FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Alaska Air Group to Acquire Virgin America [Discussion from April 4, 2016]
Old Apr 4, 2016, 12:18 pm
  #59  
Eastbay1K
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Join Date: Jul 1999
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Originally Posted by channa
This could get very ugly very quickly if AS doesn't do some serious introspection and understand its competitive position with its product now that they've decided to play ball in SFO and LAX. The customer mindset in SFO and LAX cannot be any further than the SEA mindset that AS is accustomed to.
I'm sure they are well aware of this. I have a lot of confidence that management knows exactly what's on the plate. What they do with it is another story. I've made several visits to the Board Room (as opposed to the airport Bored Rooms) and, as a customer, spent a fair amount of time with the execs while I served on the Gold Advisory Board. As one of the rarer Bay Area board members, I know I raised, more than once, the VX service standard and in an "all things equal" world, VX would get my business on competitive routes. Another recurring issue related to former UA captives and how we were now patronizing the alternatives. I won't go into responses here, in the very unlikely event that any were covered by the NDA. What I will say is that it was the most candid bunch of corporate senior execs that I've ever dealt with. This included a meeting within a day or two after DL's attack plan became evident. Complete candor and no sugar coating.

While we may not like everything about the ride that is about to happen, as long as the current team runs the show, I have a lot of confidence that every decision has a rational basis behind it even if not outwardly apparent, one that will keep us flying the Eskimo for years to come.

As an FF of both AS and VX, while I'll miss VX, I am as happy as one can be in this circumstance in the result.
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