402Fanatic

Don't see why you're baffled. You already partly answered your own question just then.

Also, AUS and SEA have more ties in the tech industry than do SEA and SAT.

tusphotog

I wondered that myself. We used to have 2x/day year round back when I moved here in 2002. The SEA-TUS flight is always full year round. I can think of maybe one or two times when it hasn't been full.

maokh

It always seems that i am sitting next to some slope worker who lives in texas on any flight bound for Alaska or within Alaska. (on one of these flights, i learned that owning a ranch of 'stripper wells' isn't as exciting as it sounds) If any of the a/c had the range, they could probably fly direct and make plenty of money at it.

ANC RED-EYE

-AS will announce its intention to acquire a longer range aircraft outside the 737 family, but will not yet tell us where it intends to fly it, and we will have endless threads and posts on flyertalk speculating about new routes.
-AS will expand its partnership with Era Alaska
-Delta will put the pressure on to end partnership with AA
-there will be new fees for award redemptions, or an otherwise devaluation of MP
-A third elite tier will be introduced AND the number of EQM's required to make MVP/MVPG will increase
-AS will not add any new service to any Delta hubs.
-SEA - MSY or SEA - IND service will be introduced.

United757

Predictions:

-SAN-OGG
-A new slot controlled airport flight
-Gold UG certs go electronic
-Bag fees increase
-DL Partnership will bloom like a sunflower in Kansas
-New BOB options on flights
-Catering changes (ahem...drinks)

-NO SEA-SLC
-NO MVP Platinum announced in 2010
-Gold's will not have to pay change fees

More to come...

Meteorologist

Predictions:

GEG-SJC/SMF are discontinued after Labor Day
PDX-DEN is discontinued due to F9/UA/WN
SEA-EWR is moved to SEA-JFK
BOI-SJC/SMF/IDA are discontinued
SEA-IDA is discontinued
SEA-YYC goes to AS from QX
Instead of MVP Platinum, AS announces a full 25K/50K MVP/G tier revision
AS announces only 25% bonus miles for MVP
Alitalia becomes a MP partner
SEA-MKE is announced and YX becomes a MP partner

JPat

NB travelers out of TUS head to SEA (and points further north) to get on a cruise ship. A CSR told me that there is a huge business during the summer months from retirees out of AZ wanting to see the sights up North.

As for predictions:
More bag fees,
More service out of STS
QX gets an OK to fly out of Paine Field
fewer MVP and GMVPs as the economy continues to grind on Business Travel.....

FAIPDXFlyer

My predictions:

1. QX will finally get the okay to serve PAE.
2. AS will expand PDX-Hawai'i service with KOA and LIH added.
3. QX will add PDX-YYC to compete against QK.
4. AS will add PDX-AUS non-stop.
5. AS will announce service to one additional city
6. Bag fees will be slightly higher, though not as high as DL's newely implemented fees.
7. AS will sign a mileage reciprocal agreement with Icelandair.

~FAI PDX Flyer

98103

Longshot: Alaska and Hawaiian will merge although they will struggle with a new name that suits the new route map stretching from Boston to Manila and from Barrow to Sydney. Given their locations on most maps of the United States there will be great fanfare with the announcement of the new See Inset Airways

Tide_from_PAE

My Predictions:

1. QX finally starts serving PAE with PDX and GEG service as others have mentioned.
2. SEA-ATL goes to 2x daily. The flight attendants on my last flight were hoping for this and many passengers were too. I don't know the loads on this flight, but it seems quite popular and fills a gap in the DL schedule.
3. DL encourages AS to take over some more of its SEA/PDX-DL Hub flying. I'm not thinking AS will become the next Ted and we'll be flying "Alaska for Delta," but I could see SEA-MEM/DTW. Where the aircraft would come from, idk.
4. Another theme plane for AS and more college planes for QX, maybe one for Cal or Stanford if SJC becomes more of a hub.
5. No AA upgrades in 2010, but maybe priority boarding and more connections via DFW and ORD.

*My predictions came from observations, the AS forum, and what I would like to happen.

maokh

Yes, more themed aircraft. I hope a Highline Community College Q400 is in the works Its practically the official college of seatac airport since its nearly at the end of the runway.

dgwright99

SAN-SJC would be nice. With AA gone, WN now has that route as a monopoly.

Chugach

1. The last remaining PDX-DEN on AS will be cut and replaced with a second PDX-ORD frequency. Although if AS drops PDX-DEN, I wouldn't be surprised if it were replaced with a QX CR7.

2. Depending on aircraft availability, I could foresee a PDX-EWR happening in the near future.

3. More Hawaii from across the west coast.

4. A second daily SEA-IAH that is better timed for connections from ANC and FAI.

5. A continued slow, systematic drawback in the smaller Pac-NW markets by QX. If I had to guess, I'd say ALW is up next on the review list.

6. Wild guesses at potential new destinations: PHL, ITO, and either SJO or BZE.

ANC

I wish AS would move to the group boarding method. Primarily because then instead of announcing partner elites may board they could actually group AS MVP and partner DL elites in the same group. Im somewhat sick of DL being the only airline that respects AS partnership and being treated like crap on AA yet AS lets AA elites board when they call "partner elites" Any partner that wont give us some kind of courtesy or respect shouldnt be granted it on AS then either. Im not against AA not honoring an AS elite but if thats going to be the case it should be equal on both sides thats all

massiek

This is ABSOLUTELY the BEST thread I've read in several months. THANKS Everyone!!!