Jul 6, 2017, 8:16 am
Last edit by: rustykettel
Link to Official AS Blog Post
Major points from this thread and from missydarlin:
Link to share your feedback with Alaska Airlines:
https://www.alaskaair.com/feedback
Discussion in the American Airlines forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...an-2018-a.html
Major points from this thread and from missydarlin:
- Effective Jan 1, 2018, domestic AA-marketed flights will not earn any Mileage Plan miles. AS-marketed, AA-operated codeshares will continue to earn AS miles at the AS earning rate (ie a minimum of one mile earned per mile flown). Domestic flights marketed by other partners (eg BA) and operated by AA will no longer earn AS miles. Post-Jan 1 flights booked prior to Jul 6, 2017 may be submitted for mileage credit.
- International AA flights (including US-Canada and US-Mexico) will continue to earn AS miles. Domestic AA flights which connect to international flights will not earn miles. It will remain impossible to book international AA-operated flights through Alaska to get an AS codeshare or an AS-operated domestic feeder flight.
- Reciprocal elite status benefits (waived checked bag fees, preferred/MCE seat assignments, priority boarding) between AA and AS go away Jan 1, 2018. Seat assignments made prior to Jan 1 for post-Jan 1 flights will remain.
- The reciprocal lounge access arrangment between AA and AS will not change.
- AA will remain a mileage redemption partner of AS with only relatively minor tweaks to the award chart (some increases, some decreases).
Link to share your feedback with Alaska Airlines:
https://www.alaskaair.com/feedback
Discussion in the American Airlines forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...an-2018-a.html
AS and AA Partnership Changes (Effective 1 January 2018)
Jul 10, 2017, 12:57 pm
#331
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: SEA and wherever else I can get to
Programs: AS MVPG -> MVP -> now nothing, DL SM, Global Entry
Posts: 62
Jul 10, 2017, 1:01 pm
#332
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,067
The business decision will be how they react. Do they sweeten the pot elsewhere? Do they fill in some of the gaps? Do they add frequencies to AA hubs to narrow the gaps? Do they expedite the Elite benefits on VX? Or do they choose to fail to acknowledge this massive hole that's been created?
Jul 10, 2017, 1:49 pm
#334
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,067
Jul 10, 2017, 2:02 pm
#335
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Treasure Coast, FL
Programs: DL Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, HH Diamond, Avis Preferred Plus, National Executive
Posts: 4,578
Jul 10, 2017, 2:49 pm
#336
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: SEA and wherever else I can get to
Programs: AS MVPG -> MVP -> now nothing, DL SM, Global Entry
Posts: 62
Jul 10, 2017, 2:56 pm
#337
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
SFO is not going to be AS's best hub full stop -- SEA will be the primary and most important hub by a long shot. Condor will not start SFO either, LH simply won't allow that. If Condor wants to serve the Bay Area it will be OAK or SJC (with LH dropping the SJC Cityline flight).
There will not be a lot for AS/VX to add at SFO to turn SFO into a 200-300 flights per day hub - T2 only has 14 gates and like LAX many airlines want more gates at SFO, but there aren't any. The Terminal 1 redevelopment is not adding more gates, so all gates at SFO are accounted for and there will not be room for significant growth other than upgauging aircraft or increasing gate utilization (good luck with that knowing SFO).
You listed a ton of international airlines serving SFO - and my simple opinion they do not mean much when AS status means nothing in IROPs. Trust me I learned the hard way after several years and this is why I left AS for one of the US3. Being able to arrive at work with minimal delay vs spending overnights in hotels in random cities is a deal breaker for me.
Not trying to put a damper on anything here -- if AS/VX's small route network works for you then great and you definitely should stick with AS. However, you are in the minority here as evidenced with majority of SFO based frequent flyers using UA.
There will not be a lot for AS/VX to add at SFO to turn SFO into a 200-300 flights per day hub - T2 only has 14 gates and like LAX many airlines want more gates at SFO, but there aren't any. The Terminal 1 redevelopment is not adding more gates, so all gates at SFO are accounted for and there will not be room for significant growth other than upgauging aircraft or increasing gate utilization (good luck with that knowing SFO).
You listed a ton of international airlines serving SFO - and my simple opinion they do not mean much when AS status means nothing in IROPs. Trust me I learned the hard way after several years and this is why I left AS for one of the US3. Being able to arrive at work with minimal delay vs spending overnights in hotels in random cities is a deal breaker for me.
Not trying to put a damper on anything here -- if AS/VX's small route network works for you then great and you definitely should stick with AS. However, you are in the minority here as evidenced with majority of SFO based frequent flyers using UA.
T1 Area B (when done in mid 2019) will have 17 gates which is enough to free up more space in the South International terminal, and with AA moving there, will also free up the four gates that AA is currently using in gate area C (where DL is). If AS/VX grows once T1, Area C is opened, expect them to take part of the spruced up area C that AA will not have. Access to 14-18 gates is more than enough to run a reasonable sized domestic operation.
