Alaska Flyers Will Soon Have More Reciprocal Benefits On Virgin America

I agree the Marriott/Starwood merger spoiled me. I expected the same level of combination, especially given that AS/VX had MONTHS of regulatory hold up to provide them time to think it through. (They can't actually do anything until the regulatory issues were cleared, but they could think about it at least and put out guidance similar to what is coming today immediately.)

I am AS75K in SF Bay Area. The first part of January, I asked on two VX flights to be put into at least the bulkhead/exit row (lots of space available). This was accommodated without issue and without charge.

Then on a cross-continental, I was denied because the benefits weren't reciprocal yet. When I asked "how much" to upgrade, it was $150 for exit/bulkhead or something similarly ludicrous. (I do realize they give you food/alcohol in those seats, but still.)

First class was $399, but if I had been matched to VX, it would have been $249 because of the matched VX gold/silver elite status.

I called Alaska's gold support to complain after the fact, and that's when I realized they are treating this internally as simply "another partner airline."

It appears that the AS>VX direction was not through through as much as the VX>AS, and that is a shame.

Ben, As far as airline mergers go I would estimate this one is happening very fast. Remember how delayed the transaction was, these guys didn't merge until December 2016. That was less than 3 months ago. I would guess outright status matching isn't happening (from Alaska to Virgin) because Alaska wants to eventually discontinue the Elevate program. When the other 4 (or 8 before so) larger airlines merged it was 6 months before anything happened. We saw a number of actions by Alaska on day one.

I do agree it's silly why baggage allowance weren't extended to Alaska elites on VX flights. That could have been done with an edict to VX associates.

It's not trivial to merge computer systems or make them compatible. And since much of the Virgin systems will be going away, it doesn't make commercial sense to invest a lot in updating the Virgin systems, only to abandon it later.

Anyone who is a Virgin elite didn't get reciprocal statis on Alaska before, so there is no real loss.

I was also a bit disappointed too when I booked a Virgin flight today, as an Alaska elite, and seeing I didn't get some of the benefits, but it is important to remember that the merger barely closed a few months ago. This is completely new territory for both Virgin and Alaska and a lot of the work has to be done in baby steps. Given how many failed mergers have taken place in the past, it is better for them to under-promise and over-deliver rather than the other way around, so I'll let that be until things are ready to quicken the pace.

It looks like I will be able to get one free checked bag on VX as an Alaska Visa card holder beginning in "late March". That's fine, but I'd sure rather have my Alaska Gold benefits. (I sure hope "late March" begins before 3/28; The date of my next VX flight.)

In all seriousness, me thinks thou doth protest too much. Several people have already noted that the merger closed but three months ago, and up until the last minute, it was unclear what the DOJ would demand in return for its signing off on the merger plan. I've been happy so far -- but then again, I haven't flown on Alaska yet, either.

My real concern, as a VX elite (Gold), is how I qualify for elite status in the future. As an Elevate Gold, I was status matched as an Alaska MVP Gold. Both VX and AS permit qualifying on either miles *or* on flight segments. The problem, however, is that Alaska requires 30 segments for MVP status, 60 for MVP Gold, and 90 for MVP Gold 75K. In contrast, VX requires only 15 segments for their equivalent Elevate Silver status, and 30 for Gold (equal to MVP Gold). Qualifying on segments is significantly easier when the average flight one takes is <500 miles.

A question re: Chase Ultimate Rewards and Alaska Airlines. Just wondering whether, if I link my Virgin Atlantic account to my Alaska account, is there any reason I can't transfer UR points to Alaska by moving them through my Virgin Atlantic account?

@ Johnny R. -- You can transfer Virgin Atlantic points from Chase, but it's Virgin America that is merging with Alaska. You can't transfer Virgin Atlantic points to Alaska, unfortunately.

I know this is old, but taking a shot here--I have two flights (LAX-SFO return in first // LAX-ORD in econ) and I'm wondering if I should credit the miles to Alaska... I don't have status with either, but flying so I can be with the rest of the people going. I have a handful of Alaska miles and like...750 elevate points. Suggestions? Thanks ^_^

@Garrett -- through the end of this year, IF your flight is on VX, you definitely want to credit the flight to Virgin America. You'll get _______ of points on Virgin, and when you then subsequently transfer them to AS, they transfer at a rate of 1 Elevate point = 1.3 Mileage Plan miles. It's like getting a 30% bonus.

Is the free bag on VX for Alaska Visa holders live?