Waitlisted

I’m nearly a million miler too, but those Delta miles the OP mentioned didn’t count towards those. With Alaska, it’s only on AS metal (and Horizon/Skywest AS flights) that count sadly, or I’d be pushing 2m.

VegasGambler

And most importantly the places I want to go are finally open (for the most part; still waiting on Japan)

NWAlaskaFlyer

I have had fairly good luck with FA attentiveness for the most part. This is exclusively F though so take that for what it is worth. I do agree Alaska is trying so this is probably just me being over the travel treadmill.

WestSideBilly

I don't think it's just you. Every step of the travel process is appreciable worse than it was 3 years ago. A lot of it is due to staffing shortages. But fares are more expensive (substantially in some cases), TSA lines are slogs because of being short staffed, and a lot of people have forgotten how to go thru them (including pre-check, where people are back to asking for bins and taking off shoes), the lounges don't have the full array they had a few years ago, there are more flight cancellations and when they happen re-booking is a huge PITA with hours long waits, airports are packed but a lot of restaurants and whatnot aren't open or are short-staffed, and if you get thru all that and get on a flight... it's just not the same. Some FAs, most even, are still great. But 2 years of getting yelled at for having to enforce a policy they themselves didn't necessarily like has clearly affected some FAs.

SeaLuggageLover

I really bristle when people use terms like, "low class" to describe other individuals. I understand that you are probably using this as yet another way to point out that some of your fellow passengers have bad manners, but terms like these have been historically weaponized against people who with limited financial means, people who work with their hands, etc. I realize that isn't what you're trying to say here but I wanted to share this to provide food for thought.

lalala

I am supposed to be flying a lot more, but it isn't happening (very ill parent, covid restrictions, ridiculous fares). I have given up hope of chasing status or even earning it organically through business travel. The schedule changes alone are enough to put me off -- I loved getting back to travel in 2021, but this year, I am at 30K flown and if I make it to 60K I'll be shocked.

UAPremierExec

"Committed to Kindness" was removed from everyone's name tags in like 2020 I believe, and its no longer taught as a CORE value. Now they're going to be replaced by pronouns, that shows you the direction of this "new" Alaska. Lack of concern or care all around (not just FAs). There are some fantastic AS staff, but it used to be that the surly ones were rare; now its rare to find a happy/smiling FA/gate agent/ticket agent. On a recent LAS/SEA flight, our FA couldn't be bothered to smile, look us in our eyes, he purposely looked up at you while talking to you, and while even blocking the forward galley area, no eye contact with anyone ,just stared up at the ceiling with a very very obvious bored/annoyed look on his face. Service was by the book, though. This is NOT the Alaska Airlines of 6, 7, 8 years ago.

Even a simple call to another gate is no longer part of their vocabulary (I asked them to call another gate to see if they are holding for connections or not, otherwise it was a 15 minute run to get that to that gate, and well, no, the GA at the arrival gate from my flight refused to call, said I'd make it... and nope, I did not. They closed the door at D:08. I got there at D:04. Pushback was at D -0:10 (seriously, they sat there for 14 minutes).

(and before I get blasted for the pronoun comment, I'm part of the LGBT community...)

noflysea

I will not be renewing my Alaska Visa card this fall when it’s up for renewal.

jiburi

I believe AS is still the same AS (like every airliner) but with an unfortunate different focus. Instead of trying to secure full load of passengers, the focus of every major airlines is securing enough pilots and attendant to operating the flight. It will be like this for forseeable future.

Jiburi

mtofell

I find the actual flying experience to be great on Alaska. Granted, I never flew a whole prior to Covid (maybe 1-2X/year) so I don't have a lot to compare it to. But, I now usually fly 2X/month and am overall very happy. My annoyances with Alaska have more to do with IT and general policy adherence (thing like boarding 100K with FC, etc.). Once on the plane and in the air I'm happy. Honestly, I can't ever remember encountering a single employee that was anything less than wonderful. I'm sure they are out there and maybe I have and just can't remember but overall one of Alaska's strong points seems to be their hiring and training.

