Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
My argument is more that UA generally does nice things for their elites by completely hosing non-elites.
- E-
- $150 change fees
- $25 checked luggage fees
- day of flight change fees
- any other excuse they can to hose the peons
AS generally tries to do less of that, historically. Their fees are less, their coach has more pitch, and so on.
AS has a checked baggage fee that they waive for elites. They have a change fee and a same-day confirmed change fee that they waive for elites. They charge for meals on board. They charge for entertainment. If you're trying to point out a huge gap between AS and UA et. al, I'm not seeing it. Maybe there's a slight difference, but that's about it. In other words, if UA is "hosing its non-elites" by charging change fees, charging for luggage, charging for other things, how is AS not doing the same?
Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
It's not, really. The WN Companion Pass is really a very nice elite benefit. What they don't do is have an F cabin.
On this I stand corrected. I hadn't looked at RR for quite a while. I wouldn't fly WN, but for the right kind of person, RR looks good. Well done, WN.
Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
AS's MVPG tier is around 30-35K (as quoted in some MVPG lunches). That's pretty small compared to other airlines.
[...]
What I also mean to argue is AS is not really the same as DL or UA. What works for one might not for the other. That being said, it would be an excellent topic to bring up at the next lunch.
The point isn't the absolute number of elites, but rather the percentage. When UA pre-boards its GSes, 1Ks, and F, the lines look about as long to me as when AS pre-boards its 75Ks, MVPGs, and F.
Anyway, I think we're somewhat in the weeds here.
My point is that while no two airlines are alike, airlines generally face similar pressures. What works for one might not for another, but virtually all major US airlines have roughly similar add collect fees and policies, baggage fees, policies on pre-selecting exit rows, on-board food costs, and so on. There's a reason, and that's because they all operate in the same competitive environment and watch each other closely to see what works and what doesn't. Two of the majors (UA/CO and now DL) and two others (B6 and VX) have decided that more leg room (as an elite benefit and/or upsell) is a net positive for them... and note that the new UA/CO's decision to retain and expand E+ was approved by the former CEO of CO and based on UA's historical program data. So clearly it works for at least some airlines. Further, my guess would be that in terms of elite populations, B6 might not be all that far off AS, and they've repeatedly said that EMS is a net positive for them. So I'd want to know why it
wouldn't work for AS.