I too am looking for alternatives to my AMX Delta card. after dealing with the repeated failure of their overseas partner program. the new rules are the last straw.
Alaska story time! I once got horribly screwed by a multi-hour Amtrak delay and had to catch a last minute flight from SEA to PDX to connect back to my original plans. The transfer was tight, made tighter by delays on the apron after touchdown. I ran to my gate, but I just barely missed it - they had already closed the doors. I asked the gate agent if there was anything they could do. He got on the phone, they RE-OPENED THE DOORS, he printed out a new manifest with my name on it, ran it down the jetway, and everyone else on the plane got a special encore presentation of the safety spiel. Hand to god, there was applause. I will ALWAYS fly Alaska when I have the option. And I want to be clear - I'm nobody to this company. I didn't even have an Alaska membership until after this experience. I am not a frequent flier by any stretch. I could have just gotten a hotel in Portland and flown out the next morning. And yet these folks moved heaven and earth to help me.
alaskan here, moved "down south" for a few years and went to see if any of the other airlines are any better as i've only flow alaska airlines as i grew up here, decided nope every other airline has worse features or worse saftey trackrecord. they are second only to a few of the really big international players. i've stayed with alaska and never regreted it. i've slept through a boarding gate one time and missed a flight and they booked me another one that still made my conection, no questions or fee's asked even though it was entierly my fault. they fly boeing with have pressurized section for traveling with dogs unlike airbus where cargo is unpressurized. i've never had alaska lose a bag, (i had vagas airport staff loose one once but thats out of alaskas control.) they still give alaskans 2 free bags to and from alaska, which is a big deal because most of us alaskans have family and buissness in the lower 48 so we fly alot and relly on it way more then most in the lower 48, and we bring stuff like salmon and crab to family and bring back fresh fruit :) alaska was one of the first airlines and states to adopt 0 visiblity ILS aproches and Rnav procedures which are now standard across the world. my home town of juneau trialed experimental FLIR approach systems. everyone who i know who's worked for them has loved it and the company culture. they froze 737 max acquisition before the feds flight ban when that was a thing. alaska airlines isnt perfect but i dont see myself wanting to switch to anyone else anytime soon. alaska still operates like a slow small company compared to the national efficiency giants they have way to many employess and pay them way to well and give way to many perks, they have way to much in rainy day savings and they only operate one aircraft company aircraft boeing (now they have the a320's with the merger but i think they are planing on replacing those with 737's when they time out). if alaska airlines ever dies not a small part of the alaskan economy, imigration and tourism will go with it. i trust them with my life, my famliys lives, my dog, and my guns on a regualer basis, and i cant think of much higher praise then that. oh and DeviantOllam i dont think you will be running into any problems checking in guns with alaska airlines, last time i flew with mine, the airline attendent had a bigger gun collection then me :)
Even in his so-called apology he let the endgame slip when he said: "Our team wanted to kind of rip the Band-Aid off and didn't want to have to keep going through this every year with changes and nickeling and diming and whatnot, so I think we moved too fast." The changes are still coming, but they are just going to "nickel and dime" them in.
This feels a lot like what Unity just did. I think what you said at 4:43 is exactly why people are leaving Unity even though they walked back the licensing changes a little.
This was also the first thing I thought of, if you make an announcement that breaks everybodies trust and then walk it back it doesn't matter anymore, the moment you make known that you are able and willing to do this, you lost all trust in perpituity.
It's essentially exactly what they did. Every single developer needs to learn a different engine now because Unity is no longer an option, despite them walking back some of what they said.
As an ex SWA employee, the airlines definitely don't care about the passengers, at all, and the employees even less, especially those outside of the hospitality side. In the bigger "hub" cities your essentially treated as a disposable tool to do work, and that unfortunately shows up in shitty customer service, lost bags etc. There's a constant push to get more flights a day in and out, turn planes around faster, cram that last bit of cargo in, and that leads to missed connections, lost luggage, unhappy passengers, etc. And when stuff goes wrong, both the airline and the passengers tend to place blame on the working staff, regardless if we had any control over the situation at all. That being said, we did have some Alaskan airlines guys in my airport, despite being east coast, and they always seemed way, way less stressed out and they always had crews probably double the size of ours for a given flight size, so it did seem like they treat their employees better than average.
I like that companies like Delta and Unity walk back horrible practices because of massive backlash, as if walking back the changes overwrites the fact they thought it was okay to begin with.
And the bad changes they do walk back are never gone for good; they are just implemented more gradually, hoping the proverbial frog won’t jump out of the pot as the water is slowly brought to a boil.
The thing that pisses me off about this situation is that because of no other reason than corporate bullshit, you're going to see your friends less. A decision is being made and you're personal community of friends is being damaged because of it. I think I'm offended that we've allowed corporations to dictate our lives like this.
It's not corporations, it's government. Only US based airlines can offer domestic flights, so competition for US airlines is practically nil. It's other US airlines, most of which have been absorbed by one of the bigger players by now. Think of what kind of car you drive. Was it manufactured by GM or Ford? If not, it would be illegal if we applied the same sort of logic to car purchases.
As a AA CK status flyer, you are spot on about the airlines being banks. OneWorld isn’t all that hot. Most of what I do is long haul international. The integration between say AA and BA is crap. Those two can’t sort out how to solve a problem to save their lives. Recently I had purchased a round trip as an AA flight, using the AA credit card (CITI card is decent, the newer Barclays card sucks), so AA fight numbers but BA metal from USA to LHR. BA cancelled the USA to LHR flight, no call, no explanation, nothing. I only found out because I couldn’t even check in for the domestic segment. AA and BA spent several hours fighting over the ticket. The AA CK desk couldn’t figure out how to “JUST SOLVE THEIR CUSTOMERS PROBLEM”. I’m a MM on United and still won’t fly them after 20 years….. In the end, they all suck and don’t take care of their top customers………. I stay with AA only because it’s the devil I know. But that is getting thin……. I’ll be interested in a report from you in 6 to 12 months on your experiences with Alaska……. Might be willing to jump
I fly US-DE and US-NL several times a year. I have status on AA, and will avoid BA flights like the plague. The seats on their regionals (LHR-AMS) are paper-thin, their service is non-existent, and four out of five times (so far), they messed up seat reservations. LHR and their security checks are a mess.
BA once refused to check me through from one BA flight to another (were split tickets for silly reasons), both in first, checking in at the Concorde desk in JFK. They also have the distinction of once forgetting to serve me dinner in long haul business class.
Stick with the devil you know. I’m EP and Diamond Medallion and am moving all spend to AA and Jetblue for longhaul domestic as Mosaic 4 (mint and flagship first are the only true premium products, whatever ED says)
Be aware that oneworld members like British airways and Finnair (on which I’m on Platinum = Emerald level) have also moved from miles to money; only spending matters
no, BA still do "tier points" - which is what gets you the "perks" like lounge access based on miles flown/ticket type, (e.g. 15 points for short haul economy, 180 for long haul first class etc.) it's the Avios points that have changed, - these are the put towards tickets/rental cars/hotels etc stuff that were always also available on credit card spending etc too... they are now based entirely on the price of the base price ticket (with a tier dependent multiplier) no longer on the miles flown (but that wasn't the stuff talked about in the video anyway.) the only catch with one world is, you get access to their lounges by being in the right tier AND being on their flight, - for example, I've got lounge access when flying with the tier I'm on, but need a valid ticket to get in there, - flying delta won't get me into the lounge even if I'm the most elite tier... Also top tip for if you're flying one world alliance in the UK. there isn't a bar tender, you pour your own drinks.
Fun fact; Finnair gives you status (and award) miles per butt in seat miles from all oneworld partner flights so it's an option to credit to AY (=Finnair) if one flies lots of "cheap" miles on other OW carriers.
