Feb 13, 2020, 8:29 am
Last edit by: JDiver
Alaska Airlines is expected join the oneworld Alliance as a full member summer 2021 end of 2020, pending regulatory approval*.
link to earning EQM, EQD, EQS and Award Miles flying Alaska Airlines as AS marketed flights. (If flying as AA marketed flight (codeshare), earnings are as if flying AA.) As of April 1, 2020.
Seattle’s first-ever direct flight to BLR will be available for purchase later this month, with daily flights beginning October 2020. Daily service between SEA and LHR will be available for purchase in May 2020 for flights starting March 2021.
link to full release, 13 Feb 2020
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Alaska Airlines route map (including Virgin America)
- Alaska Airlines intends to join the oneworld® alliance, the world's fastest growing and most highly rated global airline alliance, by summer 2021, which will connect Alaska guests to more than 1,200 destinations worldwide.
- American will launch the first service from Seattle (SEA) to Bangalore, India (BLR) beginning October 25 2020. A new American route from SEA to the global business hub London Heathrow (LHR) will begin flying in March 2021.
- The airlines will continue their domestic codeshare that offers customers hassle-free booking and travel between the two networks. The codeshare will expand to include international routes from Los Angeles (LAX) and SEA.
- Alaska and American loyalty members will enjoy benefits across both airlines, including the ability to earn and use miles on both airlines’ full networks, elite status reciprocity and lounge access to nearly 50 American Admirals Club lounges worldwide and seven Alaska Lounges in the U.S.
link to earning EQM, EQD, EQS and Award Miles flying Alaska Airlines as AS marketed flights. (If flying as AA marketed flight (codeshare), earnings are as if flying AA.) As of April 1, 2020.
Seattle’s first-ever direct flight to BLR will be available for purchase later this month, with daily flights beginning October 2020. Daily service between SEA and LHR will be available for purchase in May 2020 for flights starting March 2021.
link to full release, 13 Feb 2020
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Alaska Airlines route map (including Virgin America)
Alaska / AS joining oneworld 31 Mar 2021, AA launching SEA-BLR/LHR
Feb 16, 2020, 12:57 am
#166
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SNA
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K (until it expires then never again), *wood Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 9,239
If "east coast" means IAD or JFK then would you rather a domestic F seat on AA/AS to SEA as your one stop or fly via DXB (EK), DOH (QR) or LHR (BA)? I know my answer.
Feb 16, 2020, 9:14 am
#167
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: PHL
Programs: AA
Posts: 343
100% chance I'm taking QR out of PHL to India instead of being stuffed in AA coach with no entertainment and no food for almost six hours to SEA.
Feb 16, 2020, 11:31 am
#169
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Gary Leff makes a good point about AS and status matches offered to AA Elites, given one world airlines generally refrain from “poaching” each other’s elites through status matching.
(As well, he believes AS Elites are likely to be subject to similar lounge “carve outs” as AA’s Elites who aren’t paid Lounge scheme members:
But that discussion properly belongs in the Alaska Airlines forum, not here.)
Meanwhile it wouldn’t surprise me to see Alaska no longer willing to status matchAmerican Airlines elite members so if you want to match to Alaska you may need to do it soon. Many people wait until late in the year for an Alaska match, to get the full following year of status, but in this case American elites may become foreclosed from doing so. — link
(As well, he believes AS Elites are likely to be subject to similar lounge “carve outs” as AA’s Elites who aren’t paid Lounge scheme members:
American Airlines Airlines AAdvantage members, regardless of their tier status or class of travel, are not eligble for lounge access when travelling solely on North American flights within or between the U.S, Canada, Mexico (except Mexico City), the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Carribean.
Feb 16, 2020, 11:56 am
#170
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
For those of the West Coast, going Transpac, especially non-stop from a West Coast gateway, might be much easier time-wise.
Feb 16, 2020, 12:00 pm
#171
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Again, for many leisure travelers in Y, if the price is attractive, that won't matter TOO much. But I'm with you. Not to mention the fact that even if all things were equal, a 12-hour PHL-DOH, a two hour layover, and then a 4-hour DOH-BLR flight is MUCH better than a 6-hour transcon, layover, and 16-hour SEA-BLR flight.
