Delta buying Alaska Airlines?

I remember once flying on AA DFW-HOU on an AS MD80 and thinking to myself "Wow, that's a lot of legroom! I must try this Alaska Airlines some time."

too much of a gambling game for me. You dont know what you will actually be flying on until it rolls up and you board. It could be a DL jet or it could be a POS NW jet repainted on the exterior with the same interior

The NW A330s are pretty nice, actually, and they've turned on IFE for the ex-NW 753s that fly to HI (and often stop in SEA).

The A320s aren't much, but I've been in DL 738s with no IFE, either.

You're right! I forgot about that one! Though technically I covered it since NW = Delta now.

CO is adding 767 BF metal out of LAX this month. And I do see what your saying about AS not completing on many of AS West coast markets. Now that CO is part of the *A, (& being based in PHX/FLG) I'll opt to fly CO out of LAX in order to take advantage of the BF flights. I'm not trying to trash AS at all here. I'd rather have a better in flight experiance if at all possible. Same rational as taking UA p.s. flights transcon vs AS...

Perhaps. I can only relate my own experience.

I have flown 7 trips out of SEA in Jan, all begining with DL 757s to ATL. There has never been a downgrade in equipment on any flight; everything SEA-ATL is 757 with the nice IFE system and onboard wifi.

As I knew I had a number of trips booked on DL, I bought a 30 day gogo (their wifi system) pass for $30. This has worked out extremely well. Perhaps I'm a wifi addict, but I have to say that I can get so much more done in-flight, that I now find this a booking priority.

On my last trip outbound, it was a DL flight with the full IFE package. As I was not upgraded as I had been on all prior trips (still, an aisle in an exit row) the avaiability of these services was nice.

This is something I did not miss until the return home trip, which was on NW from MSP. Upgraded, but no IFE, no wifi...just not the same.

Perhaps you just can't go back. I remember a few years ago, flying NW, thinking I don't need/want IFE; I'd rather read my book. Somehow, after multiple flights with in-flight wifi and/or IFE, it is just not the same.

I'm a Plat with NW for years, and I went into this merger with a great deal of trepidation. There is good and bad. The in-flight service with the IFE (incl TV and wifi) is great...having to deal with connecting thru ATL leaves a lot, a lot of lot, to be desired.

As others have said, DL needs to take care of this merger before moving on, and even thinking of AS.

AS has always retained independence from other carriers, and continued to survive. Above all, they have very strong flyer loyality, as this forum can attest to.

Whether DL and AS move closer remains to be seen. Still, interesting to talk about. I'd love to see the reciprocal upgrade agreement return. AS is a fantastic airline. and I'd hate to see that change with a merger.

My feeling is keep AS independent, but make it as seamlees as possible between AS an DL.

Just a final note. nwa.com ended today, and many of us NW FF's miss it. Compared to delta.com, nwa.com was fantastic.

As with all changes in life, there are the desirable and the less than desireable. I just take what comes along with my preferred carrier (NW...now DL); if really bad, I'll find a better airline, but for now I can live with the changes.

You're kidding, right? What a bunch of hooey. The Pilots are no more clued in then the Flight Attendants are, despite your experiences. The Chief Pilot is management, despite being a Pilot. It's not likely, nor is it my experience, that the Chief Pilot is out leaking any confidential information to the union folks, at risk of losing his job.

^

I agree. I was NW Platinum for several years (simultaneous with AS MVP Gold) and actually had little to complain about Northwest compared to some other legacy carriers I had to fly. I especially liked the Web site compared to Delta as a Plat looking for awards or creating routings. RIP, nwa.com.

However, it was always interesting when I flew NW and mentioned I was an AS MVPG. Inevitably, an FA or other crew member would say, "Aren't we buying you?"

Apparently not.

I cannot find B767 on CO out of LAX to Hawaii; only B737-800 & 900's going forward on LAX-HNL & OGG.

Where and when?

[tangent completely unrelated to AS]

Same here; dummy booking on CO, got 738.

I guess CO doesn't have anything better to do with a bird capable of going intercontinental (and drawing some business fares) than flying it to a well-served leisure market (HI) out of a UA focus city (LAX). Also funny that they'd undercut their BF product to HI out of their hubs: the rules say BF is not a free upgrade to HI out of EWR, CLE or IAH... but I guess it will be out of LAX? So you could go IAH/CLE/EWR-LAX and THEN get the free upgrade to BF? Isn't that kind of cutting your own throat?

Kinda to me, but, hey, enjoy BF. We'll settle for 738 F on AS.

[/tangent]

And the new name? Non-Continental Airlines? or See Inset Airways?

Forgot this was happening... sad to see nwa.com gone... RIP

Perhaps the 762 on CO is a maintenance rotation to get it to Hong Kong? I think I've seen them do this on occasion.

I heard a rumor from a friend of a friend who has a neighbor that is an AS pilot. Apparently AS is going to buy 25 787s and open up SEA-PPT, SEA-MAD and SEA-SYD. The 787s will also be used on high density routes like SEA-LAX.

Bring it on!

DL is buying AS again?

If we all had a dollar for every time __________ (insert random airline here) was going to buy AS...we'd all be millionaires and then wouldn't have to speculate any longer about who will actually buy AS because we'd all have spent all that money to buy our own private FlyerTalk island where we would lie on the beach all day drinking beer and speculating instead about who is going to get the darkest tan.