Alaska Airlines and Horizon
Air have introduced a new online tool that gives customers more flexibility
when making itinerary changes after purchasing tickets.The “Change
Itinerary” feature, available at alaskaair.com and horizonair.com, is the
first online tool in the industry that displays an easy-to-read matrix of
20 itinerary change options with corresponding adjustments to fares and
taxes.
  The new tool allows customers to change travel dates as well as
departure and arrival cities, and can be used even after some of the
itinerary’s travel has been completed. The enhanced feature can be used by
groups of up to six passengers and allows each customer to make different
flight changes. It also allows Alaska Airlines MVP and MVP Gold Mileage
Plan members to search for new flights with available upgrades to the
first-class cabin.
  “Our customers are increasingly using the Web to take care of all their
travel needs—from buying tickets online to checking in online. Now
they’ll benefit from the ease-of-use of seeing 20 reissue options on one
page and have the flexibility to change their reservations after travel has
begun,” said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of sales,
marketing and customer experience. “This innovative new tool gives
customers the information they need to make most itinerary changes quickly
and easily with the click of a mouse.”
  Alaska and Horizon also announced today a fee increase for changes made
through the airlines’ reservations centers and ticket counters. The new $75
fee, which will apply to tickets purchased beginning Oct. 3, 2007, is
designed to encourage more customers to use the enhanced online itinerary
change tool. The fee for online itinerary changes will remain $50. The new
feature does not yet allow customers to change Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
award tickets or international itineraries. Customers can continue to make
these changes through reservations call centers and ticket counters until
these functions are available online in the future. The airlines’ new
online change feature was deployed using ITA Software’s QPX system.
——-