Alaska is my #1 preferred airline. We flew with them and their network to go to Europe a few years ago, when my wife got news that a family friend passed away. We called customer service, and the lady worked her butt off to get us home in time for the funeral. They did a similar move a year later for me when I needed to change a planned vacation to make another funeral. Though I'm not a high milage flyer, I have their credit card. They were so helpful for me, a nobody in their system. Best customer care IMO. I've never had problems with Alaska Luggage. I don't check any arms tho... The free beer was (is?) With the premium economy seats. They were the 2 rows after Business Class, and also came with an extra inch or two of seat pitch.
@@robertcowling4313 Oh for sure, funerals have a high sympathy factor, and it probably did help me out some. I'm glad you had a good experience with Delta working to get you home on time.
Since it looks like you are at SeaTac it looks like you have choice between AS and DL and that’s awesome that choice is there for you, however some of us in DL territory (DTW, ATL, SLC, MSP) for as much as we would like choice it would imply more connections than being able to fly point to point like we could with DL and their partners. It would also make sense to shop around if you had status and you lived in a non-hub city.
We used primarily Alaska for years and had mostly amazing experiences. (There is always the occasional issue or poor customer service) only reason we are no longer with them is they have the NW covered well but as far as the rest of the US the flight options are limited so you can’t be picky of time of day or location of layover. We are options type of people so this has always been an issue for us flying around North America.
As a European, I had no idea people put so much thought into what they flew with. Here I fly whatever is the cheapest for a given route, usually Ryanair. You want my loyalty? Be cheap and you got it 😂
As a fellow European there are quite a lot of us who are also playing the frequent flyer game with European carriers.. who are also doing the same thing, moving to euro-based earnings from miles (like BA and AY next year)
That's common among most Americans that don't fly often. I'm the same way when I have to fly. Brand loyalty really only matters if you fly a lot and you'll get value out of their potential perks.
I agree with you short haul, but as soon as a flight is longer than 5 or 6 hours I am willing to pay a little more for the familiarity of the same service each time. Especially when you consider rewards and points systems available if you need to fly more regularly.
Flying has changed so much in the last few years. It's definitely turned into a rich/business person's game. Flights costs have tripled over the last few years for the flights I regularly take.
We just got a check from a class action lawsuit from AA. We used to use their credit to book flights and were supposed to get all these perks, that were never available when we flew. The biggest problem is allowing these airlines to consolidate with no oversight. The constant fees to 'upgrade' to a different seat, etc. make them the most money.
One of the neat hidden perks for Alaska is their credit card comes with a once per year "companion fare" voucher which is basically a buy-one-get-one-for-$100 for any flight on Alaska. So if you find yourself travelling with a companion a lot, it ends up being 100% worth it even after the annual fee. Also I've flown with Alaska my whole life (aunt was a flight attendant so our family got some great deals growing up), never had a bad experience and always found them helpful and easy to use. Even their phone support has been super friendly on the rare occasions I've needed to use it.
😣 Annoyingly, with the recent Visa changes they seem to have added a spending requirement to earn the companion fare. They grandfathered in existing cardholders afaik.
Thank you for your vid and your personal situation with the airlines. Way to call out Delta and others, as needed. Your comments were measured, calm and factual. These companies need to understand that if you screw over long term relationships and loyal customers they will NEVER be back and typically they will tell seven other customers and in your case you are telling thousands. I’m not a frequent flyer as I truly hate to fly because of the experience. It’s not any particular airline it’s just the overall experience. The industry has made it non fun. I’m retired now but when full time I was focused on my business and not trying to keep up with what I call the airlines “game show” and having to know all the hoops to jump through just to make flying slightly more comfortable. I’m not a large person but the sardine can seat space is ridiculous. I can tolerate for about 1.5 hours and after that I’m uncomfortable. Anyway thanks for being the Voice of Customer in this case.
As a person who flies semi-regularly with Alaska and firearms, I like the way they run things, also as a person with a disability, they take good care of me. They make flying super simple, checking my cases couldn't have been simpler, and they haven't messed up my routes since I've flown with them, they've done right by me, and I will continue to offer them my business.
20 years ago I did a career change from averaging 75K-125K travel per year to zero per year. Last time I got on a flight even for pleasure was pre-covid. I couldn't be happier. Best of luck to you with Alaska, I also hear it's good.
As a fellow Medallion for the last 10+ years, and a shareholder, I applaud you. Know I’m hanging onto my stock and voting no to retain Ed Bastian for next year’s shareholder meeting. While I think Ed has done a lot of good for the airline, you’re only as good as your last game, and he lost big time on this one. I think Delta needs to find someone who will put the airline passenger experience above the nearly $7B credit card revenue, because they should be an airline, not a financial institution.
After a few years of AA Executive Platinum status, I realized I was running on a treadmill for them. No more. I’ll pay the day rate for lounge access. I’ll pay the lowest available fare for first class and not count on comp upgrades.
The main problem with Alaskan Airlines is thier size. Because they have a limited number of planes, sometimes the routing for long distance flights gets a bit weird and it can be challenging to find non-stop flights to non-west coast destinations. I do like thier lounges when you can find them.
I like Alaska also but based in ATL it is tough. I had even thought to pursue SWA. The issue is they don’t go places. I know that sounds odd. SWA has a defined business model. I flew AirTran some. When SWA and AirTran merged, SWA cut flights. Since SWA came to ATL, Delta has gotten a larger market share. The Southwest effect didn’t happen in ATL.
Delta Diamond for a decade consciously decoupling from Delta and Delta Amex. Switched to a Chase Sapphire and just not traveling enough having just retired to keep a single airline loyalty program. If you are traveling a lot for work my advice given to me years ago is pick an airline and pick a hotel chain and fight to be loyal to them because it will make your life slightly less miserable in traveling. Delta did a great job extending credits and status through the pandemic peak but now this is a real kick in the teeth. Marriott is still getting my preferred business because they provide lifetime platinum and just those few perks make it worthwhile. In retirement I'll just fly what is convenient and direct. I flew exit row on Spirit recently because it was direct where I wanted to go. I now look at airlines that are direct and that have multiple flights increasing my chance of getting to my destination if there is disruption.
For flying in the PNW area, there is no better airline than Alaska. If they serve all the cities you fly to, I'd definitely recommend them. Mostly, their service is just so much better. The other option I usually have is United, but I can't tell you how many times they've just straight-up lied about the reason for flight delays/cancellations and missing luggage. Alaska employees seem happy to see you. It's a big difference.
Have you ever looked into private charters? You skip all the terminal security and ticketing, you can physically put your cases on the plane yourself or watch it be done in front of you. You fly direct to any airport and can go to much smaller airports than the airlines, and the plane is always stocked with whatever you want. For as often as you fly, the time and convenience might net out the extra costs.
First world problems: Enjoy them while we're still considered first world. Corporations have figured out that money only has value when it moves, so the more times it can move, the more transactions they can force per customer interaction, the more valuable their money handling gets. This is why their attachment to the credit card and bank is so important. And if they can take a fee, move it around through a few different entities, the more value. Late state capitalism before the whole thing collapses.
The regional carrier division Horizon used to have free beer and kept that up whenever you were on a Q400 turboprop until they retired the last one this year. Alaska proper used to have a free beer for any departure delay policy (which meant free beer on the last SEA-SJC flight 90% of the time for better or worse)
All of the free Alaska beer I've put down was on a Q400. On BLI to SEA the line was "we don't even have time to pull out the drink carts, but if you want red wine or a brew we'll pour you one"
Alaskan is my least-hated US carrier. Certainly my preferred carrier up and down the west coast going back maybe 15 years. Weirdly they always treated Qantas frequent flyers, even without status _really_ well, although I've never actually used their lounges as the few times I've been through SEA I haven't had the time (or actually had the time because flight got delayed so much I missed my connection). I've not had any baggage issues with them, although friends have. You're certainly in for a treat with the Qantas/Cathay One World lounge in the LAX international terminal, an actually nice lounge in the US (versus the American flagship lounges which would be about equal to a base Qantas lounge in a second tier city)
Alaska makes the most sense to me, for someone based in the Pacific Northwest. I do not fly nearly as much as I used to, but being Boston-based I'm loyal to JetBlue - which is our equivalent airline. I used to fly American Airlines back in the day - over 10 years ago - because they had a dense network in the Northeast and they used to have 'the most legroom in coach' and all that, a good frequent flyer program, etc. But then the service started to decline, they started cramming in seats, and I tried JetBlue - and never went back. Between my flights and my JetBlue Mastercard (which is my primary card), I easily maintain Mosaic status - currently 'Tier 4' IIRC, which is their top tier. Mosaic means two free checked bags (never had a lost bag, think maybe I had one misrouted in ten years), I fly 'Even More Space' all the time - unless I fly Mint, which I do when offered. Working for F5, which is based in Seattle, I know a LOT of people who fly Alaska constantly. It's basically our corporate airline, and it seems like everyone I've talked to really likes Alaska. Sorry Delta screwed up, and I hope Alaska becomes a solid new home.
