Originally Posted by
Xrayman
without ability for elites to have business flexibility then AS is less of value than Delta out of SEA for me. I tolerate the smaller network of city connections and the essentially lack of international. I’m fine with delta frequent flier program that is spend based (AS advantage).
I think this is the key point. If AS nickles and dimes people too much, they will all switch to DL who offers a more comprehensive route network and better transcon product. AS recipe for success has been offering better schedules and reliability, global frequent flyer partnerships and generous elite benefits. Once that goes away, they might as well kiss goodbye any high yield customers.