Originally Posted by QXFAPDX
Eastbay 1K:
You are definitely entitled to your opinion and raise a valid point. When QX first took over the PDX-BUR/ONT routes, a lot of travelers expressed concern about not being able to upgrade to first. Unfortunately, at this point it appears there are simply not enough people flying between these cities to justify mainline aircraft with any decent frequency. However, the alternative would have been no service between the cities at all. I think this reality has been considered by the majority of our customers, and consequently, they have adapted well to it.
Buster:
I can understand being disappointed about the snacks. I'm obviously not the one making the In-flight Service decisions, but I would not expect to see the beer/wine go away anytime soon. A change like this can be hard to adjust to, just as it was hard for some people to adjust when Alaska stopped serving meals in coach on west-cost routes. We need to recognize that this is a new chapter in commercial aviation history. It's a different environment than it was back in the mid-90s, and as such, remaining competitive while maintaining profitability is the rule of the day. It's a tough and delicate balancing act, one that I feel our management is dealing with the best they can considering the cards being dealt in the current industry climate.
As paying customers, I encourage both you and Eastbay 1K to voice your concerns, as well as any other thoughts or ideas you have to our management, especially if you feel strongly about them. As an employee of Horizon, while it is hard to hear disappointment from our customers, I respect you both for your honesty and opinions.
I recently flew the ONT - PDX route and was surprised by the wheat chex, raisin and cranberry "breakfast." Please explain what “harmonization” means. Is there a link to what this means? Most who fly for business do not really care about the food as much as whether our aisle mate will be sitting in their seat as well as a part of ours. It is virtually impossible to work on a QX flight because it is so cramped.
I will be the first to say that I do not understand airline economics, but instead of flying 3 flights (with a mainline jet – the way it used to be) with 5 flights with a CRJ never made sense to me.
I still believe that AS took the mainline jet to create new routes verses not enough passengers flying PDX ONT. The five QX flights are almost always full. What taking away the mainline jet has done, in addition to alienating AS’ business travelers by cramming a CRJ with travelers -- many "first timers to a CRJ" who are surprised by the size of the jet (I wonder if they are repeat customers after one flight on a cramped CRJ), is made the fares higher.
The CRJs are almost always full and Alaska’s yield programs raise the fares because there are typically fewer seats remaining on the CRJs. We pay higher fares to fly in cramped CRJs – but when you have a monopoly on the route – AS can charge a monopoly fare.
Those of us who prefer to fly ONT – PDX keep hoping another carrier will determine that the Inland Empire’s exploding population will entice them to fly this route with a mainline jet. I will be one of the first passengers to flee the cramped CRJs where every narrow seat is first class.