Amex is great for people who want to stick their friends with the bill... "sorry guys, I would pitch in for dinner but they don't take Amex, I'll get you next time"
Amex has the highest interchange fees for vendors which is why a lot of people don't take it. Also probably why delta wants to use it, they can build in those fees for rewards. Those rewards don't come from nowhere, your vendors pay for it all.
I’m an Alaska frequent flyer. I love the airline. The staff are friendly and their amenities on the flights are great. Yes, you can get a free alcoholic drink if you’re sitting in premium economy. I highly recommend Alaska for anyone around the west coast.
Depending on exactly where you're at in the Seattle area, another bonus of flying Alaska is the availability of Paine field up in Everett. I had a weather cancellation last December out of SeaTac and was able to get rebooked from PAE same day instead of being stuck for two days. Oh also I think they fly direct to Vegas from PAE, too. Nice little airport that's super easy to get in and out of
I"ve been happy with Alaska for years, but I will say I was disappointed when they absorbed Virgin Air. They killed some popular routes (for me), but still a great experience all around. Since I don't live in a hub, it's often hard to find direct flights outside of their main hubs.
I wrote delta off 2 decades ago because they canceled flights and stranded an entire airport since they were the only carrier. I’ve given them a few chances since then and they continue to disappoint. I cashed a bunch of my miles flying my wife and then infant child first class and hoped she cried the entire flights. I’ve heard good things about Alaska.
My opinion on Alaska lounges: the food could definitely be better, but the spaces are physically quite nice and rarely crowded the times I've been (perhaps because first class tickets don't get you in anymore unless the flight is over a certain length; so it's just people with paid memberships).
50% business traveler here in the PNW. I am in the same boat, have been transitioning over to Alaska this year. This is was the last straw. Switching to Alaska from here on out.
Same across the board for me. Diamond for 7 years and 895k on the way to MM, and on a first name basis with LAX, SEA and SFO lounge staff. Everything you talked about here holds true for me, and the Alaskan deal is great for me as I fly to Tokyo 6+ times a year, and trading Delta for JAL is a net win for me, better airline, better service, and the max status for my Alaska gives me equivalent perks on those flights. And you're right, I'm totally going to miss the "Delta Difference" and the fact there are certain people who can just fix my problems so much faster than one would normally get through the regular channels... stuff like that is what makes traveling for a living so casually bearable and not a chore.
Thank you! Great video and I just subscribed. You captured my head exactly and I appreciate your transparency. I know exactly the seat you’re broadcasting from at Delta’s Seattle club. I’m the retired and maintain Platinum, I just pay up for the service and leg room (I’m tall). But all the new rules give me a headache. Alaska is an option, but now I need a whole new set of rules for them and their credit card? Cutting to the chase, Business Select on Southwest looks like the way for me to get reliable service and the legroom I require.
This really spoke to me. We fly very frequently on American Airlines with one of our dogs. We just flew out of RDU, where the checkin folk were giving us a hard time over the dog. Thanks for taking the time to make this one.
I absolutely echo this! Having seen delta go downhill for years, I will only fly Alaska and Singapore Airlines now. I live in the west and mostly fly to South East Asia so they cover all my needs. I hope more people give Alaska a shot. During covid I had to change some flight plans and Alaska had free cancelation and rebooking for all customers during the duration of the pandemic. Every other airline was busy sucking as much coin as possible out of their customers.
My husband loves Alaska. They're nice but their tix are regularly the most expensive compared to all the carriers, at least for where I fly from. If you're near SEA you're lucky tho.
As a lowly Below Wing agent in MSP, who's been following your videos for years, sorry corporate has the dumb. I know they're planning on changing it again soon due to backlash but, it's probably too-little-too-late. I hope things work out for you with other airlines on your future travels.
The Alaska Terminal at LAX is pretty nice, it's the only terminal I've seen that has an outdoor animal relief area. It's also great if you need to step outside and hit your vape pen real quick... The only thing that bugs me about Alaska is that a lot of their flights to the places that I go are actually through American Airlines. I have more miles with AA so I just book with them instead and hop on the exact same plane.
I fly mostly domestic. I recently switched to Alaska because I’ve been spending a lot of time in Seattle and will end up putting down about 40k miles this year. I’ve had a really positive experience so far. It’s nice having the one world alliance to fill in and still get perks and earn miles and I like all the people I’ve interacted with.
When you live in AK, AK Airlines is the bus to seattle. Alaska residents get two free checked bags which is nice. The service is usually good. Their newer fleet of 737s have inseat power that always works. We aren't super fliers like some, but we travel a fair amount. We got the credit card because of the companion fare and the last minute discounts you get with the card.
You and Tara smile at each other so awesome! Lol And you should find an open Alaskan staff member and ask them to fill you in on the software systems and such so you can be as conversant with them as you are with Delta. You of all people should be able to engineer this conversation! Maybe late night at a quiet gate where they aren't busy? Lol
agree - I am in Atlanta (a delta hub) and it is very hard to get direct flight with other airlines from here - sigh - I will need to do some research now :(
Alaska is the best for sure, but I stuck with Delta because I liked them more than United who competed on the routes I typically flew. I am not traveling as much as I used to, so my Delta Platinum is expiring at the end of this year. A slight bummer but honestly not traveling so much has been a big improvement in my life. I don't think I'll miss the "status" that much.
Darn. Thanks for the heads up. Hope everthing works out better. Heading to SQL conference in Seattle on Delta in November. Would have loved to bump into you.
The best flight I was ever on was an Alaska Airlines flight. They served me three rounds of free beer and wine at 7am! Not sure how representative that is of every flight, but they'd be the first I'd look at for a loyalty program.
These changes benefit me greatly. Upgrade lists were far too long, SkyClubs were far too crowded.. There had to be a change. Good luck with Alaska, I love flying them.
The decay has been deeply visible. My uncle who was on the million miler club for AA in the late 90s already has hopped around airlines ever since due to just how far everyone has fallen. I can't tell you it's strictly an American problem, but recently I took Singapore Air to Japan and it felt like they're frozen in time two decades ago while the rest of us are being nickel and dimed - and I'm told by folks in Singapore that THEY have gone downhill, too! Something's gotta give, eventually. In the time being, I'll be replacing all my Delta with Alaska...
I'm in Dallas and have only ever flown Alaska once ... DAL (Love Field) to SFO, roundtrip. I was very impressed and will fly them again, over Southwest, anytime. I have a bit of claustrophobia, but was lucky enough to have a partially empty flight each way, plus the Alaska seats, legroom and cabin space were very comfortable.
Same concept with Bass Pro/Cabela's (and all the big sporting stores TBH). Most of the buyout was to get the contracts on the Cabela's club card, when I worked the firearms counter, there was a significant push to make sure every gun purchase was a credit card sign up. Non-performers would be removed from their state certified NICS position selling guns and submitting background checks and moved to being a greeter at the door as a form of unofficial punishment. Every form of shopping now seems to be a conduit to farm the customer base for APR as a business model rather than sell products for profit.
