Originally Posted by
sfozrhfco
AF is gone as a partner so it really doesn’t matter any more. The point is that the priority for any replacement for that partnership will be a carrier with a West Coast presence. Having award availabity or redemption from the East Coast makes very little difference to the vast majority of people regularly travelling on AS—especially given the loss of DL/AA. It makes very little sense for anybody in the East to be loyal to AS.
I wouldn't say that it "makes little sense for anybody in the East to be loyal to AS," given that Mileage Plan is still the easiest program in which one can accrue redeemable miles and attain status. I lived in DC for six years and flew out to LA, SF, SD, and Portland 6-7 times each year. I never once missed an upgrade out of DCA or BWI and almost always got the upgrade heading back East (100% back to BWI, only missed an upgrade ONCE back to DCA) on fares that never went north of $400. Plus, with the partnerships with AA, BA, AF/KL and others that use DCA and Dulles, collecting points was a breeze on AS. Even now with the AA and AF/KL relationships disappearing, those of us living in Boston or DC (and even NYC), for example, who travel to the West Coast often have a lot of reasons to stay loyal to AS.