rustykettel

Flying STL-SEA back in May, the two FAs spent the entire boarding time in the galley chatting with their back to the boarding pax. Not even the usual "Hi" "Welcome" greetings. A new low, and thankfully rare so far.

I just don't get why AS won't adopt actual flyer friendly policies from VX like PDBs, but instead things like installing speakers in airports to blare music at pax.

Flying for Fun

I am not talking about the water bottles. I am talking about serving an alcoholic PDB, hence the 50 ml size (aprrox 2 oz) I referenced. More than one here has mentioned wanting something stronger and were upset they had to wait for the 10,000' ding!

The OP referenced not getting an alcoholic PDB. "No more Pre-Flight Drinks in F" Nice title to catch your attention but misleading. Other than Hawaii, I am unaware of any alcoholic PDB service on any AS non Airbus flights and certainly on none that I have taken. I did not see a reference to no water bottles. I flew F on Aug 4th & 5th and received water bottles AND orange juice. So it appears as of August 1st AS is no longer providing an alcoholic PDB in F on Airbus Equipment to bring it inline with the rest of the fleet. That is a whole lot different than proclaiming "No more Pre-Flight drinks in F"

If you are referencing the Mini Dasani water bottles, that is a whole topic on its own. Americans use about 50 BILLION plastic water bottles a year. Unfortunately, only about 23% are recycled leaving 38 BILLION bottles which equates to $1,000,000,000, yes $1 BILLION, worth of wasted plastic annually, never mind the environmental impact.

Did you know that the manufacturing process of making a water bottle takes 3 times as much water as the bottle can hold? Scary!

James

keitherson

Flyertalkers collectively probably have the carbon footprint of China in all honesty

Flying for Fun

If you aren't happy with the garbage F product then why do you care about a PDB? You don't have to accept an upgrade, opt out when you purchase your ticket. But, wait? Why are you even purchasing an AS ticket? That is what I don't understand. Why Fly AS if AA/UA/DL/B6 are all so much better? Be a free Agent, you don't need Status. Heaven forbid you get a meaningless upgrade.

How about you pick up the tab for a week? It can't be that much money! Your beloved VX is GONE. It was going even if AS or B6 didn't purchase it. The VX model did not work and was unsustainable. Should AS change nothing and see if they can make it work?

There is still a lot of change to come, do yourself a favor and let go. VX is GONE, if AS doesn't work for you move on.

James

channa

When a large portion of your historical customer base ignores most factors and makes their ticket purchases based on the location of a company's headquarters, things like price or competitiveness don't really matter.


Any many do it with a shorter boarding time. AS has, in many cases, 10 more minutes than their competitors to complete this task.


While it won't be undone, I think your basis may be misguided. If it weren't financially viable, nobody would have paid $2.6 billion in cash for it.

jinglish

Huh? If VX's product were sustainable, the investors wouldn't have put it up for sale in the first place, and AS would probably be leaving the airline basically as-is or even assuming the brand identity themselves. It's pretty clear at this point that they bought VX for the planes and gates and to stop B6 from developing a stronger west coast presence overnight, not because they wanted to emulate VX business practices.

AS737

I can assure you that this is not an AS policy. Before 10am it's coffee/OJ. Nothing after 10am unless Hawaii though. To Hawaii it's POG/POG mimosas. Flight attendants can't do any other alcohol on the ground

Gig103

I haven't been on an AS flight in a few years (once I earned AA status I started having free bags and preferred seating), but what I do remember about AS is that they offered me F upgrades for $50/pp at OLCI on multiple trips which was worth it in a heartbeat. When my AA status expires I might go back to AS for the cheap F seats to see family in Portland, even if they aren't giving me a PDB anymore.

But yeah, if I was paying full price for F, and I knew the competition offered PDBs, has more pitch, and IFE on Delta, then it would be a tougher sell and would boil down to the MVP program.

VXforever

James, you sure sound like fun. Has it crossed your arrogant mind that AS maybe isn't the king of the skies? What's wrong with wishing we had a better F cabin? Before you berate VX and it's supporters, I'll note that DL among others have done a good job keeping their F service above the level of AS. I'm not saying the VX F product is the only good option -- i'm saying we should be holding Alaska accountable for blending the products and picking and choosing the better aspects of both, as they promised. Offering PDBs in F? A relatively inexpensive perk that brings AS F product closer in quality to the US3? Yes, please. Why you all think that PDB's in F should be reserved for Hawaii flights is beyond me. I shouldn't have to clarify here but in light of your earlier posts, I apparently do: i'm referring to alcoholic PDBs, not just juice/coffee/water.

I care about the PDB because having it is one small (very small indeed) thing that makes the product notably better - I'd argue the value added is greater than the cost to provide it. It's nice to have a quick drink before take off, especially if the F cabin is garbage (not becausethe F cabin is garbage).

Almost anyone will prefer a wider seat in F to a narrower seat in Y. My universal preference for a wider seat in F does not mean I believe AS F is a good product. Why would I opt out of the chance for a wider seat? Surely you must be kidding.

Meanwhile, for however long AS prices F significantly about Y or otherwise monetizes upgrades, I'll be chiming in about the value of AS F relative to its peers.

Surely you have to be kidding. Unlike you, who apparently lives in an AS bubble and doesn't want people from the outside shining the light on it revealing how bad it is, I don't have to purchase an AS ticket. To help you understand why I do, see below.

Sometimes their frequency is better than UA or DL. Sometimes the cost of a particular flight is better than alternatives at a similar time. Sometimes its the only mainline flight on a route. Those are just some of the reasons. Don't worry -- AS is definitely not my first choice of carrier.