I only fly Alaska. I don't fly much, but on the six flights I've had with firearms, all the cases made it on the right planes to the right places at the right times. Speaking to your previous video on flying with firearms and TSA cutting locks, I've been much more wary of airport personnel and TSA than of Alaska. I even watched the ground crew loading the plane once, and my firearm bag, along with two other bags from other passengers, were kept aside until the end. Maybe there was another reason for it, but they clearly appeared to be treating those bags differently. Dunno if that's good or bad, but it's what I saw. Overall, had good results with them. All the seat power worked. Last flights into and out of MKE were uneventful. Would fly with them again.
I always respect a person's opinion. This video is reckless and contains numerous mistakes in facts as presented. Delta is not a bank... less than 10% of 2023 revenue was from the AMEX relationship. A 5 second Google search could show that. Referencing an abusive relationship as an analogy to the Delta SkyMiles changes is about as disturbing as it gets.
It seems like one thing you might want to do is find someone at Alaska who is ex-Delta, buy them a drink and ask them your "okay, so when this happened I used to do this, how's that work at Alaska" questions. (For that matter, someone at Delta who came from Alaska relatively recently might be able to give you the same answers.) Regardless, working retail in Seattle, I see SO MANY Alaska credit cards. I don't know if it'll work for you (hopefully!) but it obviously works pretty well for a lot of people.
I've flown AS a few times in the last few years primarily into SEA and PDX. I've almost always gotten my upgrade to a front seat as an AA EP (Emerald). The biggest issue I have with them is they're great if you're going west, but elsewhere it's not that useful. 90%+ of my flying is on AA so I can leverage them to each other.
Working at a major metropolitan airport for the last 3 years, I can say that Alaska is one of the few airlines that I have yet to hear any major complaints about. Sadly, I don't travel so I cant speak to it myself, but from what I've heard it's all been nothing but praise.
Bit off topic, but do you take Amtrak much? Do you have any experience with its rewards program? I think you mentioned that you use it before. I frequently use the coast starlight and amtrak cascades lines over flights for the price and comfort despite the time.
I have been Diamond Medallion since charter year and am 90k short of 2 million miles w/ Delta. Delta knows that people will complain but in the long run, they ain't going anywhere because all the airlines will follow suit and the frequent fliers will all be in the same boat no matter the airline they fly. Once I hit 2 million and have gold locked in for life, I'm a free agent. You say that you don't pay for first class, and are always up there ... I bet that's getting few and far between now. It is for me and I'm at the top of the list almost every flight. Delta offers cheaper (by hundreds of dollars) paid first class upgrades to people who don't have the status we do, enticing them to pay more for them later. Fewer upgradeable seats every year. I predict that in fewer than 5 years, we won't get any complimentary upgrades because they will all be sold. Glory years of being a frequent flyer are over, but at least I got to experience them for a long time!
i see that makers faire mare is back in full swing. will you be attending. ? that is mare island 0ctober 13-15 and 20-22 also what is your opinion of suntory old whisky. and caol isla?
I don't fly often but on a recent trip I choose to fly Alaska from the northwest to Florida and back. The flight down was fine but when I landed I was notified that my return flight that was scheduled 11 days out had been cancelled. I still don't understand why! So currently I won't fly Alaska for the time being. They did help my get a flight with AA but the more expensive seats that I had purchased on Alaska were not available, so ended up crammed into the worst seats on the plane with the least amount of leg room.
Flew Alaska from Dulles to Vancouver this summer and they misrouted my wifes bags. It was a bit frustrating though, the only reason the bag was checked was because they said it wouldn't qualify as a carry on. It was on the larger side, but its been cleared on most other airlines. So we paid to check it when we hadn't planned to and then it was lost. To make it right, they gave her carte blanche to replace anything she needed up to $200 for the 1 night she was without her bag. We ended up not needing to buy anything besides her toothbrush, but it was a great gesture. Just emailed them a copy of the receipt and they refunded the balance to our credit card that was used to pay for the baggage fee.
Speaking of airlines shilling their credit cards in-flight, I've been annoyed with Alaska several times because their pilots shill the credit card on approach. Pilots don't have more important things to do? To your other questions - on the same route between Alaska and Delta (won't say which for PERSEC, but suffice it to say I fly it several times a year), I find that Alaska usually has worse service. Their gates are in a remote part of the airport with fewer services and longer travel times, their planes have no IFE, and the whole experience seems overall cheaper, despite the cost being on par with Delta.
I know they catch alot of flack, not saying it's not deserved, but Virgin has been really good to me. Especially living in the UK and having to keep crossing the Atlantic. No hassle and pretty much every service I use gets me points.
For your gun case - I fly with a Pelican Air case as my luggage. On any airline about 98% of the time they bring it to the luggage office and you need an ID to pick it up. The only annoyance is that customs also treat it as special - I just came back from Cancun and when I got there the baggage office called me over the PA to the office. When I got there they had to walk it to Mexican customs where they searched all of our luggage by hand. When coming back to the US they did basically the same thing, but CT scanned the bag and let me go. I like Alaska planes and have their credit card. The only reason I don't use them more is the lack of direct routes from the Bay Area to smaller US international airports like MSP or Chicago. If I was in the Seattle area I'd definitely use them most of the time.
With the power outlets on Alaska airlines planes, all the seats have power however the power is capped to 75 watts. If you try to pull anymore than that the seat will cut the power.
Oh and baggage has never let me down over the last 25 years of flying alaska, it's never been misrouted even when flying on a multisegment multi airline trip. Baggage service at SeaTac is just a mess though- good luck getting them within the 20 minute guarantee, and there's no way I'll stand in the big line to claim my 50 free miles if bags arrice late.
Let me know next time you want to compare domestic abuse to an airline miles program. I'll send it off to the next court hearing in defense of the person who beat his/her partner. Best defense ever.... "I did it for the miles".
I like Alaska a lot -- SeaTac is my home airport, so it's a good choice. The biggest upside for me has been their 50lb limit on ammo in checked luggage, instead of 11lb that most airlines do. They have managed to screw the pooch a couple of times with my handguns coming up on the regular baggage belt (twice at SEA, once at DFW), but have otherwise been pretty damn good in that respect.
The "airline choice" thing never comes up for me- I fly the fastest flight going where I am going at the time I want to go at a reasonable price and there's virtually never 2 airlines that both meet that criteria(no Frontier/deep discount fight club class flights though). I use a credit card that gives 2%+ cash rewards and can generally buy a much better ticket with that cash than I could with airlines miles.
I don't fly with Alaska (or anyone) enough to be in their loyalty program but as a regular basic passenger, I find them to be a good airline. Their planes are in good repair, the WiFi has always worked, you know the things you would assume are basic but you can't take for granted these days. I haven't had to deal with their customer service much, but when I have they've done a good job. So far never a lost bag, even when going to Canada, which is often where I fly them to. My only complaint, and the reason I don't fly them all the time, is that for the most part you have to route through SeaTac as that is their only major hub and since I don't live near there it can add a lot of travel time vs another airline. For you, sounds like a non-issue.
Interesting how different jobs have much different needs from air travel. I never have baggage issues because I'm flying almost exclusively on charter flights to various little fly-in communities in Northern Ontario, on tiny Pilatus DC-12s where you can literally see your gear behind you. The most important thing with the tiny cargo/charter airlines is how reliably you can get ahold of an actual dispatcher by phone who can actually tell you the ETA of the plane that's coming to pick you up. There's no reward tiers, but there's also no security lines.
I have had an Alaska airlines membership for many years. the things I like are 1st bag free, the yearly companion certificate and they have a program where you can get bonus miles for using your AA card at certain restaurants.
I was a loyal Delta passenger and gained status on spend and flights. I have the platinum card and used it exclusively. I am looking at nonbranded cards, and I stopped caring about status. I just want to go to the lounge and get points. So, I'll be airline agnostic and just get points to use as I wish.
