pbelmore

I'm based in Seattle so I'll mostly be okay, but this really puts a dent in flexibility (especially after losing DL last year). I fly to Dallas a lot and being able to pick and choose AS vs. AA based on the times I needed was a nice benefit (not to mention when I traveled further east and could easily do that with AA).

As most others have said this seems like part of the deal when trying to compete and expand, but it's still an unfortunate growing pain.

flatdawgs

Well, a sad day for me. I've been a happy AS FF for many years, but as about half my travel is BIS on Alaska and the other half to the Southeast or international, the status days have come to an end. Booking codeshare directly through AS when you need an AA flight is a non-starter for the flights I need to destinations that Alaska doesn't serve and never will (example: I just today booked an AA flight SEA-GSP later this month for $538; booking any itinerary between those cities through AS and connecting with AA would be $1750 minimum - and the exact same thing applies as far out as next April. Itineraries using Delta flights are actually considerably cheaper than those using AA when booking through AS!). Perhaps this means AS will someday serve CLT, though...otherwise their service to the South, even from the Seattle hub, is more or less useless unless you're just going to ATL, CHS, or RDU - two of which you cannot connect from at any rate.

I pay for my own tickets, always, so I'm fairly price-sensitive and so the other carriers' FF plan models don't work for me. I imagine I'll have to go back to the old days of just picking whatever airline has the best deal. Alaska will always win in a tie because I've been very happy with them, but not having the perks like MCE, early boarding, etc. on the other airlines I need to fly makes attempting to maintain status with AS unlikely unless it just happens to work out. Was planning on trying to qualify for MVP Gold again for next year, but now I'm unsure if it's worth it.

Ah, well - there are probably some interesting airlines and destinations out there that I've never really looked at, and now can try!

PDXPremier

I appreciate the fact that we can still include AA as a redemption partner....that's about the only time I fly AA since even back during the days of 100% mileage earning on AA, the elite status bar was always higher with partner miles compared to just earning status on AS (and now VX) metal. I can see this being a big announcement for some, but as long as the AS mileage program remains mileage-based and not revenue-based, I'm a happy camper.

ashill

Sorry, read it backwards. Yes, you're correct. I fixed my post.

PV_Premier

another way to thin the ranks is to not match everyone and their mom to MVPG 75K over the past 12-18 months

greener_007

I think this may be a large driver of today's announcement. When the DOJ approved the AS/VX merger, they were (paraphrasing AirwaysMag's journalists) 'looking to extract a pound of flesh'. Here, crankyflier has a good analysis of the revenue impacts associated with AS removing their code from flights to AA hub's: http://crankyflier.com/2016/12/08/alaska-and-virgin-america-are-cleared-to-merge-with-minor-but-unhelpful-conditions/

I'm not 100% keen on this either; however, this may have been an important step towards reversing DOJ-imposed conditions that made the relationship unsustainable from a revenue/competition perspective.

Time will tell if this was Alaska's folly or a prudent networking move. I've fallen out of love with Alaska over the years - deciding to go with DL out of SEA, so I'm less affected, but I do empathize with others.

BearX220

Yup. Moved from the Seattle area to Chicago last year, and from here AS has very low utility. I guess this is the end of my happy MP tenure. I"ll be an AA/WN/B6/AS/BA price-driven flyer (in about that order). Maybe I'll put my 2018+ AA flights on the BA Executive Club account and earn Avios.

Probably. But also, it further narrows the relevance of the Alaska Airlines proposition outside the SEA-PDX-SFO metroplex. The FF program used to go places in the US where Alaska aircraft didn't. Much less true after this.

Lake_Hood

What a disappointment. With all of the changes over the years, this is the first move that has me legitimately considering whether or not to continue flying with Alaska.

Seattlenerd

I'm not surprised by this move. But I'm not happy, either.

Despite AS' spin in the announcement, VX doesn't go a lot of places AA goes. For example, I have to make regular business trips Seattle-Toronto, and the only option I've had to date to get decent seats is to fly AA legs so I can get MCE seating.

As a matter of fact, as an MVP Gold, I've been able to choose AA Main Cabin Extra seats in advance, at no charge, even when I've been unable to choose Premium Class seating at no charge in advance on AS flights.

Losing AA as a domestic mileage earning partner (except for AS code shares) is unfortunate. Losing elite benefits on AA is a huge drawback, for me.

It also makes me wonder how much longer, despite today's announcement, that mileage redemption on AA will continue after 2018.

haddon90

when the AA redemption was reduced last year, i stopped flying AA.

AS/VX has me covered from SNA/LAX to where i need to go.

Buster CT1K

This is bad news, but I hope AS builds itself a east coast or midwest hub to become a truly national carrier. There are so many cities east of the Rockies that need to be served where AS/VX currently do not fly, or do not fly with good schedules.

ucdtim17

Given that they're building a lounge at JFK for just a handful of flights (as of now), that seems like a good place to start

ryandc99

This is a huge question that we need the answer to. Thanks for asking Missy

bdhaliwa

Right now CX C/F redemptions are the only thing still keeping me with AS. How long til they exist at current levels?

MJMLBBtoCPH

What happens to Alaska elites checked bag privileges when you embark on an Alaska flight (say in PDX) to Dallas, and then connect through Dallas to (say Lubbock) on an AS codeshare flight on AA? The language from the emails I got from American and Alaska appear to suggest that Alaska elites cannot check a bag on an “operated” flight by American, and codeshare flights are “operated” by American. So, in the above instance, would Alaska collect money from me when I check in at PDX for the Dallas to Lubbock segment on American? That seems a bit odd to me. Does the Barclays AA Aviator card I have cover me for the DFW to LBB segment, since technically I'd be on an AS codeshare? Having elite status on both airlines, I never really worried about that scenario in the past. I probably only check bags about 30 percent of the time I fly, but it's a nice perk sometimes.