Something Good Comes Out Of NOT Being “Bumped”

Yesterday I flew to Portland, Oregon from Los Angeles.  The flight was not full so there was no need for volunteers to be “bumped.” I think my readers all know by now that I really like getting “bumped” off my flight in order to get free airfare in the future (See October 19, 2012 blog).  But not being bumped meant there were plenty of seats still available for purchase.  There were even seats still available in first class.  So guess where I got to sit?

I have Platinum status on American Airlines so I asked Alaska Airlines if they would do a status match and I got a nice email saying I was now MVP Gold.  When I went to my travel conference in October I learned that I should ask for the status match after November 1, 2012 as that would give me 14 months of status (the remainder of 2012 and all of 2013) versus the typical “through the end of the calendar year”.  Maria and I were flying with 2 checked bags and 1 carry-on each.  The checked baggage would have cost $160 round trip but with my MVP Gold it was FREE. The $160 savings is what makes things like a mileage run (See November 19, 2012 blog) to earn status worth it.

What I like about Alaska Airlines is MVP Gold gets you unlimited complimentary upgrades when booking certain fares (not the cheapie fares) or unlimited complimentary upgrades on the cheapie fares 72 hours prior to departure.  Even better, one companion can be upgraded for FREE when they are traveling with you.  So if you have two kids, pick your favorite to join you in first class.  

If I purchase the cheap tickets (which I always do) with American Airlines my platinum status only earns me four 500 mile upgrades for every 10,000 qualifying miles that I fly. It takes 5 upgrades to fly from the west coast to the east coast.  This is definitely not as good a deal as Alaska Airlines.

My flight was an early morning flight.  Another benefit of being in First Class…FREE food (insert picture).  First class included a breakfast consisting of: Eggs, corn beef hash, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, orange slice, pineapple slice and a strawberry to top it off.

I love when I land in Portland as I know my four bags will be delivered to baggage claim within 20 minutes.  If not, I get 2,000 airline miles or a $20 e-certificate towards my next flight.  I am not aware of any other airline that has a baggage guarantee like this.

Happy 2013...Make a New Year's Resolution To Travel More!