For those of the West Coast, going Transpac, especially non-stop from a West Coast gateway, might be much easier time-wise.
For those of the West Coast, going Transpac, especially non-stop from a West Coast gateway, might be much easier time-wise.
Feb 16, 2020, 12:13 pm
#172
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American EXP; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,896
Gary Leff makes a good point about AS and status matches offered to AA Elites, given one world airlines generally refrain from “poaching” each other’s elites through status matching.
(As well, he believes AS Elites are likely to be subject to similar lounge “carve outs” as AA’s Elites who aren’t paid Lounge scheme members:
But that discussion properly belongs in the Alaska Airlines forum, not here.)
(As well, he believes AS Elites are likely to be subject to similar lounge “carve outs” as AA’s Elites who aren’t paid Lounge scheme members:
But that discussion properly belongs in the Alaska Airlines forum, not here.)
Feb 16, 2020, 2:00 pm
#173
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,396
Feb 16, 2020, 2:04 pm
#174
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,262
Feb 16, 2020, 2:09 pm
#175
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: AA EXPLT, Marriott Titanium (LT PLT), HHonors Gold, AMEX PLT, UA Silver, National EXC
Posts: 1,059
Wonder this comes about in time for March 2020 trips so I can at least select some seats in the AS premium class seating (MCE equivalent)...
Would be nice.
Would be nice.
Feb 16, 2020, 4:14 pm
#176
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75k, Hyatt Globalist, National Executive Elite
Posts: 272
Feb 16, 2020, 4:19 pm
#177
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
Well, yes, it may (or may not — upgrades, which is what AS classifies the Y to Premium change as, are not a oneworld benefit, though AA has chosen to make MCE available to oneworld elites) be made available on the basis of oneworld status, but AS and AA can always recognize benefits for each other outside of oneworld, as they did until a couple years ago.
Feb 16, 2020, 6:13 pm
#178
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,030
MCE (economy plus) type seating is not common on OW airlines. QF for example will charge $$ for exit row.
Note premium economy PE is a separate class and not MCE
https://www.oneworld.com/travel-benefits
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Feb 16, 2020 at 6:35 pm
Feb 16, 2020, 6:19 pm
#179
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,405
This is a really good point. Having done the ORD-DEL flight a few times when it was active (and then connecting to HYD), the long flight wears on you.
Option 1 at the time was OKC/ORD/DEL/HYD.
Option 2 at the time was OKC/xxx/LHR/HYD
I had switched to option 2 to break up the trip, as well as avoid what at the time was a not pleasant connection in DEL prior to the new airport terminals. In Y, ORD/DEL was unbearable. In J, it was tolerable but not great, however this was with the old angle flat seats. The new J seats on 789's would be much better.
Now, my choice would be OKC/SEA/BLR (and sometimes to HYD, although I'd probably spend more time in BLR these days) - but it may still be worth it to do OKC/xxx/LHR/BLR just to break up the trip into shorter segments.
It will be interesting to see if the majority prefers a extremely long flight with less connections.
Option 1 at the time was OKC/ORD/DEL/HYD.
Option 2 at the time was OKC/xxx/LHR/HYD
I had switched to option 2 to break up the trip, as well as avoid what at the time was a not pleasant connection in DEL prior to the new airport terminals. In Y, ORD/DEL was unbearable. In J, it was tolerable but not great, however this was with the old angle flat seats. The new J seats on 789's would be much better.
Now, my choice would be OKC/SEA/BLR (and sometimes to HYD, although I'd probably spend more time in BLR these days) - but it may still be worth it to do OKC/xxx/LHR/BLR just to break up the trip into shorter segments.
It will be interesting to see if the majority prefers a extremely long flight with less connections.
Feb 16, 2020, 6:37 pm
#180
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75k, Hyatt Globalist, National Executive Elite
Posts: 272
MCE seating is not a OW benefit. Maybe a benefit AA gives to some with mid-top OW status, but not a OW benefit.
MCE (economy plus) type seating is not common on OW airlines. Note PE is a separate class and not MCE
https://www.oneworld.com/travel-benefits
MCE (economy plus) type seating is not common on OW airlines. Note PE is a separate class and not MCE
https://www.oneworld.com/travel-benefits
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...abin-extra.jsp