Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - A possible but what I believe is an unlikely merger with AA?

AMR has been evaluatiing five potential airlines to merge as an option. While I believe most of the discussion will be about AA and US, Alaska is one of the five considered.

While I belive Alaska air is probably an afterthought, I do think AA could benefit from a larger west coast presence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-amr-mergerbre8691d0-20120710,0,4608129.story

I love that AA "sees itself as an acquirer" in a merger. They are hardly in the driving seat of anything that happens related to a merger.

I love that AA "sees itself as an acquirer" in a merger. They are hardly in the driving seat of anything that happens related to a merger.

Just ask all the happy UA flyers what they think - and UA had already left the Chapter 11 tank!

Just ask all the happy UA flyers what they think - and UA had already left the Chapter 11 tank!

AA treats their frequent fliers better than any other airline in the US it seems and are currently in bankruptcy. Coincidence? ;)

AA treats their frequent fliers better than any other airline in the US it seems and are currently in bankruptcy. Coincidence? ;)

AS did treat us pretty good and still does ok- yet is making a decent $...

AS has no real incentive to merge, and an AA merger would be disastrous for west coast customers.

AMR has been evaluatiing five potential airlines to merge as an option. While I believe most of the discussion will be about AA and US, Alaska is one of the five considered.

While I belive Alaska air is probably an afterthought, I do think AA could benefit from a larger west coast presence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-amr-mergerbre8691d0-20120710,0,4608129.story

Not likely, but it would be great to see the Eskimo on the tail of some jumbo jets criss-crossing the globe!

AMR has been evaluatiing five potential airlines to merge as an option.I think Frontier is the only carrier on that list desperate enough to merge on AA's terms.

AS did treat us pretty good and still does ok- yet is making a decent $...

I think AS treats me very well as a Gold 75 and have never had an issue with them in the 6 years I have been using them. None of the recent cutbacks people got fired up about bothered me in the least and did not effect me.

As for AA our sales managers in Dallas are ExecPlat and even they admit how much they get from AA is over the top. 8 one way GSU's, 100% upgrades at 100 hours even on the most severely discounted airfares (they laugh how AA has to be losing money on some of their revenue and their companions are 100% on upgrades as wee). It is a love hate relationship though as DFW is their MD80 hub and they hate that product and the service in general.

I think Frontier is the only carrier on that list desperate enough to merge on AA's terms.

Isn't F9's response

Omygoshthosetermsareoutgarous. Okaywe'lldoitpleasewe'lldoit.

While I agree it isn't likely, from an elite FF perspective, bring it on. AS has gone from the penthouse to the outhouse in terms of what they have taken from us. The Mileage Plan program is still great from a redemption standpoint but everything else, including customer service, has been on a downhill slide. As a lifetime plat on AA I'd love it, especially because I'm unlikely to keep plugging away at lifetime MVPG - 300k more is too much for an inferior product. YMMV.

While I agree it isn't likely, from an elite FF perspective, bring it on. AS has gone from the penthouse to the outhouse in terms of what they have taken from us. The Mileage Plan program is still great from a redemption standpoint but everything else, including customer service, has been on a downhill slide. As a lifetime plat on AA I'd love it, especially because I'm unlikely to keep plugging away at lifetime MVPG - 300k more is too much for an inferior product. YMMV.

D*mned right mileage would vary. I'll never hit ExPlat. It's hard for me to hit 40K a year, let alone 50K for AA Plat. AA Gold, stuck with change fees, and very few 500 mile stickers instead of space-available upgrades? Complete loser of a deal for anyone who doesn't fly 6 digits of miles a year.

I'd be gone as soon as I could cash my miles out for as many oneworld Explorer/CX awards as I could. At least if I am flying WN I know I get decent coach without a ton of nuisance fees for awards and flight changes sucking up my cash. AA's better F seats and more substantial meals aren't worth losing AS's benefits to Golds. I can get better food in any diner or airport than THAT.

LOL Republic? :D

I love that AA "sees itself as an acquirer" in a merger. They are hardly in the driving seat of anything that happens related to a merger.

AA has $5 billion cash in hand and rising. AS market cap is $2.6 billion.

AA would have to ask the BK judge before a buy, but at least theoretically they wouldn't have to ask AS.

AA has $5 billion cash in hand and rising. AS market cap is $2.6 billion.

AA would have to ask the BK judge before a buy, but at least theoretically they wouldn't have to ask AS.


Of that $5 billion, how much of that is unencumbered cash? Very little I would imagine. Most of that "cash on hand" is likely assets which won't pay for another airline. AA won't be in the driving seat of any merger and it's extremely unlikely they'll be the acquirer in any transaction. I also imagine that it would take a lot more than the 2.6 billion that is ALK's market cap to convince investors to sell out to them in the sorry shape their in.