I'm a 10 year Alaska-only flyer out of Seattle. The airline has generally been great, and the fact that they are smaller means that I feel at least marginally more respected compared to dealing with the giant airlines. The lounges are great, where they exist. The Lounge+ subscription gets you into AA clubs as well, and is well worth it if you're committed to paying for a lounge subscription. Turns out most places I fly aren't one of the 6 airports (SEA, PDX, LAX, SFO, JFK, ANC) that have an actual Alaska Lounge. No way to earn free lounge access with status though. The app is solid, I've had some nagging complaints* about it that I'm sure are true for most airlines, but in terms of booking paid or award travel, it works. I fly longer flights most of the time, so I feel like Alaska's second option for getting status - 60 segments for gold (vs 40k miles) scaling to 140 segments for their top level 100k status - is a bit unattainable. With 500-mile minimums for EQMs, you would virtually have to fly only SEA-PDX/SEA-LAX or other very short flights to ever qualify this way. Their customer service is very good, the status priority line has always put me through to an agent with zero wait. I'm sure there is a short wait sometimes, but I've never experienced it. Two criticisms The price of Lounge membership has doubled in the last 5 years, and while the flagship Alaska lounges have improved, its mostly been in size, not necessarily quality, so I'm paying more lounge buildouts that simply let Alaska sell more lounge memberships. 40k+ elite members get "MVP Gold Upgrade Codes" which can be used to upgrade one flight to first class. These are pretty close to useless, the amount of eligible upgrade inventory is extremely low, let alone on cross-country flights. Even if I book 4+ months in advance, and the flights are completely empty, there is no way to use these codes. The best bet is to book what you want, and wait for exactly two weeks or one week prior to the flight, and see if "the system" releases upgrade inventory, then pay a bit extra (gold upgrade codes only work on certain fare classes, and the default full-fare Main Cabin fare often doesn't count) to use the code. I've basically given up trying to use them, and just offer them to friends and family, and maybe put in the extra effort for a SEA-ATL flight if I feel motivated. * Alaska doesn't do a great job having their app push notifications match with reality. As a lounge customer, it is highly valuable for the app to send me a push notification when my flight is actually boarding, not just 40 minutes before departure before a gate agent has even started thinking about boarding.
I've found Alaska's in seat power generally works. I'm just a plebe, but I've found them to be great to work with, the sears in the aircraft comfortable, and the flights generally on time.
Alaska has been my go to for domestic flights for a very long time. (I am a life long resident of Cascadia) I can't speak to their lounges. I rarely fly anything above economy plus. I was upset slightly last spring when they changed their lounge policy to only be available for flights over a specific length. I had booked a business class ticket from Seatac to DFW and it was just under the length that would have allowed me to use the lounge.
Alaska has been pretty good to me. I had my backpack and all my luggage stolen a few hours before a flight; called them with nothing but my wallet and phone and was able to delay my flight at no cost. That gave me enough time to file a police report and get a taxi to the airport. I fly SEA to SFO a few times a year, which doesn't rack up enough miles to reach any kind of status.
Admittedly, it's probably been 5-6 years ago (so ymmv), but I did status match with Alaska from my Platinum or Diamond with Delta (the one year I had it) for their 75k level. Coming back to SEA from SFO, I was something like 24 in a list of 50+ for upgrade to 1st class. There were 16 or 20 1st class seats on the plane altogether. The people I talked to at the time said they rarely got upgrades at the 75k level. I stayed with Delta then. Now I'm pained by these BS changes coming, but most of my travel is to Europe, and when I shopped Alaska they had partners that didn't work well for me and my routes. KLM does what I need the most. I occasionally use Air France (if I can't avoid CDG) and it's fine. I'm intending to wait and see, but I hit my 1st million last year and I'm not ready to cut and run for another airline that doesn't offer me a better solution to my problems. We'll see :-( The argument for these changes are ones I've seen firsthand this past year... Post-pandemic it's been almost impossible to get a seat in a lounge - seems like everyone and their aunt Margaret has upper tier status, takes the upgrades, and buys the damn comfort plus seats I used to get for every single flight I didn't get the 1st class bump on... tl;dr Not happy, but haven't yet found a better option for me...
A person whom I trust immensely informs me that Alaska's in-flight bourbon is Buffalo Trace. Not too shabby! 🥃
I too am looking for alternatives to my AMX Delta card. after dealing with the repeated failure of their overseas partner program. the new rules are the last straw.
If you like scotch, they have Glenfarclas too!
You can confirm this by going to Alaska Airline's Food and Drink webpage.
BT is pretty good.
At least they know what budget whiskeys to get and over charge for
Alaska story time! I once got horribly screwed by a multi-hour Amtrak delay and had to catch a last minute flight from SEA to PDX to connect back to my original plans. The transfer was tight, made tighter by delays on the apron after touchdown. I ran to my gate, but I just barely missed it - they had already closed the doors. I asked the gate agent if there was anything they could do. He got on the phone, they RE-OPENED THE DOORS, he printed out a new manifest with my name on it, ran it down the jetway, and everyone else on the plane got a special encore presentation of the safety spiel. Hand to god, there was applause. I will ALWAYS fly Alaska when I have the option.
And I want to be clear - I'm nobody to this company. I didn't even have an Alaska membership until after this experience. I am not a frequent flier by any stretch. I could have just gotten a hotel in Portland and flown out the next morning. And yet these folks moved heaven and earth to help me.
alaskan here, moved "down south" for a few years and went to see if any of the other airlines are any better as i've only flow alaska airlines as i grew up here, decided nope every other airline has worse features or worse saftey trackrecord. they are second only to a few of the really big international players. i've stayed with alaska and never regreted it.
i've slept through a boarding gate one time and missed a flight and they booked me another one that still made my conection, no questions or fee's asked even though it was entierly my fault. they fly boeing with have pressurized section for traveling with dogs unlike airbus where cargo is unpressurized. i've never had alaska lose a bag, (i had vagas airport staff loose one once but thats out of alaskas control.) they still give alaskans 2 free bags to and from alaska, which is a big deal because most of us alaskans have family and buissness in the lower 48 so we fly alot and relly on it way more then most in the lower 48, and we bring stuff like salmon and crab to family and bring back fresh fruit :)
alaska was one of the first airlines and states to adopt 0 visiblity ILS aproches and Rnav procedures which are now standard across the world. my home town of juneau trialed experimental FLIR approach systems. everyone who i know who's worked for them has loved it and the company culture. they froze 737 max acquisition before the feds flight ban when that was a thing.
alaska airlines isnt perfect but i dont see myself wanting to switch to anyone else anytime soon.
alaska still operates like a slow small company compared to the national efficiency giants they have way to many employess and pay them way to well and give way to many perks, they have way to much in rainy day savings and they only operate one aircraft company aircraft boeing (now they have the a320's with the merger but i think they are planing on replacing those with 737's when they time out).
if alaska airlines ever dies not a small part of the alaskan economy, imigration and tourism will go with it.
i trust them with my life, my famliys lives, my dog, and my guns on a regualer basis, and i cant think of much higher praise then that.
oh and DeviantOllam i dont think you will be running into any problems checking in guns with alaska airlines, last time i flew with mine, the airline attendent had a bigger gun collection then me :)
Now if only we could ditch the TSA as easily. Don't like their product either.
IT'S THE ONLY PHYSICAL CONTACT I HAVE LEFT, DON'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!
@@meh.7539 I enjoy the occasional body cavity search as much as the next guy, but when they cut my locks they've gone to far!
@@meh.7539 You still have your yearly physical to look forward to. lol
@@thomast6741 shaving passenger's heads for sEcUrItY???
TSA agents are people who make more money than in any other job they would qualify for... Power trip
Even in his so-called apology he let the endgame slip when he said: "Our team wanted to kind of rip the Band-Aid off and didn't want to have to keep going through this every year with changes and nickeling and diming and whatnot, so I think we moved too fast." The changes are still coming, but they are just going to "nickel and dime" them in.
EXACTLY!!
Precisely.
This feels a lot like what Unity just did. I think what you said at 4:43 is exactly why people are leaving Unity even though they walked back the licensing changes a little.
Absolutely. I left after the last time Unity raised their hand. Or was that two times ago? They're probably not done yet.
