In a move to preserve its bottom line, Alaska Airlines this week announced changes that will disappoint many regular customers.
It’s slashing the flexibility of its once-popular price guarantee program, mirroring the earlier reductions it made to its generous change-fee rules earlier this year.
Beginning Sept. 1, it will be extremely difficult for travelers to qualify for a price-match refund.
How Alaska Air Is Altering the Price Guarantee
Under the old policy, if you bought a ticket on alaskaair.com and later discovered the exact same itinerary listed for less, you could claim a credit for the difference — whether it was a small $5 or a larger $100 savings.
The revised policy now demands that any price-guarantee claim be submitted within 24 hours of the purchase.
Spotted it $5 cheaper on Orbitz after a day? That won’t cut it anymore.
The price drop must also exceed $10, according to the price guarantee terms and conditions.
There’s very limited latitude, even for travelers with Alaska Airlines elite status.
“I’m disappointed that’s going away,” said Cyndia Miller of Fairbanks, Alaska.
She has taken advantage of the price-match guarantee several times, including once when she and her husband each received a $200 credit after the fare fell.
The couple put that $400 into their Alaska Air online wallet to use on future trips.
Other Recent and Upcoming Policy Shifts
The days of complimentary last-minute flight adjustments at Alaska Airlines are largely over.
Earlier this year the carrier unveiled an updated change fee policy that levies a $125 fee to change or cancel a reservation unless the customer holds MVP Gold or 75k elite status.
“We have some of the most generous fee structures in the industry,” said Bobbie Egan, an Alaska Airlines spokeswoman.
In June, Alaska trimmed the allowed dimensions for carry-on luggage from 24 x 17 x 10 inches to 22 x 14 x 9 inches to reduce incompatibilities with other domestic and international carriers.
Additional forthcoming adjustments include extra charges for exit-row seating — which up until now were reserved for elite members — and dynamic pricing for Premium Economy seats.
The most significant change on the horizon is the launch of Saver Fares planned for early 2019.
Saver Fares will serve as Alaska’s take on basic-economy tickets, though with fewer harsh limitations than some rivals impose.
Passengers buying Saver Fares can pick seats, but only toward the rear of the aircraft; they won’t be permitted to sit in the front. They’ll board last, cannot change or cancel beyond the 24-hour federally mandated window, and won’t be able to use upgrade privileges even if they have elite status.
The trade-off? A carry-on allowance is included.
While Miller was unhappy about the new price-guarantee restrictions, she seemed upbeat about Saver Fares debuting.
“I’m one of those bargain people,” she said. “I like good deals.”
Rebecca James is a staff writer at Savinly. She’s a fan of stripped-down economy options.
