Originally Posted by
dantheflyingman
In all seriousness, SEA has some intriguing possibilities with AS likely joining OW as a Connect member.
AA does next to zero international flying out of PHX, just LHR and Mexico, and moving PHX-Mexico flying to SEA would just be profoundly stupid.
Moving a bunch of AA PHX US domestic flying to SEA as a way to be "friendly" to AS by having them join oneworld connect... huh, do you usually try to beat your friends up and rob them? Because I don't. It would be also be profoundly stupid to get into a shooting war with AS AND DL over SEA as an alternate to PHX, at the same time when AA runs away from B6 and DL at JFK,
a much larger hub, and when AA is ONLY dueling with WN in PHX.
I mean, really, AA is going to dehub PHX so they don't have to fly PHX-LAS because WN is eating their lunch, but they'll fly SEA-LAS (for example) so they compete against AS, WN, DL and NK? Really? What possible sense is giving up 40-50% market share just so you can fight again to get that market share back in a different city?
There is really no need to AA to do anything in SEA other than serve it from hubs. Done and dusted.
Originally Posted by
seigex
As someone who flies from ONT, a small airport with few direct flights, this would be great for my status but horrible for my Friday nights and Sunday mornings.
AA deciding to make SEA a hub as an alternate to PHX will be happening right around when AA orders 20 A380s for the NRT-LIT hourly shuttle.
Originally Posted by
tkelvin69
They don't know what they want to do with SEA or the west coast for that matter. Buying smaller airlines, once having wide bodies, an AC at the end of C then a new one in A and finally a couple gates at D. AS and AA have gone different directions and there's really no reason that OW would want them.
Oneworld connect makes sense inasmuch as AA wouldn't have to do anything different than now, but AY/BA/CX/EI/QF could all have their existing relationships with AS cemented into something more solid. It probably doesn't happen unless AA wants it to, but AA doesn't have to change the existing partnership with AS at all on their side; they can decline to sponsor AS, AS elites would get bupkiss on AA (status quo), and AS would have to let AA elites get priority boarding and checkin (whoop-de-do), nothing else would need change.
Originally Posted by
Gig103
I wouldn't expect AA to be too keen on seeing AS being a partner again, but Oneworld created the "Connect" model last year and since AS remains partners with six OW airlines (BA, CX, Finnair, JAL, LATAM, and QANTAS) so it seems like a good fit. I don't know if AA retains a veto or not as a founding OW member though.
I don't know much about SEA except it's hub to AS/DL and I dunno why AA would try to squeeze in when they have PHX locked up pretty nicely. Assuming cost of living is a factor in salary negotiations, PHX hubs would be cheaper than SEA too for the crew.
AS is still a partner. If you can redeem AA miles for AS flights (you can) and AS miles for AA flights (you can), it's still a partnership.