Earn double miles flying nonstop coast to coast.
#46
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Anchorage, AK
Programs: Lifetime AS 1MM & MVPG, AS MVPG100K, AA, DL, HH-G
Posts: 8,259
#48
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, UA Gold 1MM (the unfriendly sky), Marriott Gold, Hyatt Exp, Hertz no longer
Posts: 64
The credit I received for a SFO-RDU I did on April 1 is:
EQM: 2400
RDM: 2400 + 2400 (100% bonus from promo) + 3000 (125% 75k) = 7800
#49
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
In some ways, the product is already better (catering, crews, quantity/selection of streaming video)...will be interesting to see if UA's move to dynamic awards makes the status/double miles promo more attractive to those who might otherwise view AS' schedule frequencies as deficient.
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
In some ways, the product is already better (catering, crews, quantity/selection of streaming video)...will be interesting to see if UA's move to dynamic awards makes the status/double miles promo more attractive to those who might otherwise view AS' schedule frequencies as deficient.
On Alaska you can buy a sandwich or cheese plate in E. On E+ you get a snack basket selection and free drinks. (nothing free in E-)
On JetBlue you get snack basket (free) in E-. Free wifi too, FWIW.
On AA you get a sandwich or cheese plate for free in E+, in addition to free drinks. Available for purchase in E-.
On UA you (apparently) get hot food for free in E+. I've never flown it but someone else posted that. Not sure about free drinks (I'm unsure if they give them on transon? In general they don't)
And doesn't DL give a free hot meal to all of economy on transcons?
For E-, I think it's between JetBlue and Delta. For E+, the big 3 all sound better, possibly with the exception of UA (again, not sure and the free drinks) AS seems to be near the bottom in both categories (E- and E+).
If you are flying F, I know that many people like the AS food. Personally I find it very hit and miss; I look at the menu and half the time I end up pre-ordering a cheese tray because none of the hot meals are anything I'd eat. On the other hand I've had some good meals as well (I really like their breakfasts, even if the portions are on the small side)
#51
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
How is catering better?
On Alaska you can buy a sandwich or cheese plate in E. On E+ you get a snack basket selection and free drinks. (nothing free in E-)
On JetBlue you get snack basket (free) in E-. Free wifi too, FWIW.
On AA you get a sandwich or cheese plate for free in E+, in addition to free drinks. Available for purchase in E-.
On UA you (apparently) get hot food for free in E+. I've never flown it but someone else posted that. Not sure about free drinks (I'm unsure if they give them on transon? In general they don't)
And doesn't DL give a free hot meal to all of economy on transcons?
For E-, I think it's between JetBlue and Delta. For E+, the big 3 all sound better, possibly with the exception of UA (again, not sure and the free drinks) AS seems to be near the bottom in both categories (E- and E+).
If you are flying F, I know that many people like the AS food. Personally I find it very hit and miss; I look at the menu and half the time I end up pre-ordering a cheese tray because none of the hot meals are anything I'd eat. On the other hand I've had some good meals as well (I really like their breakfasts, even if the portions are on the small side)
On Alaska you can buy a sandwich or cheese plate in E. On E+ you get a snack basket selection and free drinks. (nothing free in E-)
On JetBlue you get snack basket (free) in E-. Free wifi too, FWIW.
On AA you get a sandwich or cheese plate for free in E+, in addition to free drinks. Available for purchase in E-.
On UA you (apparently) get hot food for free in E+. I've never flown it but someone else posted that. Not sure about free drinks (I'm unsure if they give them on transon? In general they don't)
And doesn't DL give a free hot meal to all of economy on transcons?
For E-, I think it's between JetBlue and Delta. For E+, the big 3 all sound better, possibly with the exception of UA (again, not sure and the free drinks) AS seems to be near the bottom in both categories (E- and E+).
If you are flying F, I know that many people like the AS food. Personally I find it very hit and miss; I look at the menu and half the time I end up pre-ordering a cheese tray because none of the hot meals are anything I'd eat. On the other hand I've had some good meals as well (I really like their breakfasts, even if the portions are on the small side)
I will also admit that I am a lifelong fan of DL, having grown up in the south, and were money/miles no object, I would be in first/D1 on every (domestic) trip.
#52
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
LONGER FLIGHTS
On international routes and select domestic routes, you’ll enjoy a complimentary meal in Main Cabin.
My understanding is that this is a hot meal. I've never flown it though.