Ford Fairlane

I've had great FAs and even GAs for the most part, and although some here have pointed out how FAs aren't all what they used to be, I think the OP was talking more about "everything else".

There's the rampant cancellation issue. There are the increased crowds. I'm not calling anyone low class (I'm sure I still get called that by some, my D-ex-W first and foremost), but here's my experience: I do think most of the irritants I've encountered this year with air travel are related to lots of less experienced flyers, less frequent flyers, not knowing "the rules".

I've gotten the impression that most of your air travel is anchored in OGG and PDX. At least theorhetically, try taking a trip to/back from CLE, CVG, MKE, OMA, IND, and other places in the Midwest. See the experience at those gates with infrequent flyers headed to Seattle to make a connection to Hawaii, or to board their first Alaskan cruise, or to visit relatives who moved out West. They panic. It's an unfamiliar or infrequent experience for them, the flight is full, the gate area is/seems crowded, and some seem terrified they'll miss the flight if they don't board RIGHT NOW. (For the record, I sprang from the Midwest, so I lay claim to KNOWING what those folks are thinking.)

I lived in China for some years, including places where people had to practically fight to get on both local and long distances buses (myself included, eventually). I'd see that same mentality there when it came to boarding planes in China, even though everyone had an assigned seat. Not a critique: scarcity of resources (or perceived scarcity) simply begets deeper survival instincts.

Flights I've had to/from airports in the Midwest this year have reminded me of travel experiences in China quite a bit. Long-distance bus from Chengdu to Chongqing, flight from IND to SEA: same adrenylin-fueled fight-or-flight impulses.

NWAlaskaFlyer

Fair point. To me, class is something you exhibit, akin to grace, patience, respect, et al. Not defining a cast or financial standing. Again, I age myself as this phrase probably has taken on a different meaning.

Kacee

As a long-time frequent flyer with high tier status on multiple carriers, I can say that AS continues to impress and far outperform the domestic competition on overall passenger treatment.

Flew SFO-OGG yesterday, and the FA in the front cabin (Keri) could not have been better. Seriously - this was SQ/JL/LH F quality service. The full meal was very good, especially the salted caramel ice cream. Add that we just purchased our tix the night before, and I was upgraded at check-out on an S fare, and you've got one very happy AS camper here.

I'll add that my experiences with AS phone agents this year have been 100% stellar. They are just a delight to deal with. They listen, and if you have a problem, they'll do their best to fix it.

We've done unbelievably well on upgrades, don't believe I've sat in Y since the first half of 2021. Contrast that with my experience as many year 1K, where I've become accustomed to regularly watching UA fill the F cabin at check-in with discounted upsells rather than upgrading elites.

And I'll add that the AS Wallet is far and away the best option that any carrier offers for storing the value of tix. (Don't even get me started on AA and how difficult they make it to find and use a cancelled flight credit.)

If you think the grass is greener on another US carrier, well, good luck with that.

navydevildoc

Just another vote for Alaska doing their best, and I really have no complaints. Just did MCO-SEA-SAN a few days ago, and the FAs were top notch. Food was good, drinks never empty, and on the MCO-SEA leg our F FA was quite possibly the best inflight crew member I have had in years. Shout out to Gloria if anyone ever sees this! SEA lounge capacity problems seem to be a little better under control, SFO lounge still needs some work but is usable. Service everywhere is friendly. The golden rule applies. Treat others as you wish to be treated.

Did SAN-LHR-CDG-LHR-DFW-SAN a couple weeks ago, and I can tell you the crews and service on BA and Big DAAdy have a lot of catching up to do. Even in J it was "here is your food, peasant" and everyone would just disappear. The AA Flagship lounge in DFW was no better than SEA N. I'm already re-qualed at 100k and haven't had a single canceled flight, not even a delay I can think of (on AS anyway... BA is another matter).

I think a lot of people are putting on their rose tinted glasses, pining for the "good ol days", and not remembering the mess everything used to be.

CMK10

I've been flying Alaska since 2004. I think in almost every way the airline is better now than it was in the 2000s. The meals are more substantial, the lounges are far better and there's Premium which is a decent consolation prize if your upgrade doesn't clear.

I do miss the carpeted bulkheads though.