RIP VX
Apr 7, 2016, 10:05 am
#121
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
Never realized Southwest matched fares! So, if I find an advertised flight for a lower fare, say, from SFO - LAS, I can call to ask Southwest to match it?
Apr 7, 2016, 10:14 am
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
I never flew VX but I loved them. They fought against the race to the bottom on the coach in-flight experience, and they saved me money. A lot of money.
Once upon a time when you wanted to watch for low fares that major carriers would match, you subscribed to Southwest’s emails. For at least the past five years when you want to catch low fares on Southwest, you subscribe to emails from Virgin America and JetBlue. Those emails are your only notice of Southwest’s best fares: Fare matches are never publicized by the matching airline.
Just this week Southwest had to reduce its fares to match a Virgin America sale. I refared a Southwest ticket and pocketed the savings. The same thing happens maybe 20 times per year.
Southwest will save many millions in fare matching with VX gone. Some of that money will come out of my pocket. Southwest is popping the champagne.
I still remember the time I bought an SFO-LAX round trip on Southwest for $29 plus tax each way with only one day's notice, earning more than $29 worth of Rapid Rewards credit. That was a VX fare match, unannounced by Southwest as always.
My wallet and I will miss VX when they're gone.
Once upon a time when you wanted to watch for low fares that major carriers would match, you subscribed to Southwest’s emails. For at least the past five years when you want to catch low fares on Southwest, you subscribe to emails from Virgin America and JetBlue. Those emails are your only notice of Southwest’s best fares: Fare matches are never publicized by the matching airline.
Just this week Southwest had to reduce its fares to match a Virgin America sale. I refared a Southwest ticket and pocketed the savings. The same thing happens maybe 20 times per year.
Southwest will save many millions in fare matching with VX gone. Some of that money will come out of my pocket. Southwest is popping the champagne.
I still remember the time I bought an SFO-LAX round trip on Southwest for $29 plus tax each way with only one day's notice, earning more than $29 worth of Rapid Rewards credit. That was a VX fare match, unannounced by Southwest as always.
My wallet and I will miss VX when they're gone.
I fly SEA-LAS a lot. AS and WN fare match. What was really fun was when NK just entered the market and you could get sub-50 one ways on both AS and WN. I snagged some of those because sub-100 Vegas round trip on a nonstop where the airline isn't NK doesn't happen every day.
Also the fares on SEA-SNA are pretty good, $69 one way. AS and WN are matching there, OAK-SEA and SAN-SEA too.
You know who doesn't fare match on a one stop SEA-SFO/LAX-LAS? VX...
I would say based on my experience in markets that AS and WN fly in that AS is perfectly willing to aggressively price match WN and competitors (the difference being that unlike VX they weren't a startup airline when WN entered their oribit). So I wouldn't lose hope. Right now AS and WN will be duking it out over California and the West Coast. I would expect some aggressive pricing wars between them, especially how that the merged AS actually could have something like a decent intra-CA route network, based on what they fly now:
SFO-LAX
SFO-SAN
SFO-PSP
SJC-SNA
SJC-SAN
STS-LAX
MRY-LAX
SNA-STS
LAX-MMH
FAT-SAN
Pretty light on OAK, but that's understandable...
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Apr 7, 2016 at 10:33 am
Apr 7, 2016, 10:26 am
#123
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
You don't fly a lot of AS routes, do you?
I fly SEA-LAS a lot. AS and WN fare match. What was really fun was when NK just entered the market and you could get sub-50 one ways on both AS and WN. I snagged some of those because sub-100 Vegas round trip on a nonstop where the airline isn't NK doesn't happen every day.
Also the fares on SEA-SNA are pretty good, $69 one way. AS and WN are matching there, OAK-SEA and SAN-SEA too.
You know who doesn't fare match on a one stop SEA-SFO/LAX-LAS? VX...
I fly SEA-LAS a lot. AS and WN fare match. What was really fun was when NK just entered the market and you could get sub-50 one ways on both AS and WN. I snagged some of those because sub-100 Vegas round trip on a nonstop where the airline isn't NK doesn't happen every day.
Also the fares on SEA-SNA are pretty good, $69 one way. AS and WN are matching there, OAK-SEA and SAN-SEA too.
You know who doesn't fare match on a one stop SEA-SFO/LAX-LAS? VX...
Had no idea AS fare matches. I'd like to think of myself as a pretty informed traveler, but had no idea some carriers offered a fare match.
So, you just call them up and say, "hey, I found this lower fare to LAS. Can you match it?"
Apr 7, 2016, 10:35 am
#124
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
No. But they do match fares in competitive markets pretty quickly. They moved quite aggressively against VX when they showed up, basically running an hourly shuttle service on the West Coast to SFO/LAX most of the day. $49 fares to LAX with DEQM were pretty fun.
