What’s your Christmas travel wish? Here’s what some travelers and industry experts want to see.

What’s on your travel gift list this year?

It may be too late to send a note to Santa to grant your grown-up travel wish, but that doesn’t stop travelers from wishing for changes. Some had very personal goals, while others long for systemic changes to make everyone’s trip a little easier.

I did a totally un-scientific poll of friends and colleagues and found some familiar themes, as well as a couple of surprises.

Anchorage travel agent Bill Beck, of Alaska Travel Source, wishes airlines wouldn’t change their schedules. More than that, though, he wishes Alaska Airlines would adjust their mileage redemption level from 1,400 miles to 1,500 miles. That way, travelers could get to Seattle from Anchorage for as little as 7,500 miles each way (instead of 10,000 miles).

Consumer watchdog Chris Elliott is busy scoping out the scene in Santiago, Chile. But he has a list and he’s checking it twice:

“Oh, I would probably ask Santa to make the government do its job when it comes to protecting travelers,” he wrote.

Elliott spells it out:

“First, block the anti-consumer mergers of Alaska Air-Hawaiian Air and JetBlue-Spirit.

“Next, add a new regulation that would prevent hotels from charging mandatory resort fees after displaying an initial price quote.

“Third, regulate loyalty plans so they are fair and logical,” writes Elliott.

That’s a tall last-minute order for Santa. But Elliott is hopeful. “All these things currently are in the works. The Department of Justice has sued to block the JetBlue and Spirit merger. And the government is considering a rule that would ban resort fees and other extras. Plus, the government has started investigating loyalty plans.

“Santa might actually come through for travelers this year,” he wrote.

When it comes to the proposed takeover of Hawaiian Airlines by Alaska Air, I have my own wishes. Specifically, I would like to be able to earn-and-burn my Alaska Airlines miles on Hawaiian’s international routes. That includes Sydney, Auckland, four destinations in Japan, Seoul, Pago Pago, Papeete and Rarotonga. In the past, Hawaiian has served Taipei. Certainly, with a fleet of 24 Airbus 330-900s, Hawaiian’s fleet has some long legs to reach destinations across the Pacific. Plus, the larger aircraft allows for lie-flat seating for first-class travelers.

Lie-flat seating is an expensive option for long-haul travelers, unless you’re using miles. Anchorage podcaster and car rental czar Andrew Halcro enjoys nap time in the flat seats when flying to Europe. “The only thing I want for Christmas is the perfect recipe for business class,” he writes. “Virgin Atlantic’s service, food and vibe, combined with Delta’s seating layout … all for a reasonable price. Cheers!”

Several travelers submitted wishes hoping for better manners on the aircraft.

Travel super-blogger Johnny Jet just touched down in Toronto, where he’s spending the holiday with his in-laws. Texting from baggage claim, I think he has a reasonable request: “My super wish is that passengers would learn some basic manners like covering their mouth when they cough or sneeze. Also, put earbuds on when watching videos or talking on the phone,” he wrote.

[Why do ‘gate lice’ line up early for flight boarding? Psychologists explain.]

Anchorage political blogger Jeff Landfield of the Alaska Landmine came back with a wish list that he hopes would ensure a happier flight:

“Check your bags instead of carrying them on. Never take your shoes off. Don’t talk on the phone while on the plane and don’t bring nasty airport food on the plane,” he wrote.

While Santa might think Landfield is setting the bar pretty high, these are good wishes for your fellow travelers.

Speaking of checked bags, Alaska Airlines is raising the cost for the first bag to $35 and the second bag will cost $45 for tickets bought after Jan. 2, 2024. Club 49 members will continue to get two free checked bags when flying to or from Alaska. Elite-level flyers still will receive two free checked bags.

Skagway-based travel agent Nate Vallier of the Alaska Travel Desk loves to cruise. But his wish is that those of us in Alaska “could control our cruise traffic a little better for a more pleasant experience,” he said. For the cruise lines themselves, he wishes “they’d stop nickel-and-diming us. Bring back the all-inclusive cruise.”

Margaret in Juneau stuck a note on her fireplace for Santa to deliver some more good airline deals from Alaska’s capital city.

Bart Parker, an MVP 100K traveler, was on his way to Orlando yesterday. His Christmas wish is pretty simple. “To keep flying,” he wrote.

“The benefits get better the more you fly,” wrote Parker. “I’ve been upgraded this year 99.2 percent of the time. I will cross the 100K mark when I come back from Orlando next week!”

Parker, like many Alaskans, depends on Alaska Airlines to connect the dots on their travel map. Joe Sprague is a top executive with the company, most recently as the president of Horizon Air. But he’s picked out some new Aloha shirts for his new assignment in Honolulu, working on the proposed merger with Hawaiian. His wish is pretty simple: “I wish health and happiness to all Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees who work hard in often challenging conditions to deliver our guests to their destinations,” he wrote.

[TSA self-screening is the next big step for airport security]

My wish for travelers is a blessing I borrowed from Randy Petersen, one of my frequent flyer gurus. He helped start the “FlyerTalk” community and InsideFlyer. I’ve appropriated it as my own:

May all of your upgrades be free — and may your miles never expire.