This was also the first thing I thought of, if you make an announcement that breaks everybodies trust and then walk it back it doesn't matter anymore, the moment you make known that you are able and willing to do this, you lost all trust in perpituity.
It's essentially exactly what they did. Every single developer needs to learn a different engine now because Unity is no longer an option, despite them walking back some of what they said.
For those not sure, we're talking about the game engine. Not a building, or a school, or a town, or a satellite segment, or a ship, or UI, or (...)
Came here to literally say "Oh, so Delta did a Unity".
As an ex SWA employee, the airlines definitely don't care about the passengers, at all, and the employees even less, especially those outside of the hospitality side. In the bigger "hub" cities your essentially treated as a disposable tool to do work, and that unfortunately shows up in shitty customer service, lost bags etc. There's a constant push to get more flights a day in and out, turn planes around faster, cram that last bit of cargo in, and that leads to missed connections, lost luggage, unhappy passengers, etc. And when stuff goes wrong, both the airline and the passengers tend to place blame on the working staff, regardless if we had any control over the situation at all. That being said, we did have some Alaskan airlines guys in my airport, despite being east coast, and they always seemed way, way less stressed out and they always had crews probably double the size of ours for a given flight size, so it did seem like they treat their employees better than average.
Alaskan Airlines is goated in my recent experiences over the last year & a half
And all of the fake flights they will post up knowing that they will cancel and not run it in advance, just to push other carriers.
Their IT is cheap AF too
I like that companies like Delta and Unity walk back horrible practices because of massive backlash, as if walking back the changes overwrites the fact they thought it was okay to begin with.
And the bad changes they do walk back are never gone for good; they are just implemented more gradually, hoping the proverbial frog won’t jump out of the pot as the water is slowly brought to a boil.
The thing that pisses me off about this situation is that because of no other reason than corporate bullshit, you're going to see your friends less. A decision is being made and you're personal community of friends is being damaged because of it. I think I'm offended that we've allowed corporations to dictate our lives like this.
It's not corporations, it's government. Only US based airlines can offer domestic flights, so competition for US airlines is practically nil. It's other US airlines, most of which have been absorbed by one of the bigger players by now. Think of what kind of car you drive. Was it manufactured by GM or Ford? If not, it would be illegal if we applied the same sort of logic to car purchases.
I think I am, too
@@jasonbrannen7598it's corporate lobbying that's done that, though.
@@jasonbrannen7598 that protectionism isn't created by the government's charity work but was likely lobbied for by existing domestic carriers.
@@SachilShah of course it was. But the only solution is to not give your government that authority.
As a AA CK status flyer, you are spot on about the airlines being banks. OneWorld isn’t all that hot. Most of what I do is long haul international. The integration between say AA and BA is crap. Those two can’t sort out how to solve a problem to save their lives. Recently I had purchased a round trip as an AA flight, using the AA credit card (CITI card is decent, the newer Barclays card sucks), so AA fight numbers but BA metal from USA to LHR. BA cancelled the USA to LHR flight, no call, no explanation, nothing. I only found out because I couldn’t even check in for the domestic segment. AA and BA spent several hours fighting over the ticket. The AA CK desk couldn’t figure out how to “JUST SOLVE THEIR CUSTOMERS PROBLEM”. I’m a MM on United and still won’t fly them after 20 years….. In the end, they all suck and don’t take care of their top customers………. I stay with AA only because it’s the devil I know. But that is getting thin……. I’ll be interested in a report from you in 6 to 12 months on your experiences with Alaska……. Might be willing to jump
I fly US-DE and US-NL several times a year. I have status on AA, and will avoid BA flights like the plague. The seats on their regionals (LHR-AMS) are paper-thin, their service is non-existent, and four out of five times (so far), they messed up seat reservations. LHR and their security checks are a mess.
BA once refused to check me through from one BA flight to another (were split tickets for silly reasons), both in first, checking in at the Concorde desk in JFK. They also have the distinction of once forgetting to serve me dinner in long haul business class.
If you really want to see how far one world has fallen fly Cathay Pacific its sad tbh
Stick with the devil you know. I’m EP and Diamond Medallion and am moving all spend to AA and Jetblue for longhaul domestic as Mosaic 4 (mint and flagship first are the only true premium products, whatever ED says)
Be aware that oneworld members like British airways and Finnair (on which I’m on Platinum = Emerald level) have also moved from miles to money; only spending matters
no, BA still do "tier points" - which is what gets you the "perks" like lounge access based on miles flown/ticket type, (e.g. 15 points for short haul economy, 180 for long haul first class etc.)
it's the Avios points that have changed, - these are the put towards tickets/rental cars/hotels etc stuff that were always also available on credit card spending etc too... they are now based entirely on the price of the base price ticket (with a tier dependent multiplier) no longer on the miles flown (but that wasn't the stuff talked about in the video anyway.)
the only catch with one world is, you get access to their lounges by being in the right tier AND being on their flight, - for example, I've got lounge access when flying with the tier I'm on, but need a valid ticket to get in there, - flying delta won't get me into the lounge even if I'm the most elite tier...
Also top tip for if you're flying one world alliance in the UK. there isn't a bar tender, you pour your own drinks.
Fun fact; Finnair gives you status (and award) miles per butt in seat miles from all oneworld partner flights so it's an option to credit to AY (=Finnair) if one flies lots of "cheap" miles on other OW carriers.
Alaska is my #1 preferred airline. We flew with them and their network to go to Europe a few years ago, when my wife got news that a family friend passed away. We called customer service, and the lady worked her butt off to get us home in time for the funeral. They did a similar move a year later for me when I needed to change a planned vacation to make another funeral.
Though I'm not a high milage flyer, I have their credit card. They were so helpful for me, a nobody in their system. Best customer care IMO.
I've never had problems with Alaska Luggage. I don't check any arms tho...
The free beer was (is?) With the premium economy seats. They were the 2 rows after Business Class, and also came with an extra inch or two of seat pitch.
@@robertcowling4313 Oh for sure, funerals have a high sympathy factor, and it probably did help me out some. I'm glad you had a good experience with Delta working to get you home on time.
Since it looks like you are at SeaTac it looks like you have choice between AS and DL and that’s awesome that choice is there for you, however some of us in DL territory (DTW, ATL, SLC, MSP) for as much as we would like choice it would imply more connections than being able to fly point to point like we could with DL and their partners. It would also make sense to shop around if you had status and you lived in a non-hub city.
We used primarily Alaska for years and had mostly amazing experiences. (There is always the occasional issue or poor customer service) only reason we are no longer with them is they have the NW covered well but as far as the rest of the US the flight options are limited so you can’t be picky of time of day or location of layover. We are options type of people so this has always been an issue for us flying around North America.
As a European, I had no idea people put so much thought into what they flew with. Here I fly whatever is the cheapest for a given route, usually Ryanair. You want my loyalty? Be cheap and you got it 😂
As a fellow European there are quite a lot of us who are also playing the frequent flyer game with European carriers.. who are also doing the same thing, moving to euro-based earnings from miles (like BA and AY next year)
That's common among most Americans that don't fly often. I'm the same way when I have to fly. Brand loyalty really only matters if you fly a lot and you'll get value out of their potential perks.
@@Thomas62374 Well I often flew with Wizzair the London - Budapest route for £7. I kind of understand why they want to count money vs miles.
I agree with you short haul, but as soon as a flight is longer than 5 or 6 hours I am willing to pay a little more for the familiarity of the same service each time. Especially when you consider rewards and points systems available if you need to fly more regularly.
Mr Olam is not your average flyer.
Flying has changed so much in the last few years. It's definitely turned into a rich/business person's game. Flights costs have tripled over the last few years for the flights I regularly take.
"Turned _back_ into [...]", I guess.
We just got a check from a class action lawsuit from AA. We used to use their credit to book flights and were supposed to get all these perks, that were never available when we flew. The biggest problem is allowing these airlines to consolidate with no oversight. The constant fees to 'upgrade' to a different seat, etc. make them the most money.