Apr 7, 2016, 11:03 am
#126
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 5,814
Yup! Got it at my work e-mail which I didn't know they had. For those who didn't...
I wanted to follow-up on the news announced earlier this week that Virgin America has agreed to be acquired by Alaska Airlines. We've received an outpouring of support from many of you about your love for the Virgin America brand and the flying experience, for which we are incredibly humbled and grateful. We've also received questions about what this means in the short and long-term for loyal flyers like you.
In particular, many flyers have questions about whether there will be an immediate impact on their Points, Status and the flying experience they've come to expect from Virgin America. Please know that you will not see any changes during the next several months – and potentially until the end of the year – until the merger receives regulatory and shareholder approval. Furthermore, there will likely be no significant changes to your flying experience for as many as 18 months or more while the two airlines merge into one. Until the transaction is officially approved – typically a process that can take upwards of six months – both airlines will continue to operate independently and there will be no changes to our flight schedules, the Virgin America product and guest experience, Elevate Status levels or your ability to earn and redeem points. Each airline will maintain separate websites, separate guest service teams and distinct frequent flyer programs. If you book a Virgin America flight, you will fly on Virgin America. In short, there will be no short-term changes in what you have come to expect from Virgin America's award-winning experience.
At the point when the Virgin America Elevate program is merged into the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ program, you should also know there will be no disruption to your earnings or redemptions. Your Points balance and Status level will be honored in Alaska Airline's Mileage Plan, which has been ranked the #1 airline rewards program by U.S. News and World Report for the past two years. In addition, you will be able to use your Status levels and earned Points across a significantly expanded network – including 114 destinations in North America and 900 global destinations through Alaska Airline's robust network of international partners. This means that you can continue to fly Virgin America and accrue Points as normal, from now until when the plans combine, and you can be confident that all your points – whether earned prior to or after the transaction announcement – will be reflected in your new or existing Alaska Mileage Plan account.
For more, you can find our latest Q&A on our website. You can also call us on 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN (877.359.8474), should you have any questions. Elevate Silver or Elevate Gold members can contact us by calling your exclusive reservation line or send an email to your dedicated email address when you log into your Elevate account.
Thank you for your loyalty and for flying with us. Together, with Alaska Airlines, our intent is to make this integration as seamless as possible and to create the premier airline for West Coast travelers. As airlines both known for our commitment to operational excellence and guest loyalty – we hope to create an even better flying experience across an expanded network.
Sincerely,
Stuart Dinnis
Director of Loyalty
Virgin America
In particular, many flyers have questions about whether there will be an immediate impact on their Points, Status and the flying experience they've come to expect from Virgin America. Please know that you will not see any changes during the next several months – and potentially until the end of the year – until the merger receives regulatory and shareholder approval. Furthermore, there will likely be no significant changes to your flying experience for as many as 18 months or more while the two airlines merge into one. Until the transaction is officially approved – typically a process that can take upwards of six months – both airlines will continue to operate independently and there will be no changes to our flight schedules, the Virgin America product and guest experience, Elevate Status levels or your ability to earn and redeem points. Each airline will maintain separate websites, separate guest service teams and distinct frequent flyer programs. If you book a Virgin America flight, you will fly on Virgin America. In short, there will be no short-term changes in what you have come to expect from Virgin America's award-winning experience.
At the point when the Virgin America Elevate program is merged into the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ program, you should also know there will be no disruption to your earnings or redemptions. Your Points balance and Status level will be honored in Alaska Airline's Mileage Plan, which has been ranked the #1 airline rewards program by U.S. News and World Report for the past two years. In addition, you will be able to use your Status levels and earned Points across a significantly expanded network – including 114 destinations in North America and 900 global destinations through Alaska Airline's robust network of international partners. This means that you can continue to fly Virgin America and accrue Points as normal, from now until when the plans combine, and you can be confident that all your points – whether earned prior to or after the transaction announcement – will be reflected in your new or existing Alaska Mileage Plan account.
For more, you can find our latest Q&A on our website. You can also call us on 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN (877.359.8474), should you have any questions. Elevate Silver or Elevate Gold members can contact us by calling your exclusive reservation line or send an email to your dedicated email address when you log into your Elevate account.
Thank you for your loyalty and for flying with us. Together, with Alaska Airlines, our intent is to make this integration as seamless as possible and to create the premier airline for West Coast travelers. As airlines both known for our commitment to operational excellence and guest loyalty – we hope to create an even better flying experience across an expanded network.
Sincerely,
Stuart Dinnis
Director of Loyalty
Virgin America
Apr 7, 2016, 11:04 am
#128
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 6,752
Regardless of the purchase price, the jury on the acquisition's financial efficacy won't be known until several years later. It's akin to a big trade in baseball. What looks like a good trade before the July deadline can't be assessed until many years later when prospects have a chance to fulfill their promise and potential.
