The multi-city booking feature on the Alaska Airlines website and mobile app is one of the handiest tools for travelers with complex itineraries. Instead of booking multiple one-way tickets, it lets you plan a trip with several destinations in one go, all on a single reservation.
But when the tool stops working, it can feel like hitting a brick wall. Sometimes the form doesn’t load, other times it freezes after entering cities and dates, or it just shows a blank screen. For someone trying to secure good fares before prices rise, it’s more than just annoying—it can disrupt the entire trip plan.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through what the multi-city feature is, why it’s useful, and the most common reasons it fails to load. This will help you figure out whether the problem is on your side—like a browser issue, outdated app, or unstable internet—or on Alaska Airlines’ systems, such as a booking server outage or maintenance window.
What Is Alaska Airlines Multi-City Booking?
Multi-city booking is a reservation option within Alaska Airlines’ online flight search system that lets you combine multiple flight segments into one ticket. It’s designed for travelers who want to visit more than one city without booking separate tickets for each leg.
You can find it under the flight booking section of the Alaska Airlines website or within the Alaska Airlines mobile app. The tool allows you to choose specific departure and arrival airports for each segment, set individual travel dates, and see combined fares for the entire itinerary.
For example, a traveller could book Seattle (SEA) → Los Angeles (LAX), then Los Angeles (LAX) → New York (JFK), and finally New York (JFK) → Seattle (SEA) in one purchase. The system uses the airline’s reservation engine to pull flights from its own network, as well as codeshare partners like American Airlines and Oneworld Alliance carriers, depending on availability.
Because this tool interacts with fare rules, seat availability data, and Alaska Airlines’ payment gateway, it relies heavily on stable internet connectivity, browser compatibility, and real-time server communication to function.
Common Causes of Alaska Airlines Multi-City Flights Not Loading
The multi-city booking form is more complex than the standard round-trip tool, and that means more points where things can go wrong. Below are the most common causes, from small local issues to larger system-side problems.
- Corrupted browser cache or cookies: Old or conflicting saved data in browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge can interfere with how Alaska Airlines’ booking scripts run. Cached files may store outdated versions of the multi-city interface, preventing it from loading fresh data from the airline’s servers.
- Outdated browser version: Newer versions of the booking engine use updated JavaScript and secure connection protocols (like TLS 1.3). Browsers that aren’t updated may fail to render the form or block certain scripts.
- Disabled or blocked JavaScript – The multi-city form depends on JavaScript to dynamically load fields, pull available routes, and display pricing. If JavaScript is disabled, blocked by extensions like NoScript, or restricted by browser privacy settings, the form won’t function.
- VPN or proxy interference: Some VPN IP addresses or proxies can be flagged by the airline’s web servers, slowing or blocking the request entirely. This can cause the booking page to fail before any results load.
- Outdated Alaska Airlines mobile app: Older app builds may have bugs or incompatibilities with the latest backend API used for multi-city searches. Updates often contain fixes for known booking tool issues.
- Server outages or scheduled maintenance: If Alaska Airlines’ reservation system, such as the Sabre or Amadeus backend used for fare searches, is offline or under maintenance, the multi-city feature will fail for all users regardless of device.
- Network connectivity issues: Weak Wi-Fi, unstable mobile data, or firewalls blocking HTTPS connections to alaskaair.com can prevent search requests from completing.
- Temporary glitch in the booking system: Even if the main server is online, short-term technical glitches (like high traffic loads during sales) can temporarily disable advanced search tools like multi-city booking.
How to Fix Alaska Airlines Multi-City Flights Not Loading?
Alaska Airlines’ multi-city booking tool runs through the airline’s online reservation platform, which connects to a global distribution system (GDS) such as Sabre to pull live seat availability, fare classes, and routing options. If something breaks in that chain—whether on your device, network, or their servers—the form may not load at all. Start with the simplest fixes and work toward more advanced ones.
Fix #1 – Refresh the Page and Retry the Search
A simple refresh can resolve temporary timeouts or incomplete data requests from Alaska Airlines’ booking server. This forces the multi-city flight search API to send a new query to the backend. On desktop, press Ctrl + R (Windows) or Command + R (Mac). In the mobile app, swipe down to reload the page. Once refreshed, re-enter your departure and arrival cities, travel dates, and passenger details.
