PDXPremier

Yeah, they seem to be in no rush....and with the two airlines remaining separate products, the traveling public, when thinking of VX will not be thinking of AS.

jimmygottfredson

One event of many in the entire process. The acquisition was announced at the beginning of April, and it's been a soap opera until DOJ gave approval earlier this month. You could tell that was the hold up because a lot of news has happened since then.

It was surprising to have reciprocal benefits announce with the closing of the acquisition. It looks as if that will be a faster part of the integration. Other parts (like how to meld the brands or SOC) will take longer.

bofc

If VX elites receive elite AS benefits - but that arrangement is not reciprocated - it will be an enormous strategic error on Alaska's part. Yes they need to be welcoming to elite VX passengers. But if they so blatantly stick it to their most loyal pre-merger customers they will see these valuable passengers flocking to other options (and there ARE other options). AS upgrades will now be harder to get but as a Gold 75K elite I'll be in a middle seat unless I pay $$$ on VX? Unacceptable.

Mauibaby2008

I really went out of my way this year to secure MVP Gold. I hope it isn't a mistake, with this merger and all.

I went ahead and signed up for the virgin wines promotion, 15 bottles of cheap wine and 2000 VA points, which will hopefully become 3000 AS, For $86 after taxes.

Any other VA promotions to be taken advantage of before the merger?

eponymous_coward

I've bought/used points for tickets on VX with zero status a number of times since Main Cabin Express was a thing. Haven't sat in a middle seat yet.

I realize that this is probably the wrong approach on FT though...


You realize you can buy 5k AS miles for $100 with an AS ticket without buying additional plonk, right? Up to 10k with any ticket. And you don't have to make assumptions on what the VX->AS exchange rate will be...

Mauibaby2008

Yeah I know, I run a bed and breakfast and always give my guests a bottle of wine anyways, so I'm just killing two birds with one stone here. Thought it was a fine deal. 15 bottles of wine @ $5.73 each and a free 2-3k miles that I value pretty highly

BarryL

So since AS.com will be able to book VX tickets next week, will we get EQMs for VX booked flights on AS Mileage Plan?

ashill

They haven't published the earning charts, but they've announced that there will be reciprocal earning on Monday. I can't imagine that won't include AS EQMs for VX flights.

jediwho

Did you get the miles from the wine purchase? I did the same thing three or so years ago for 3,000 Virgin Atlantic miles and never got them despite a few calls and emails.

Baze

The announcement does not say anything about EQM's either way so I would not count on earning AS EQM's on VX flights or vice versa until it is specifically announced. I say this also based on the VX people being told they could join AS MP and will get a status match so they can earn on AS.

jinglish

Can you name any Alaska partners that allow us elite benefits but don't provide ANY EQMs? There aren't any, so why on earth would AS not allow us to earn miles on a fellow AAG subsidiary? (Missy has said that earning charts will be posted next week, by the way.)

I know FTers are prone to wild speculation, but some of the concerns I've seen relating to this acquisition are just silly.

Baze

I am just posting what I read (or rather didn't read), it does not say anything about earning EQM's. I did not say you wouldn't, just that it did not say. All it mentioned about elite things is priority boarding and check in. I try not to read things into statements that may or may not be there. So until someone flies then posts they got EQM's or an official announcement is made .... Just saying. And if you do get them, will they be miles based or revenue based? Not enough was announced in this regard.

PDXPremier

+1....The REAL elite benefits that were mentioned basically applied to VX elites not AS elites...the priority check-in and boarding are token benefits compared to free baggage, preferred seating, upgrades, and EQMs.

jinglish

Yeah, the rates are still up in the air--I'd like 100% for all discount Y fares, obviously, but we'll see--but come on. "We own this airline and it's our partner and you get elite perks, but you can't actually earn any miles flying them" isn't a thing.

Baze

Believe what you want to believe and we all hope you are right. Many airlines have partners that only give redeemable miles and no EQM's. They may not have incorporated anything into the system yet to track them and are working on it. So, like I said, until someone flies and posts they got them or there is some kind of official announcement, don't hold your breath. And they did announce that for the time being, VX is it's own entity, it is just owned by the same group that owns AS and they are still deciding what the future is. So, in theory, yes, any miles flown on VX should count towards status. But they haven't said so yet. Also, if they do, do they count towards all AS status or partner status. None of this has been announced yet. I would guess they will be making announcements to these regards over the coming weeks. But incorporating an airline does not happen overnight.