MSPeconomist

I suspect AS might be worried that they're about to get all the DL elites that DL doesn't want as customers.

CDKing

AS needs to be much more strict on granting status matches. IIRC none of the other US carriers offer a straight match anymore. They alseo need to add a must fly x number of flights on Alaska metal to earn status.

MonThruThurs

Not matching to 75K is fairly strict.

Highest a DL elite can match to is MVPG, or ~50K in flights a year. This excludes 3, I think, tiers of the DL system. Making the flyers earn 75K if they really want it.

beckoa

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Wasn't DL just giving away plat for a targeted promo? Agree I don't want AS passing out too many matches- especially with a 'challenge' offer for those who didn't requal.

eponymous_coward

Outside of maybe SEA/PDX/ANC, it doesn't exactly kill them to have a bunch of MRing flyers buy cheap DL flights and then credit AS, since DL will have to pay AS for the miles...

ou81two

Their surveys are usually worthless. When I've had them to do, they were so long that the length would necessarily skew the survey towards people with an abundance of time on their hands with nothing to do. Nothing like biasing your airline study towards retired people.

In terms of the change, my fares aren't usually low and mileage runs don't exist in the AS world. I'd say it would be positive for me. It certainly is when it comes to Hertz and Hilton Honors.

CDKing

Ill take it for you if there is a way to do so.

AKCuisine

Was the survey invite via email? I'm traveling & not all of my mail downloads into my phone - and this is *definitely* one I want to weigh in on. Ugh.

dave1013

The important thing about this survey (in my humble and unsolicited opinion) is that it gives us a glimpse into what the Great Minds at MP are thinking about in crafting the next generation of this program. What they do with all the data they are gathering is one thing; but I doubt they'd go to all this trouble if they weren't seriously considering making some substantive changes.

dave1013

Yes, it came by email.

davew-krdm

I can guarantee you that AS does not consider these surveys worthless. They aren't gathering data just to toss it.

I have no problem with AS, or any other airline, rewarding higher fares with higher miles or higher status. The problem with the survey was that the entire slant appeared (to me) to be a greater push towards predicating mileage AND status on BofA Mileage Plan Visa spend on everything - not just AS/partner spend. If you think that the ranks of elites and the competition for award space is bad now, just wait and see what would happen should these changes come to pass.

Personally, I am not allowed to use the Mileage Plan Visa for my business travels. All travel has to be booked using my corporate AMEX at my corporate travel site. So if Alaska does what Delta has in adopting their MQD spend requirements, and bonus multipliers for using the co-branded credit card, I am screwed and would likely just stop flying (of my 40-odd round trips per year, the vast majority are discretionary).

I was also disheartened to not see anywhere in the survey THE most important reason I came back to Mileage Plan from SkyMiles - the change fee waiver for golds. When asked to rank various "current and potential features of Mileage Plan", there were items like baggage fee waivers, upgrades, VIP experiences, variable mile redemptions, special in flight "surprises", Q+A with pilot and crew - about 20 items in all. Conspicuously absent was any mention of the change fee waiver - which to me indicates one of two things. Either it's "untouchable" or it's already planned to be gone.

To me, the beauty of Mileage Plan is its simplicity. Easy to earn and redeem, great partner network, an understandable upgrade policy, lots of flexibility. It's the antithesis of what Delta will have in 2015, and what others are moving towards. I sure don't want to see AS join the race to the bottom.

Dave

Dieuwer

Delta would laugh all the way to the bank if Alaska changed their Mileage Plan to revenue based. Delta@SEA could just sit back and watch AS self-destruct.
I suggest Alaska to be VERY careful with ANY Mileage Plan changes.

UAPremierExec

So apparently because I work in the airline business, they didn't want to know my feedback. Kinda odd, because that's why MOST airline CEOs WANT me advising/consulting/working for them. I started out at the ticket counter and "ended" my career as an officer at an airline.

So being a Boardroom member and on target as a Gold 75K they don't want my feedback.

Your loss.

davew-krdm

Yes but... how about sending some feedback to: https://www.alaskaair.com/feedback/mileage-plan ?

Dave

slopeboy40

Aaawww don't feel bad. As a 20+ year Mileage Plan member, 15+ year Boardroom member, Million Miler, Lifetime Gold, multi-year Gold 75K, they don't want my opinion either.