prismwiz

I was on the same flight. I have to agree, if AS is not worried about VX then they are just not paying attention. I'm sure that AS had an employee of some type VX SEA-SFO. If VX can get a strong following of people willing to pay a premium then there is no stopping them from stealing pax on other key AS routes like SEA-SAN, SEA-DCA (IAD for VX), PDX-SFO, and PDX-LAX.

aviators99

For any flight greater than 1 hour I will choose the more comfortable flight with the most amenities, even at a higher price. Considering that VX is competitive on price with AS, that makes it even better. I fly SEA-SFO-SEA every 2 weeks, and was doing it on AS only. I actually chose AS over UA because I prefer SJC, but the extra amenities are even worth the extra driving for me (typically to Palo Alto). As of yesterday, they lost my regular business to VX. Maybe I'm odd, though.

AS Flyer

You are in a very small minority here. Price is king to the majority of people these days.

AS FF Guru

It must've been done by the reporter, as that verbiage was not used in the official press release:

http://www.alaskasworld.com/Newsroom/ASNews/ASstories/AS_20080305_081124.asp

IStream

You're certainly right, but is price king to your most frequent flyers? I'd guess that if you're within 10% of the best price, you'll keep their loyalty if you offer good ff benefits and a competitive product.

dgwright99

Exactly. If VX can offer me an UG every flight SAN-SEA/PDX and ~7k miles per trip that I can use for TATL F in exchange for me flying those routes twice per month then AS might have to start worrying about me.

FFs care about Status/UGs and miles. VX doesn't even come close to AS on either one.

whjensen

Yeah, there's that. And Id love for better service everywhere. But having flown a lot - especially along the West Coast and international - I would take AS over the alternative. They may be weak, but they're been miles better than the alternative (United, anyone? Just try getting a complimentary UG on UAL out of SFO).

In theory, the people speaking up are right - VX is offering a better product right in for in the air. This should be good over the long haul - if VX survives the start up phase - and cause other to improve service. What I am objecting to is what I perceive as the increased trolling the last few weeks. If a person has no love for AS, what are they doing here?

cj001f

They don't have a choice? I'm here to maximize my utilization of the AS Mileage Plan. I fly AS because they have the best service from Seattle. If VX will compete on price and times, they are mighty attractive.

aviators99

That fact is immaterial here, because VX charges the same price as AS (okay, VX is charging $77 and AS is charging $73).

AS Flyer

It's actually not immaterial at all and it is definitely a fact. While you may be willing to pay $10 extra and another $10 or more in gas each way to have a frilly flight, the vast majority of people won't. You may not think that $4 is all that much but, based on their tried and proven experience, airlines know that it only takes a penny difference to see a huge difference in the numbers of bookings. Most people are very cost conscious and go directly to the lowest price feature on most booking engines (travelocity, Orbitz, etc.) - the lowest priced carrier will show up at the top of the display. If it's Alaska's $73 fare, and not Virgin's $77 fare, it's likely Alaska will capture more of the business. Since Virgin is so new there will undoubtedly be some people that will be looking to try them out but when the dust settles, he who has the lowest price will almost always win the business - frills or not. The overwhelming majority of people want a cheap fare on a safe plane that leaves/arrives on time and don't care about mood lighting, meals or television - especially on a 2-3 hour flight.

eponymous_coward

Of course, the reason why I'm flying VX? It was the cheapest fare (between it, WN, and AS) for the times I wanted to fly.

Tango

It all depends upon how many seats Alaska allocates at $73. If AS only sells 10 seats at $73 and VX sells 25 at $77, how many customers will choose to fly AS once the $73 seats are sold out? AS also has a history of charging more in markets where it offers the only non-stop service. If price was always king, people would be flying to SNA via SLC or LAX and avoiding higher priced non-stops.

Bottom line is no airline can pay its bills with $73/$77 airfares to SFO. Enjoy these fares while you can. Bottom line is what airline can offer better customer service and Alaska needs to shore up its sagging morale.

whjensen

Agreed and that's a reasonable attitude. What I refer to is the baiting that has gone on in messages such as this one. It is a matter of respect. I prefer AS, so I don't go in the UA forum and take every chance to shoot it down.

Tango

Posting constructive criticism is a good thing. Far too often these forums are full of each airlines respective FF cheerleaders who dis anyone who has posts negatives comments on their beloved airlines.

jddssc121

and as long as VX stays that close to AS, then they've got a great shot (i personally will stick with AS just for the miles accrual, but that's just me)

as soon (or *IF* I should say) VX prices go north of AS, then they're done. People pay great lip service to a better product, amenities, blah blah, but they says something different with their wallets. If the "i would pay for a better product" concept actually held water, Southwest wouldn't be nearly as successful as they are......People say they want the best product, but then really buy the cheapest flight. (yes, that is a generalization, please don't flame me )

It's like everyone complaining about how horrible the press coverage is of Britney Spears....but which magazine prints sell the most? Business listen to their revenue, not their comment cards.

So.....if VX stays this cheap, then I'd say AS has serious problems; my guess is that this is a loss leader for VX and their prices will go up....(and then we're back to Pretzels for in-flight food on AS)