Originally Posted by
BW Flyer
May be the bean counters in AS management have figured out that they can make more money selling cheapo basic economy fares to the masses who fly 2-3 times year, than trying to retain the loyalty of the much smaller crowd of elite flyers who easily spend $10K to $30K a year per person. Hence they thought why even showering that smaller crowd of elite flyers with benefits like U upgrades, They see the math, not me.
Yeah... considering the AUS-SEA flight I was on a week ago had 57 elites, I think you're underestimating the percentage of revenue elites possess. Elites average spend per ticket is also substantially more.
I also think you underestimate how easy it is to make a dumb decision in a large organization. It happens all the time. Likely, someone decided Alaska was wasting money by providing benefits Delta, American, and United do not. Whoever pitched/decided this obviously misunderstands why frequent flyers choose to fly what is really a glorified regional airline. Outside of West Coast routes, it is FARRR easier to fly Delta and by watering down their frequent flyer program, they are conceding really the only advantage they've got over Delta.
Delta has been whooping American and United for years. Now they're whooping Alaska, primarily because Alaska decided to get drunk on Keystone Ice before the fight.