One of the neat hidden perks for Alaska is their credit card comes with a once per year "companion fare" voucher which is basically a buy-one-get-one-for-$100 for any flight on Alaska. So if you find yourself travelling with a companion a lot, it ends up being 100% worth it even after the annual fee.
Also I've flown with Alaska my whole life (aunt was a flight attendant so our family got some great deals growing up), never had a bad experience and always found them helpful and easy to use. Even their phone support has been super friendly on the rare occasions I've needed to use it.
😣 Annoyingly, with the recent Visa changes they seem to have added a spending requirement to earn the companion fare. They grandfathered in existing cardholders afaik.
Thank you for your vid and your personal situation with the airlines. Way to call out Delta and others, as needed. Your comments were measured, calm and factual. These companies need to understand that if you screw over long term relationships and loyal customers they will NEVER be back and typically they will tell seven other customers and in your case you are telling thousands. I’m not a frequent flyer as I truly hate to fly because of the experience. It’s not any particular airline it’s just the overall experience. The industry has made it non fun. I’m retired now but when full time I was focused on my business and not trying to keep up with what I call the airlines “game show” and having to know all the hoops to jump through just to make flying slightly more comfortable. I’m not a large person but the sardine can seat space is ridiculous. I can tolerate for about 1.5 hours and after that I’m uncomfortable. Anyway thanks for being the Voice of Customer in this case.
I was going to ask how you got into the Alaska lounge without being a special pass holder, but then I remembered what channel I was watching.
As a person who flies semi-regularly with Alaska and firearms, I like the way they run things, also as a person with a disability, they take good care of me. They make flying super simple, checking my cases couldn't have been simpler, and they haven't messed up my routes since I've flown with them, they've done right by me, and I will continue to offer them my business.
20 years ago I did a career change from averaging 75K-125K travel per year to zero per year. Last time I got on a flight even for pleasure was pre-covid. I couldn't be happier. Best of luck to you with Alaska, I also hear it's good.
thanks and fingers crossed!
As a fellow Medallion for the last 10+ years, and a shareholder, I applaud you. Know I’m hanging onto my stock and voting no to retain Ed Bastian for next year’s shareholder meeting. While I think Ed has done a lot of good for the airline, you’re only as good as your last game, and he lost big time on this one. I think Delta needs to find someone who will put the airline passenger experience above the nearly $7B credit card revenue, because they should be an airline, not a financial institution.
After a few years of AA Executive Platinum status, I realized I was running on a treadmill for them. No more. I’ll pay the day rate for lounge access. I’ll pay the lowest available fare for first class and not count on comp upgrades.
The main problem with Alaskan Airlines is thier size. Because they have a limited number of planes, sometimes the routing for long distance flights gets a bit weird and it can be challenging to find non-stop flights to non-west coast destinations.
I do like thier lounges when you can find them.
American airlines flights are eligible for Alaska miles due to their partnership
I like Alaska also but based in ATL it is tough. I had even thought to pursue SWA. The issue is they don’t go places. I know that sounds odd. SWA has a defined business model. I flew AirTran some. When SWA and AirTran merged, SWA cut flights. Since SWA came to ATL, Delta has gotten a larger market share. The Southwest effect didn’t happen in ATL.
Delta Diamond for a decade consciously decoupling from Delta and Delta Amex. Switched to a Chase Sapphire and just not traveling enough having just retired to keep a single airline loyalty program. If you are traveling a lot for work my advice given to me years ago is pick an airline and pick a hotel chain and fight to be loyal to them because it will make your life slightly less miserable in traveling. Delta did a great job extending credits and status through the pandemic peak but now this is a real kick in the teeth. Marriott is still getting my preferred business because they provide lifetime platinum and just those few perks make it worthwhile. In retirement I'll just fly what is convenient and direct. I flew exit row on Spirit recently because it was direct where I wanted to go. I now look at airlines that are direct and that have multiple flights increasing my chance of getting to my destination if there is disruption.
For flying in the PNW area, there is no better airline than Alaska. If they serve all the cities you fly to, I'd definitely recommend them. Mostly, their service is just so much better. The other option I usually have is United, but I can't tell you how many times they've just straight-up lied about the reason for flight delays/cancellations and missing luggage. Alaska employees seem happy to see you. It's a big difference.
Have you ever looked into private charters? You skip all the terminal security and ticketing, you can physically put your cases on the plane yourself or watch it be done in front of you. You fly direct to any airport and can go to much smaller airports than the airlines, and the plane is always stocked with whatever you want. For as often as you fly, the time and convenience might net out the extra costs.
First world problems: Enjoy them while we're still considered first world. Corporations have figured out that money only has value when it moves, so the more times it can move, the more transactions they can force per customer interaction, the more valuable their money handling gets. This is why their attachment to the credit card and bank is so important. And if they can take a fee, move it around through a few different entities, the more value.
Late state capitalism before the whole thing collapses.
I've only used Alaska once, but they had powered seats and I believe they did have WiFi.
I was quite impressed personally, but I do not fly often.
The regional carrier division Horizon used to have free beer and kept that up whenever you were on a Q400 turboprop until they retired the last one this year. Alaska proper used to have a free beer for any departure delay policy (which meant free beer on the last SEA-SJC flight 90% of the time for better or worse)
All of the free Alaska beer I've put down was on a Q400. On BLI to SEA the line was "we don't even have time to pull out the drink carts, but if you want red wine or a brew we'll pour you one"
Alaskan is my least-hated US carrier. Certainly my preferred carrier up and down the west coast going back maybe 15 years.
Weirdly they always treated Qantas frequent flyers, even without status _really_ well, although I've never actually used their lounges as the few times I've been through SEA I haven't had the time (or actually had the time because flight got delayed so much I missed my connection). I've not had any baggage issues with them, although friends have.
You're certainly in for a treat with the Qantas/Cathay One World lounge in the LAX international terminal, an actually nice lounge in the US (versus the American flagship lounges which would be about equal to a base Qantas lounge in a second tier city)
Alaska makes the most sense to me, for someone based in the Pacific Northwest. I do not fly nearly as much as I used to, but being Boston-based I'm loyal to JetBlue - which is our equivalent airline. I used to fly American Airlines back in the day - over 10 years ago - because they had a dense network in the Northeast and they used to have 'the most legroom in coach' and all that, a good frequent flyer program, etc. But then the service started to decline, they started cramming in seats, and I tried JetBlue - and never went back.
Between my flights and my JetBlue Mastercard (which is my primary card), I easily maintain Mosaic status - currently 'Tier 4' IIRC, which is their top tier. Mosaic means two free checked bags (never had a lost bag, think maybe I had one misrouted in ten years), I fly 'Even More Space' all the time - unless I fly Mint, which I do when offered.
Working for F5, which is based in Seattle, I know a LOT of people who fly Alaska constantly. It's basically our corporate airline, and it seems like everyone I've talked to really likes Alaska. Sorry Delta screwed up, and I hope Alaska becomes a solid new home.
Amex is great for people who want to stick their friends with the bill... "sorry guys, I would pitch in for dinner but they don't take Amex, I'll get you next time"
Amex has the highest interchange fees for vendors which is why a lot of people don't take it. Also probably why delta wants to use it, they can build in those fees for rewards. Those rewards don't come from nowhere, your vendors pay for it all.
I've never flown Alaska, so I don't have anything to offer there; but I'm proud of you both for sticking to your morals and choosing to leave.
I’m an Alaska frequent flyer. I love the airline. The staff are friendly and their amenities on the flights are great. Yes, you can get a free alcoholic drink if you’re sitting in premium economy. I highly recommend Alaska for anyone around the west coast.
Depending on exactly where you're at in the Seattle area, another bonus of flying Alaska is the availability of Paine field up in Everett. I had a weather cancellation last December out of SeaTac and was able to get rebooked from PAE same day instead of being stuck for two days. Oh also I think they fly direct to Vegas from PAE, too. Nice little airport that's super easy to get in and out of
Background in Aviation maintenance, the best way we always worded it… the plane side is in the business of just trying to stay in business
I"ve been happy with Alaska for years, but I will say I was disappointed when they absorbed Virgin Air. They killed some popular routes (for me), but still a great experience all around. Since I don't live in a hub, it's often hard to find direct flights outside of their main hubs.
