Entertainment Tablets Only on Hawaii, NYC & DC Area, FL and BOS Routes (11/1/2018)

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Oct 24, 2018, 8:23 pm

#91

BOB W

Original Poster

Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Anchorage, AK

Programs: Lifetime AS 1MM & MVPG, AS MVPG100K, AA, DL, HH-G

Posts: 8,251

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eastbay1K

As someone who has played the mileage game for 32 years, who is almost as old and bitter as BOB W

I don't consider myself as being that old......

Oct 24, 2018, 9:03 pm

#92

BearX220

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jul 1999

Location: ORD/MDW

Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI

Posts: 19,719

Quote:

Originally Posted by rune87

Alaska is acting like they want to be a big dog. The reality is they sit in this weird middle ground. Not quite budget carrier, not quite Big 3. Mid-level with eroding benefits.

Stripping away amenities and benefits, and reducing overall utility of the AS network so it's of little use to people living outside the SEA-PWM-SFO corridor or in Alaska, is a curious strategy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tack

Using your phone works too. Just saying.

Some of us don't want to. Don't like running the battery down, don't like the security risk, don't like cords everywhere, don't like squinting to watch a big movie on a 3-inch screen. Sorry to see the DigiPlayers grow scarce. I am pleased to see DL committing to integrated IFE.

Oct 24, 2018, 10:18 pm

#93

BW Flyer

Join Date: Oct 2005

Location: SEA

Programs: AS G100K, DL PM, IHG Gold, HHonors Diamond

Posts: 843

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly18725

The hubris of FlyerTalkers never ceases to amaze. Although incredibly internet savvy, they believe IFE is more important than better schedules or networks to retain their VVIP business.

Wait, are you promoting DL here in this AS forum since you were talking about better schedules and networks? Either way, if I believed IFE was more important or network schedules or networks were more important, I would be a Palt or diamond medallion long time ago, thank you for the reminder.

Oct 25, 2018, 12:12 am

#94

VegasGambler

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Oct 2014

Posts: 10,904

It's safe to say that different things are important to different people. I never use IFE, whether it's tablet or seat back format. Between Netflix and Amazon I have all the media I want, and most of it can be downloaded. There is generally power available on the plane and I don't travel without cables...

But if someone generally uses it, then I don't see why it wouldn't be a factor for them in deciding which airline to take..

Eastbay1K, TXguy and be_rettSEA like this.

Oct 25, 2018, 1:32 am

#95

Calculon

Join Date: Aug 2013

Programs: Alaska MVP Gold

Posts: 917

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearX220

Stripping away amenities and benefits, and reducing overall utility of the AS network so it's of little use to people living outside the SEA-PWM-SFO corridor or in Alaska, is a curious strategy.

Some of us don't want to. Don't like running the battery down, don't like the security risk, don't like cords everywhere, don't like squinting to watch a big movie on a 3-inch screen. Sorry to see the DigiPlayers grow scarce. I am pleased to see DL committing to integrated IFE.

A phone with a 3” screen is probably so old that it wouldn’t be capable of playing video anyway. Even the first iPhone was 3.5”.

I personally prefer my iPad combined with wireless noise-cancelling headphones over any IFE (ZERO cords). Well, unless that system includes good headphones, but that’s rare outside of long-haul J or F.

So whether Alaska removes it or Delta installs more of it is no biggie for me. It is literally dead weight at my seat.

Oct 25, 2018, 7:42 am

#96

BearX220

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jul 1999

Location: ORD/MDW

Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI

Posts: 19,719

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calculon

I personally prefer my iPad combined with wireless noise-cancelling headphones over any IFE (ZERO cords). Well, unless that system includes good headphones, but that’s rare outside of long-haul J or F.

You do you. To each his own. For me, it's simpler, cheaper, and a lower security risk to just fly Delta or JetBlue than go out and buy $1,000 worth of new electronics, haul it everywhere, and download apps via dubious connections.

Eastbay1K and TXguy like this.

Oct 25, 2018, 9:32 am

#97

be_rettSEA

Join Date: Mar 2016

Location: LAX

Programs: AS MVPG, IHG Diamond Elite

Posts: 1,445

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly18725

You don’t have a contract, in the remotest sense of the word, with AS for an entertainment tablet on specific routes as a G75K. If that’s why you achieved G75K status, you are a) a very trusting person, and b) ordained with a unique set of priorities. Unfortunately, I would conclude that any airline relationship will leave you disappointed.

And a reminder that in the very first part of the "contract" or program terms and conditions, Alaska states "Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan program may be modified by Alaska Airlines at any time".

