[Speculation] Who should be the next AS partner?
Sep 22, 2017, 6:36 am
#78
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,485
Why?
WN went from being an airline flying to 3 cities in Texas to the way they are today with zero partnerships with legacy airlines. AS has obviously chosen growth over partnerships and staying in a PNW niche with the VX purchase. So why can't we see if they grow?
Quite frankly B6 doesn't bring much to the table to AS, nor does AS for B6. A lot of transcon action is SfO/LAX-NYC. Obviously AS and B6 are competing there. Both airlines have weak presence midcon and off their coasts. There isn't a ton of pax flow Pacific NW connecting out of South Florida or OUT of NYC (SEA-JFK to someplace like say ORF isn't a great connection compared to ORD, and B6 isn't really building JFK as a connecting hub for AS pax). A dumbbell shaped network that treats 90% of the US as flyover country (or forces backtracking connections) isn't a great network.
WN went from being an airline flying to 3 cities in Texas to the way they are today with zero partnerships with legacy airlines. AS has obviously chosen growth over partnerships and staying in a PNW niche with the VX purchase. So why can't we see if they grow?
Quite frankly B6 doesn't bring much to the table to AS, nor does AS for B6. A lot of transcon action is SfO/LAX-NYC. Obviously AS and B6 are competing there. Both airlines have weak presence midcon and off their coasts. There isn't a ton of pax flow Pacific NW connecting out of South Florida or OUT of NYC (SEA-JFK to someplace like say ORF isn't a great connection compared to ORD, and B6 isn't really building JFK as a connecting hub for AS pax). A dumbbell shaped network that treats 90% of the US as flyover country (or forces backtracking connections) isn't a great network.
There are areas I do think AS and B6 could cooperate on, since they have not that many competing routes and are attacked by WN and DL domestically.
For example, B6 has imo the nicest terminal experience at JFK and is looking to expand with T6 and T7. It could certainly work with and including AS as part of the terminal arrangement. I heard rumour that AS and B6 will move to Marine air terminal at LGA. And I keep reading how terrible AS gates are at BOS, maybe B6 can share a gate or 2 with AS there. Same with MCO once B6 moves to terminal C, which will probably be the nicest terminal. Over at west coast, B6 could move to AS terminal at SFO and have a couple of nice looking gates there instead of international terminal. Not sure about LAX, since both are really constrained for space there. But maybe they can share gates at some of the secondary airports like BUR or SNA (if B6 gets slots there).
Sep 22, 2017, 4:18 pm
#79
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
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But they have a burger...
Sep 22, 2017, 4:27 pm
#80
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: SEA
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Oct 17, 2017, 11:21 am
#83
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: The Internet
Programs: Alaska Mileage Plan
Posts: 714
Having flown them, I can certainly appreciate their unique fleet. Good connections at PEK via Alaska partner Hainan as well. Plus, ever since Alaska stopped flying to Vladivostok, there haven't been any good options to get there via Alaska partners. This totally has potential.
Oct 17, 2017, 6:16 pm
#84
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SEA, NW/DL 1.6Million Miler
Programs: DL 1MM Annual Silver,AS 100K 22-24, AS 75K 15-21
Posts: 4,278
BA vs. Norwegian....
Norwegian's nonstop to London Gatwick is becoming attractive, but AS likely wouldn't want to jeopardize already established long-term relationship with BA. Oh well...
Jiburi
Norwegian's nonstop to London Gatwick is becoming attractive, but AS likely wouldn't want to jeopardize already established long-term relationship with BA. Oh well...
Jiburi
Oct 17, 2017, 6:21 pm
#85
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Legacy airlines tend to use miles or something resembling that. LCC/ULCCs tend to have currency-based earning and redemption. It's hard to partner between the two because of the "incompatibility" of "loyalty currency" types.
Oct 17, 2017, 7:11 pm
#86
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP , Delta Gold Medallion, "Credit Card" status for various hotels
Posts: 672
I thought the same thing. A new SFO flight seemed to be the impetus to the Finnair partnership. Maybe Iberia is next?
Oct 17, 2017, 7:32 pm
#87
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Iberian is only 3x weekly for 4 months, I hardly see this as being a deciding factor in becoming partners for 1 seasonal flight and 1 flight out of LAX, which already has AA feed.
Oct 17, 2017, 7:33 pm
#88
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
Also, it's trickier partnering with an LCC/ULCC when you're a legacy airline. The furthest "down" AS seem to have gone so far in partners is Iceland Air, which is sort of halfway between a legacy and an LCC perhaps. But Norwegian's solidly in LCC/ULCC land.
Legacy airlines tend to use miles or something resembling that. LCC/ULCCs tend to have currency-based earning and redemption. It's hard to partner between the two because of the "incompatibility" of "loyalty currency" types.
Legacy airlines tend to use miles or something resembling that. LCC/ULCCs tend to have currency-based earning and redemption. It's hard to partner between the two because of the "incompatibility" of "loyalty currency" types.
Oct 17, 2017, 8:11 pm
#89
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP , Delta Gold Medallion, "Credit Card" status for various hotels
Posts: 672
My understanding is that Finnair also flies a 3x weekly seasonal service to SFO, but maybe this has changed?
Oct 17, 2017, 8:38 pm
#90
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
No you are correct from May-September, I am still surprised by this, but also AY is planning on expanding more rapidly than IB, but I am still shocked at the partnership with AS. Any consolation, AY plans on flying to PVR in November.