Jul 10, 2017, 3:16 pm
#339
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Bonvoy Platinum, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,809
Before this announcement, I was deciding if I wanted to pay $3,500 to requal for MVPG. However, with this announcement I'm probably not going to requal as AS doesn't fly everywhere I need to go which is why I valued the benefits on AA. So, I wouldn't getmuch value in the benefits, I'd be better off paying for everything that I valued (ex. waived change fees). Only exception to this is if I find some really amazing MR runs.
Jul 10, 2017, 3:25 pm
#340
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: SEA and wherever else I can get to
Programs: AS MVPG -> MVP -> now nothing, DL SM, Global Entry
Posts: 62
Before this announcement, I was deciding if I wanted to pay $3,500 to requal for MVPG. However, with this announcement I'm probably not going to requal as AS doesn't fly everywhere I need to go which is why I valued the benefits on AA. So, I wouldn't getmuch value in the benefits, I'd be better off paying for everything that I valued (ex. waived change fees). Only exception to this is if I find some really amazing MR runs.
Last edited by flatdawgs; Jul 10, 2017 at 4:28 pm Reason: clarification of hopes for AS/AA codeshare travel in the future
Jul 10, 2017, 3:35 pm
#341
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Queens!
Programs: Alaska Mileage Plan, Marriott Bonvoy, NEXUS
Posts: 334
I'm still going to push to re-qual for 75k; the 50k miles (plus whatever I earn during the 5-7k EQMs I have to MR) make it worthwhile. But I won't have status for 2019 or beyond.
Jul 10, 2017, 4:12 pm
#342
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: RSW
Programs: Delta - Silver; UA - Silver; HHonors - Diamond; IHG - Spire Ambassador; Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium
Posts: 14,185
With what I've already got booked, I'll be close enough to gold that it will be worth-while fulfilling it for next year. After that all bets are off.
Jul 10, 2017, 4:20 pm
#343
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Berkeley, CA
Programs: UA Silver, Southwest A-List, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 818
SFO based and in a similar tough spot. I liked MVP for the priority seating on AS and AA and the option of buying MCE seats at 1/2 off when I wanted them. My flights were a mix of about 50-50 on each carrier. Going forward, the places I need to be for work don't mesh well with the schedule and network. For example, I need a redeye from SFO-MCO, which VX doesn't have and AS wants to sell me (either though SEA on AS or SEA and ORD on a mix of AS and AA codeshare) at the cost of a round trip from the legacies.
I am a MVP this year and will requal on booked travel. Initially, I was pretty annoyed at the change. However, I have come to terms with it and that I might not be the target market for MVP elite status. In 2018, I'll try to fly AS/VX where the cost and schedule are close enough to meet work requirements. For the other times, I might give United a try again, which I had abandoned just after the merger. If it is tolerable and I can get decent non-basic economy fares to the places I need to go, then I'll move all personal and business travel to them. With the Club Card, I can get decent benefits without having to chase elite status anymore. I can always buy E+ on my own dime as needed.
Guess I'll just wait and see how 2018 turns out.
I am a MVP this year and will requal on booked travel. Initially, I was pretty annoyed at the change. However, I have come to terms with it and that I might not be the target market for MVP elite status. In 2018, I'll try to fly AS/VX where the cost and schedule are close enough to meet work requirements. For the other times, I might give United a try again, which I had abandoned just after the merger. If it is tolerable and I can get decent non-basic economy fares to the places I need to go, then I'll move all personal and business travel to them. With the Club Card, I can get decent benefits without having to chase elite status anymore. I can always buy E+ on my own dime as needed.
Guess I'll just wait and see how 2018 turns out.
Jul 10, 2017, 5:53 pm
#344
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 658
I'm a little unclear how it works... does it just mean the flight has to have an AS code share, or does it have to be purchased through AS?
I travel a bit for work and we use a crummy internal system that won't always let me book AS. So if I took a flight through that system, and it has an AA flight#... will I be eligible for miles if it has an AS code share? Or since it's booking "directly" through AA will I not get any miles, even if AS flies it?
I really hope they're able to clearly publish it through qualifying flight #s to simplify things.
I travel a bit for work and we use a crummy internal system that won't always let me book AS. So if I took a flight through that system, and it has an AA flight#... will I be eligible for miles if it has an AS code share? Or since it's booking "directly" through AA will I not get any miles, even if AS flies it?
I really hope they're able to clearly publish it through qualifying flight #s to simplify things.
Jul 10, 2017, 5:59 pm
#345
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,582
I'm a little unclear how it works... does it just mean the flight has to have an AS code share, or does it have to be purchased through AS?
I travel a bit for work and we use a crummy internal system that won't always let me book AS. So if I took a flight through that system, and it has an AA flight#... will I be eligible for miles if it has an AS code share? Or since it's booking "directly" through AA will I not get any miles, even if AS flies it?
I really hope they're able to clearly publish it through qualifying flight #s to simplify things.
I travel a bit for work and we use a crummy internal system that won't always let me book AS. So if I took a flight through that system, and it has an AA flight#... will I be eligible for miles if it has an AS code share? Or since it's booking "directly" through AA will I not get any miles, even if AS flies it?
I really hope they're able to clearly publish it through qualifying flight #s to simplify things.