My main point here is that other airlines treat these transcons as "premium" routes and offer something extra or better than on other routes. AS does not.
For the next 8 months, they do offer double miles (which I actually prefer to a hot meal, by a long shot). But I don't think that you can conclude that the catering is better than other airlines on these routes.
#53
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
Perhaps there is no need?...I prefer AA's buy on board (or, in my dreams, DL's former transcon BoB cheeseburgers) to the "premium" meals offered on a complimentary basis. But if I can get a hot meal in a middle seat on a 10-across 777 from LAX to EWR, I might just try UA....one day.
#54
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: SAN
Programs: AS MVPG100K, UA Gold, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, National Exec
Posts: 320
https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...omy-class.html
LONGER FLIGHTS
On international routes and select domestic routes, you’ll enjoy a complimentary meal in Main Cabin.
My understanding is that this is a hot meal. I've never flown it though.
LONGER FLIGHTS
On international routes and select domestic routes, you’ll enjoy a complimentary meal in Main Cabin.
My understanding is that this is a hot meal. I've never flown it though.
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Perhaps there is no need?...I prefer AA's buy on board (or, in my dreams, DL's former transcon BoB cheeseburgers) to the "premium" meals offered on a complimentary basis. But if I can get a hot meal in a middle seat on a 10-across 777 from LAX to EWR, I might just try UA....one day.
Apparently I was wrong about the hot meal on DL (it's not hot) but it's still the equivalent of what you have to pay for on AS. And everyone (on any flight over 250 miles, not only on transcons) gets the snack basket offerings on DL... AS only offers those in Premium.
Basically, every other airline has watered down their FF program by going revenue-based. AS continues to give tons of miles but has cut corners elsewhere.
I'd rather get 2500 miles (5k as MVPG, and 7500 with this promo) on a $150 ticket than 750 miles (1250 with similar status) and a sandwich. So I'm not knocking AS here... If I'm flying economy, I'll buy food at the airport (or pay $9 for a sandwich on board) and take the 6k+ extra miles, thank you very much. But I'm not also going to claim that the catering is better.
As for streaming entertainment; I don't use IFE so I have no opinion on this. I bring media with me so I really don't know or care. I do know that I hate seat-back monitors that can't be turned off, or that turn themselves on to play ads. My only requirement for IFE is that I can successfully pretend it doesn't exist. I love bulkheads where it's in the armrest -- I leave it there for the duration of the flight.
As for crew... I haven't experienced bad crew on any airline, really. I've had uniformly good experiences on AS, but also on AA and UA, transcon or not. Reading FT tends to give a very bad impression of FAs, but I haven't experienced this, ever.
#56
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
Basically, every other airline has watered down their FF program by going revenue-based. AS continues to give tons of miles but has cut corners elsewhere....As for crew... I haven't experienced bad crew on any airline, really. I've had uniformly good experiences on AS, but also on AA and UA, transcon or not. Reading FT tends to give a very bad impression of FAs, but I haven't experienced this, ever.
I've had great crews on AA, as well as crews that only want to do the bare minimum (and some that are quite assertive at defining that bare minimum). The mileage program on AS is incontrovertibly great , but I don't feel, so far, that I am giving up a lot in exchange.
#57
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,848
...and when the introduction of saver fares and the cuts to other areas don’t work as expected, what do you think is next? Travel companies that give away lots of points when the economy is good usually end up using that as a precursor to a massive devaluation of the currency they just issued. If all the competitors have revenue based programs and AS is not outperforming with their current program, the investors will be pressuring for the point value to be slashed.
#58
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: NYC/PHX
Programs: IATA, Sabre, AvgeekAgent
Posts: 1,958
...and when the introduction of saver fares and the cuts to other areas don’t work as expected, what do you think is next? Travel companies that give away lots of points when the economy is good usually end up using that as a precursor to a massive devaluation of the currency they just issued. If all the competitors have revenue based programs and AS is not outperforming with their current program, the investors will be pressuring for the point value to be slashed.
Revenue miles, elite miles will eventually be a thing of the past, and rewards will be tied solely to $$ spent, like every other retailer. The airlines are figuring out how to apply the pareto principle more and more effectively. Right now, AS is a sweet spot, and I am happy to ride it out until the music stops.
Last edited by NYC Flyer; Apr 5, 2019 at 8:03 pm
#59
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,509
For DL, main cabin pax would get food, not hot food often (would depend on the time of the transcon flight).