AS did treat us pretty good and still does ok- yet is making a decent $...That would be "Descent" in the way they treat their elite pax.....

Maybe it's just how/where I fly, but I really have zilch by way of complaints with AS as far as being a Gold goes. I'll hit 75K this year (by way of 90K), and have really never had an issue, from changes to the Board Room to FAs, and so forth. Generally speaking, flying a lot of SEA-> west coast isn't tough to do, along with a bit of LAS, DC, EWR. I don't know what things were like 3-4 years back, but as a CO flyer, I was always treated awesomely when flying AS before the split, and every since I status matched over to AS, it's been a breeze.

That said, if AA is in the driver's seat for anything having to do with a merger, it'd be almost as comical as what went down with NW/DL. Where else do you all get to be bankrupt and merging / acquiring one another than airlines?

Thank you very much, but I'll stick to some slightly newer aircraft than AA is rolling around with, in my experience.

I'd agree that AS treats us pretty good. And even though the benefits seem to be declining, they're still ahead of the pack.

As far as mergers and takeovers, I had the impression that USAir was salivating over AA. Not a big fan of USAir, so would not like to see AA be subsumed under their umbrella.

This appears to be a rehash of earlier news reports....The PI is in a sorry state these days....

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/boeing/article/American-Airlines-eyes-Alaska-Air-3728630.php

I think that would be better then USair merging with AA

I think that would be better then USair merging with AA No, it wouldn't.

AA took over AirCal and Reno Air only to completly abandon their flight networks. A takeover of Alaska would be a disaster for West Coast Passengers.

AA took over AirCal and Reno Air only to completly abandon their flight networks. A takeover of Alaska would be a disaster for West Coast Passengers.

Thanks for the relevant info, I had no idea, so waht do you think would be best fit for AA merger?

Thanks for the relevant info, I had no idea, so waht do you think would be best fit for AA merger?

Gotta leave that one to those with a much greater knowledge of the airline industry than me. I would think that a merger of two more or less equals would result in less network loss. AA also gutted TWA's domestic and international network, although that was not a merger but a fire sale. AA taking over carriers has never been pretty.

As a casual observer a merger of AA and USAir seems to make sense: their networks are complimentary and it would mean one strong US carrier in each world alliance.

Gotta leave that one to those with a much greater knowledge of the airline industry than me. I would think that a merger of two more or less equals would result in less network loss. AA also gutted TWA's domestic and international network, although that was not a merger but a fire sale. AA taking over carriers has never been pretty.

As a casual observer a merger of AA and USAir seems to make sense: their networks are complimentary and it would mean one strong US carrier in each world alliance.

What if they stay with *A? Then no competition at all, waht do you think of that?

AS has NOTHING AA wants or needs. It's a one trick-pony (Seattle based airline with NO international flights & minimal West>East traffic. Jet Blue is about the same as AS is on the East Coast.

Face it people, US Airways is the ONLY player in the merger game now!

I love that AA "sees itself as an acquirer" in a merger. They are hardly in the driving seat of anything that happens related to a merger.

Once the bankruptcly allows them to drop some of their higher than everyone else labor rates they'd be in a much better position.

AS has NOTHING AA wants or needs. It's a one trick-pony (Seattle based airline with NO international flights...

This just in: Canada and Mexico are other countries. AS is a niche player but a successful one with a network that spans from Florida to HNL to Point Barrow to Cancun. There is more value to AS than the SEA hub and west coast corridor shuttle service, but that would be all AA's interested in. As noted above, AA has already acquired and gutted two interesting west coast carriers. Two blown opportunities to make the brand mean something west of DFW.

D*mned right mileage would vary. I'll never hit ExPlat. It's hard for me to hit 40K a year, let alone 50K for AA Plat. AA Gold, stuck with change fees, and very few 500 mile stickers instead of space-available upgrades? Complete loser of a deal for anyone who doesn't fly 6 digits of miles a year.



+1

I moved from AA to AS for this very reason. Being SEA-based and flying a mix of AA/AS and now DL, AS is the best place to be, for now.

AMR has been evaluatiing five potential airlines to merge as an option. While I believe most of the discussion will be about AA and US, Alaska is one of the five considered.

While I belive Alaska air is probably an afterthought, I do think AA could benefit from a larger west coast presence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-amr-mergerbre8691d0-20120710,0,4608129.story

At first it seems like a good idea, but then we remember AirCal and Reno Air and how American took them over and then made them to AwAAy.