You're right, i don't need status on AS (or status at all). Certainly won't be going out of my way to keep it this year, that's for sure. If it weren't for the somewhat strong redemption programme, I'd leave Mileage Plan and never look back.

Better I have the meaningless upgrade than you, I suppose. Heaven forbid the seats get taken by someone complacent with the status quo.

The cost is minimal. Why would I pick up the tab for a week? In what world does a single customer pick up the entire cost of an amenity for a corporation? If I had, for instance, a drink company, I would sponsor PDB service on AS for a week or month or so. It'd be a great way to get my name out there in a positive light to folks accustomed to flying AS F and are blissfuly unaware that other airlines offer PDBs in F. It's standard now -- not a bonus. Expected, not a "nice to have".

Yes, I know. Too bad, so sad -- really. Why you feel the need to rub this in the face of anyone who says something positive about VX is beyond me. It's like rubbing a grieving persons face in the ashes of a loved one. I get that it's gone, but if AS says they're picking the best elements of both brands to build a West Coast powerhouse, damn right will I expect them to stay true to their word and do so -- for instance by adopting VX PDB practice and brining the 737/RJ fleet up to par rather than lowering service standards on the Airbus fleet.

Okay - we can debate the inevitable future of VX ad nauseam but I don't see how that's relevant to AS PDB service in F (or the lack thereof).

Perhaps we can't adopt anything hook, line, and sinker from VX because "it was unsustainable". Since people like you exist, instead I would propose that we find settle on something in between water and full drink service. How about inexpensive wine/OJ/coffee/water like they do in biz on international J flights to avoid duty/tarriffs on alcohol?

No, they should pick the best elements of both. See above. Refrain from asking stupid questions.

I've let go. I don't want to be frequently flying a product that's constantly being devalued. I stick to DL when possible because despite their SkyPesos devaluations, their service in F is consistent -- both between flights and over the years.

Do yourself a favor and quit proudly flaunting the fact that VX is gone to all of its former fans. I get that you're content with mediocrity, but you don't need to bash people for liking a good product.

1) Do you seriously need to repeat this? Perhaps you think I can't read. Yes, I get it: VX is gone.

2) Is it necessary to write "gone" in all caps? Perhaps you think using all caps means I won't mistake the words "gone" for "here forever". Perhaps you think using capitals will ensure that no one will doubt what you're saying, or that using capital letters makes what you're saying not only true but ~~**SuPeR DuPeR tRuE**~~. Don't insult my intelligence and use all caps when you can convey the point using bold or italic font instead.

VXforever

A great way to reduce the waste is not hand them out to begin with -- instead asking people what they want to drink and serving them something they want.

Oh no! Save the whales! I think you meant to say making a water bottle takes 3 times as much oil as the water bottle can hold, but I might be wrong. Either way, if we want to be environmentalists, we have the wrong hobby here in aviation!



Bringing this discussion back on topic: it seem like OO flights are the best bet for PDB service, in large part because the Skywest FAs are trained not only to provide regional service for Alaska but also Delta, American, and possibly United too (not sure about the last one). All of the other carriers offer PDBs, so it's easy for the OO/Skywest FAs to mix up and offer AS/Skywest planes PDBs as well. It's a clear no-no on the Airbus fleet, reinforcing what we seemed to observe anecdotally on the Boeing fleet.

Cheers,
Adrian

Klrduks

"A great way to reduce the waste is not hand them out to begin with -- instead asking people what they want to drink and serving them something they want."

THIS!! +++

fly18725

The line gets parroted a lot because it is true, airline management knows exactly what they're doing. Of course, like us, they are human and can fail to foresee the impact of some decisions. Regardless, the people running the airlines have more data, insight, and expertise than the customers.

Eastbay1K

(1) Actually, it is about 3x the water, based upon what I've read. It is extremely wasteful. But that is not the point (as we've both mentioned). If people are drinking something else, they're likely not taking a water bottle.
On a DL (express) flight earlier this year, we not only had a PDB at the gate, with a substantial ground delay, we had another couple rounds offered, plus the snack basket. This was not special dispensation. This was common sense (subject to the captain saying to the FA there was time, plus would give her notice time to pick up). On AS, we'd have sat on the plane, parched, like seeing mirages in the desert, for the 90 minutes from embarkation to take off.

This is not "compare and contrast" with VX. This is about:
(1) Someone was surprised and disappointed that a post-merger service that had continued on the VX planes had suddenly stopped; and,
(2) A discussion that many would prefer a panoply of PDB choices, much as the competition generally offers.

I enjoy my PDB. And while sometimes it is only water, often it is not. Depending on the airport and gate, I've left the lounge 50 to 60 minutes prior to a flight these days, that is, if I've had a lounge. And before I hear "if you can't live without a drink for an hour ...,' that's also not the point. I can live easily without one. It is part of my First Class travel day. I enjoy one, or two, or three. And before the morality police comes out, no, I'm not binge drinking them. One on the ground is going to mean one less in the air some of the time. FA, do yourself a favor and bring me my PDB on a flight where I'm going to want to rest my eyes so I can start resting them sooner and not have to get up to the galley or ring my call bell during the flight and interrupt the most challenging sudoku you've ever seen.

There's enough noise in this and other fora regarding PDBs that it is an issue of import for many.

jrl767

NWAlaskaFlyer

Several people didn't seem to appreciate my perspective. I have only ever had PDB on a coach entry bird so my experience in this area is limited. I can't see an effective way to do seat by seat request and service while sharing the aisle with boarding passengers. I am sure it can be done but I probably wouldn't enjoy it if I were an FA. That said, I definitely would like it as a passenger at times.