Fix #2 – Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
Cached files and stored cookies can load outdated versions of Alaska Airlines’ booking scripts, preventing the form from working correctly.
Steps for Chrome:
- Go to Settings → Privacy and Security → Clear Browsing Data.
- Select Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data.
- Click Clear Data.
- Close and reopen the browser before visiting alaskaair.com again.
- Log in fresh to your Mileage Plan account if needed.
Fix #3 – Switch to a Supported Browser
Alaska Airlines’ multi-city form is optimized for browsers using the Blink (Chrome, Edge) and Gecko (Firefox) engines. Safari’s WebKit engine sometimes renders complex JavaScript booking interfaces differently, which can cause failures. If you normally use Safari or an older browser, try loading the tool in Chrome or Firefox for better compatibility.
Fix # 4 – Use Incognito or Private Mode
Private browsing disables most extensions and prevents old cookies from interfering with new page loads. This is helpful if script blockers or ad blockers are preventing the JavaScript booking module from connecting to Alaska Airlines’ reservation backend. In Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + N to open an incognito window, then visit alaskaair.com and try the multi-city form.
Fix #5 – Update Your Browser
An outdated browser can fail secure TLS 1.3 handshakes with Alaska Airlines’ HTTPS servers or mishandle ES6 JavaScript code used in the booking form. Updating ensures your browser supports modern encryption and rendering standards required by the airline’s booking framework.
Fix #6 – Update or Reinstall the Alaska Airlines Mobile App
If the problem is on mobile, the app might be sending outdated API requests to Alaska Airlines’ backend systems.
To update or reinstall:
- Go to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
- Search for “Alaska Airlines” and tap Update.
- If no update is available, uninstall the app, then reinstall it fresh.
- Sign back into your Mileage Plan account and retry your search.
Fix #7 – Disable VPN or Proxy
VPNs and proxy servers can route your connection through IP ranges flagged by Alaska Airlines’ fraud prevention filters, sometimes blocking advanced booking tools. Disable your VPN or proxy temporarily, reload the site, and check if the form appears.
Fix #8 – Check Alaska Airlines Server Status
If there’s an outage in Alaska Airlines’ reservation system or scheduled website maintenance, no amount of local troubleshooting will help. Check their official Twitter/X account, status.alaskaair.com, or travel forums to see if the multi-city booking module is down.
Fix #9 – Try Another Device or Network
If you suspect your network or device settings are blocking the booking form, switch devices or connect to a different network. For example, if you’re on home Wi-Fi, try mobile data, or if you’re using a laptop, test from a phone or tablet.
When to Contact Alaska Airlines?
If you’ve already cleared your cache, updated your browser, tried different devices, and the multi-city booking tool still refuses to load, it’s time to get help directly from Alaska Airlines. Their reservations team can bypass the public booking interface and work within their internal systems to create your itinerary. This is especially important if your trip includes codeshare flights with partners like American Airlines or other Oneworld carriers, if you’re trying to book during a time-limited fare sale, or if you need the ticket issued right away to lock in seat availability.
Tips to Avoid Multi-City Booking Issues in the Future
While you can’t prevent every technical hiccup, a few simple habits can greatly reduce the chances of running into issues with Alaska Airlines’ multi-city booking tool.
- Keep your browser updated to the latest version.
- Clear cookies and cache regularly.
- Use tested browsers like Chrome or Firefox for complex itineraries.
- Keep the Alaska Airlines app updated for compatibility with backend APIs.
- Avoid booking on public Wi-Fi or VPNs when possible.
- Check Alaska Airlines’ system status before making advanced bookings.
- Save your planned itinerary offline in case you need to call an agent.
Conclusion
The Alaska Airlines multi-city booking tool depends on smooth communication between your browser or app and the airline’s backend reservation systems. When it fails, the cause could be as small as a browser cache issue or as big as a GDS outage. By starting with basic fixes and moving toward more advanced steps, you give yourself the best chance of getting your flights booked without delay. And when in doubt, Alaska Airlines’ reservations team can complete the booking for you.
