the upgrade list would drop. This would be rather confusing to passengers as they’d watch their position adjust within 24 hours depending on the status of other passengers and when they checked in.
Now, Alaska will publish a single waitlist with all eligible passengers on the list, no matter if they’ve checked in or not.
If you’re traveling with a companion that you’ll be upgrading, that companion will now be listed on the upgrade list as the same priority as you. Previously, these companions may not have shown on the list at all, so it was rather confusing to tell what position they were at or if their upgrade had even been requested. Moving forward, the elite status passenger and companion will display together on the upgrade list.
If you requested your upgrade within 24 hours prior to departure, your upgrade request will include your elite status level, fare class, and time of request. Previously, upgrades requested within this time did not include the fare class, so passengers making last-minute adjustments or bookings were at a disadvantage when requesting an upgrade. This change is especially positive for those who purchase expensive tickets.
Hot Tip: Check out our in-depth guide on how to upgrade to first class on Alaska Airlines.
All in all, these changes to upgrades on Alaska Airlines are positive and will create more transparency for elite members and equability for all passengers, regardless of when they request an upgrade. Less confusion among members is great for building loyalty, and Alaska’s changes will make the upgrade process simpler and easier to understand.
![How To Upgrade to First Class on Alaska Airlines [In-Depth Guide]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Alaska-Airlines-first-class-seats.jpeg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=700)