Last edited by be_rettSEA; Oct 25, 2018 at 9:33 am Reason: typo

Oct 25, 2018, 9:56 am

#98

Eastbay1K

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jul 1999

Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA

Programs: Jumbo mas

Posts: 38,621

Quote:

Originally Posted by be_rettSEA

And a reminder that in the very first part of the "contract" or program terms and conditions, Alaska states "Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan program may be modified by Alaska Airlines at any time".

Yes, we all know this. And unfortunately, higher courts have upheld these contracts of adhesion, where you can pay for something for years with a corporate promise of "we'll give you this and that" and when they don't, you have no recourse. Try and run your own business like that ... but back to more specifically the topic at hand. Some of us like various products and services that an airline provides us. Some of us don't care one way or the other. What I don't particularly appreciate is a "waaaaah, get over it attitude" when some of us are disappointed with a removal or reduction of a service. That is the point of all of this. We're experiencing a cutback of a product, "sold" to us for quite some time, with basically no notice. For those that don't care, or have the "get over it" attitude, one day your cutback will come. You can start singing that Disney song now:

♫ Some day cutbacks will come
Some day I'll find no love
And how tragic that moment will be
When the airline cutback comes to me ♫

PaperGlider likes this.

Oct 25, 2018, 10:26 am

#99

Calculon

Join Date: Aug 2013

Programs: Alaska MVP Gold

Posts: 917

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearX220

I still don’t understand what the security issue is that is a concern to you, and continue to be curious about it. But yes: “you do you” was also my point. Just sharing what I do and why I do it. But if you change your mind, please don’t go out and spend too much money... $1000 would be an insane price to pay for headphones and a video-capable tablet.

missydarlin and jinglish like this.

Oct 25, 2018, 11:32 am

#100

jinglish

Join Date: Jul 2015

Location: SEA

Programs: Hilton/Marriott Gold, Accor Silver

Posts: 2,036

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calculon

I know that GoGo was at one point issuing fake SSL certificates, but they stopped once a Google security engineer called them out for it on Twitter.

Calculon likes this.

Oct 25, 2018, 11:51 am

#101

VegasGambler

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Oct 2014

Posts: 10,904

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinglish

I know that GoGo was at one point issuing fake SSL certificates, but they stopped once a Google security engineer called them out for it on Twitter.

https://community.digicert.com/en/blogs.entry.html/2015/01/08/gogo-inflight-internet-is-intentionally-issuing-fake-ssl-certificates.html

In fairness, you get a pop up telling you that the cert is bogus. In other words, you don't need to be a security engineer to figure it out.

So, yes, they issue fake certs, but your device knows they are fake. This isn't really a security issue -- the system is working as intended.

What really happened here is that someone was trying to access YouTube on the plane (which gogo doesn't allow) and this is how gogo blocks it. There are definitely better solutions to the problem, but this isn't the security issue that it's made out to be.

Calculon likes this.

Oct 25, 2018, 1:32 pm

#102

sltlyamusd

Join Date: May 2003

Location: SFO, mostly

Posts: 2,204

Quote:

Originally Posted by eponymous_coward

B6 has NYC as a hub to draw passengers from (top premium market in the world). AS doesn't, just SFO and LAX (which puts them at a disadvantage to everyone on premium transcon; the Big 3 have hubs on TWO sides of NYC-California (UA for SFO/EWR, everyone for LAX/JFK/EWR), B6 has the bigger hub in NYC vs. SFO/LAX). VX's F product was getting long in the tooth by the time the merger showed up; AS would have likely had to commit to a Mint-esque product refresh with lie-flats. Their beancounters did the beancounting (and presumably have better exposure to VX's financials than all the FT EVPs of Revenue Management and Operations) and went "nope, let's do 40 inch pitch in F with recliners fleetwide and call it good".

I might note that this is a better hard product than AA's Project Oasis rollout and DL F (pitchwise). We'll see if it gets a death of a thousand cuts. But it doesn't even exist as a product yet for pmVX (0 planes configured for it), and there's still work on the pmAS side too (0 planes in final config).

Agree that 41 inch pitch is better than AA UA DL 737/A320s. And the pictures of the new F seats look very nice. Look forward to trying one out!

Nov 6, 2018, 5:00 pm

#103

Seattlite

Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: All over

Programs: MR, HH, DL, ALK

Posts: 136

Death of the Alaska Tablet IFE?!

In an extraordinary recent change (to me anyway), our SEA-RDU / return flight today was without IFE tablets. FA announcement to use the Gogo app and apologized for any confusion / different expectations. This is my first flight this year on AS with an intentional removal of IFE tablets. Have you witnessed this in other AS flights this year? It seems like something new this week.