It's unknown what or how ALK will incorporate VX. If Oil prices remain low (some believe it will for quite some time) and they implement a strategy (not sure how, but I'd imagine they must have some notions before paying this price for VX) to capture the West coast SFO/LAX - JFK premium transcons along with the bulk of CA airfare travel, we'll argue 5 years later that they've underpaid.
I can certainly understand the loss as a consumer, but I've been around long enough to know the long term benefits of any merger/buyout is unknowable in the short term. If, and this is a big if, they become the 2nd dominant Airline in CA, then I'd argue VX should have held out for more!
Imagine if Oil prices remained under $40 and interest rates remain suppressed (no one knows, and we can't assume they'll go back to $80 - $100), what could VX have accomplished in the CA market, especially with UA's implosion? In this scenario, ALK will reap all the benefits and surplus, especially if a rising USD begins to destroy the EPS of the larger Legacy carriers heavily vested in Intl routes.
To wit: if it were obvious this purchase is a disaster, ALK will be trading at $50. However, it recovered and stabilized after the initial "sticker shock" reaction.
Apr 7, 2016, 11:23 am
#133
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,654
You have some really interesting points. I have no clue what AS grand plan is, but I think you could be right that AS might not have much to show for the takeover of VX. I don't know if they will invest much into the premium transcon market out of SFO & LAX, as their current product is not compelling enough to be competitive. And I don't seem them investing in a subfleet, unless they maintain our Airbus fleet. AS management is very fiscally conservative, so I find it hard to believe they didn't give much thought to the takeover....unless, they were so terrified by a VX + B6 combo.
All of us in inflight at VX are being integrated into AS....the details about how seniority will work and what the bases will be are still vague. I have to say that even though we are all sad and have shed a lot of tears (one of my pilots cried during his briefing the other day as he thanked us for all of our hard work), we are also excited to earn much more money and have much more employee-friendly work rules than we had at VX. That's not to knock VX - I wouldn't trade the past several years for anything and wish that we could continue. But I think you will see the majority of us at AS. We are excited about training together and having all VX crews working AS flights.
This is a sad time for all of us, but we have to find the bright side. We will still be operating as normal for the next 16 months or so, therefore, we have to put our smile on everyday and continue offering our great service. Just pardon us if you see us taking crew photos like crazy before boarding =)
All of us in inflight at VX are being integrated into AS....the details about how seniority will work and what the bases will be are still vague. I have to say that even though we are all sad and have shed a lot of tears (one of my pilots cried during his briefing the other day as he thanked us for all of our hard work), we are also excited to earn much more money and have much more employee-friendly work rules than we had at VX. That's not to knock VX - I wouldn't trade the past several years for anything and wish that we could continue. But I think you will see the majority of us at AS. We are excited about training together and having all VX crews working AS flights.
This is a sad time for all of us, but we have to find the bright side. We will still be operating as normal for the next 16 months or so, therefore, we have to put our smile on everyday and continue offering our great service. Just pardon us if you see us taking crew photos like crazy before boarding =)
I look forward to you serving me on a flight to/from OAK!
Apr 7, 2016, 11:41 am
#134
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Anywhere the Wind Blows...
Programs: AS MVPG 75K / AA EXP / VX Gold / WOH Globalist / SPG Gold / HHonors Gold
Posts: 92
It's understandable that you'd feel that way if you didn't know the full picture; let me help clarify why this deal made sense. AS has a growth plan of 4-8% annually going forward, with the majority of that taking place in California. Allowing VX to be purchased by a much more formidable competitor like B6 would have severely hindered, if not stopped outright, those growth opportunities.
This purchase was one that AS had been mulling over since October, and only when B6 expressed interest did the price skyrocket. Regardless, AS is comfortable with the debt taken on since they have one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry, and the acquisition was necessary for their future.
This purchase was about securing the future for AS for the next 25 years or more.
This purchase was one that AS had been mulling over since October, and only when B6 expressed interest did the price skyrocket. Regardless, AS is comfortable with the debt taken on since they have one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry, and the acquisition was necessary for their future.
This purchase was about securing the future for AS for the next 25 years or more.
Well put, I must say.
Apr 7, 2016, 9:25 pm
#135
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AS MVP, Bonvoy Plat, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Hyatt Disc
Posts: 217
Yes. The main new points, as I read them, were:
(1) VX status will carry over to AS (doesn't really matter, since AS will status match VX already -- I did this last year and have MVP Gold through the end of the year, though questionable whether I will ever actually fly AS);
(2) as I read it, it seems to suggest that points will convert 1:1, which sucks.
(1) VX status will carry over to AS (doesn't really matter, since AS will status match VX already -- I did this last year and have MVP Gold through the end of the year, though questionable whether I will ever actually fly AS);
(2) as I read it, it seems to suggest that points will convert 1:1, which sucks.