I wrote delta off 2 decades ago because they canceled flights and stranded an entire airport since they were the only carrier. I’ve given them a few chances since then and they continue to disappoint. I cashed a bunch of my miles flying my wife and then infant child first class and hoped she cried the entire flights. I’ve heard good things about Alaska.
I flew on Alaska for a connecting flight once and it was awesome! We flew in a turbo prop plane and they gave complimentary microbrew beers.
My opinion on Alaska lounges: the food could definitely be better, but the spaces are physically quite nice and rarely crowded the times I've been (perhaps because first class tickets don't get you in anymore unless the flight is over a certain length; so it's just people with paid memberships).
Thank you for this video. I’m glad I stumbled across it. We have been wondering where to switch our loyalty to and you’ve made our choice easy.
50% business traveler here in the PNW.
I am in the same boat, have been transitioning over to Alaska this year.
This is was the last straw.
Switching to Alaska from here on out.
honestly if you fly that often, you ARE a rich person... no one middle class or lower can afford it more than once or maybe twice a year!
Same across the board for me. Diamond for 7 years and 895k on the way to MM, and on a first name basis with LAX, SEA and SFO lounge staff. Everything you talked about here holds true for me, and the Alaskan deal is great for me as I fly to Tokyo 6+ times a year, and trading Delta for JAL is a net win for me, better airline, better service, and the max status for my Alaska gives me equivalent perks on those flights. And you're right, I'm totally going to miss the "Delta Difference" and the fact there are certain people who can just fix my problems so much faster than one would normally get through the regular channels... stuff like that is what makes traveling for a living so casually bearable and not a chore.
Thank you! Great video and I just subscribed. You captured my head exactly and I appreciate your transparency. I know exactly the seat you’re broadcasting from at Delta’s Seattle club. I’m the retired and maintain Platinum, I just pay up for the service and leg room (I’m tall). But all the new rules give me a headache. Alaska is an option, but now I need a whole new set of rules for them and their credit card? Cutting to the chase, Business Select on Southwest looks like the way for me to get reliable service and the legroom I require.
This really spoke to me. We fly very frequently on American Airlines with one of our dogs. We just flew out of RDU, where the checkin folk were giving us a hard time over the dog. Thanks for taking the time to make this one.
I absolutely echo this! Having seen delta go downhill for years, I will only fly Alaska and Singapore Airlines now. I live in the west and mostly fly to South East Asia so they cover all my needs.
I hope more people give Alaska a shot. During covid I had to change some flight plans and Alaska had free cancelation and rebooking for all customers during the duration of the pandemic. Every other airline was busy sucking as much coin as possible out of their customers.
Does it hurt you at all that those two are on different alliance networks? oneworld vs star?
My husband loves Alaska. They're nice but their tix are regularly the most expensive compared to all the carriers, at least for where I fly from. If you're near SEA you're lucky tho.
As a lowly Below Wing agent in MSP, who's been following your videos for years, sorry corporate has the dumb. I know they're planning on changing it again soon due to backlash but, it's probably too-little-too-late. I hope things work out for you with other airlines on your future travels.
The Alaska Terminal at LAX is pretty nice, it's the only terminal I've seen that has an outdoor animal relief area. It's also great if you need to step outside and hit your vape pen real quick...
The only thing that bugs me about Alaska is that a lot of their flights to the places that I go are actually through American Airlines. I have more miles with AA so I just book with them instead and hop on the exact same plane.
You ride in “steerage” about 3 times, you’ll be back.
why would I ride in steerage?
I fly mostly domestic. I recently switched to Alaska because I’ve been spending a lot of time in Seattle and will end up putting down about 40k miles this year. I’ve had a really positive experience so far. It’s nice having the one world alliance to fill in and still get perks and earn miles and I like all the people I’ve interacted with.
When you live in AK, AK Airlines is the bus to seattle. Alaska residents get two free checked bags which is nice. The service is usually good. Their newer fleet of 737s have inseat power that always works. We aren't super fliers like some, but we travel a fair amount. We got the credit card because of the companion fare and the last minute discounts you get with the card.
I for one expect Deviant to have a small private plane by now, either purchased or "Pen -tested, waiting for _____ To notice I have their plane"
You and Tara smile at each other so awesome! Lol
And you should find an open Alaskan staff member and ask them to fill you in on the software systems and such so you can be as conversant with them as you are with Delta.
You of all people should be able to engineer this conversation!
Maybe late night at a quiet gate where they aren't busy? Lol
A problem with Alaska is their route network. Delta has a large domestic and international network, with multiple hubs and focus cities.
agree - I am in Atlanta (a delta hub) and it is very hard to get direct flight with other airlines from here - sigh - I will need to do some research now :(
Alaska is the best for sure, but I stuck with Delta because I liked them more than United who competed on the routes I typically flew. I am not traveling as much as I used to, so my Delta Platinum is expiring at the end of this year. A slight bummer but honestly not traveling so much has been a big improvement in my life. I don't think I'll miss the "status" that much.
Who do you suggest replaces them?
Darn. Thanks for the heads up. Hope everthing works out better.
Heading to SQL conference in Seattle on Delta in November. Would have loved to bump into you.
The best flight I was ever on was an Alaska Airlines flight. They served me three rounds of free beer and wine at 7am! Not sure how representative that is of every flight, but they'd be the first I'd look at for a loyalty program.
What kind of mic do you use for your video? It’s so clear and I can’t see it
These changes benefit me greatly. Upgrade lists were far too long, SkyClubs were far too crowded.. There had to be a change. Good luck with Alaska, I love flying them.
The decay has been deeply visible. My uncle who was on the million miler club for AA in the late 90s already has hopped around airlines ever since due to just how far everyone has fallen. I can't tell you it's strictly an American problem, but recently I took Singapore Air to Japan and it felt like they're frozen in time two decades ago while the rest of us are being nickel and dimed - and I'm told by folks in Singapore that THEY have gone downhill, too!
Something's gotta give, eventually. In the time being, I'll be replacing all my Delta with Alaska...
I'm in Dallas and have only ever flown Alaska once ... DAL (Love Field) to SFO, roundtrip. I was very impressed and will fly them again, over Southwest, anytime. I have a bit of claustrophobia, but was lucky enough to have a partially empty flight each way, plus the Alaska seats, legroom and cabin space were very comfortable.
Same concept with Bass Pro/Cabela's (and all the big sporting stores TBH). Most of the buyout was to get the contracts on the Cabela's club card, when I worked the firearms counter, there was a significant push to make sure every gun purchase was a credit card sign up. Non-performers would be removed from their state certified NICS position selling guns and submitting background checks and moved to being a greeter at the door as a form of unofficial punishment. Every form of shopping now seems to be a conduit to farm the customer base for APR as a business model rather than sell products for profit.
I only fly Alaska. I don't fly much, but on the six flights I've had with firearms, all the cases made it on the right planes to the right places at the right times. Speaking to your previous video on flying with firearms and TSA cutting locks, I've been much more wary of airport personnel and TSA than of Alaska. I even watched the ground crew loading the plane once, and my firearm bag, along with two other bags from other passengers, were kept aside until the end. Maybe there was another reason for it, but they clearly appeared to be treating those bags differently. Dunno if that's good or bad, but it's what I saw.
Overall, had good results with them. All the seat power worked. Last flights into and out of MKE were uneventful. Would fly with them again.
I always respect a person's opinion. This video is reckless and contains numerous mistakes in facts as presented. Delta is not a bank... less than 10% of 2023 revenue was from the AMEX relationship. A 5 second Google search could show that. Referencing an abusive relationship as an analogy to the Delta SkyMiles changes is about as disturbing as it gets.
It seems like one thing you might want to do is find someone at Alaska who is ex-Delta, buy them a drink and ask them your "okay, so when this happened I used to do this, how's that work at Alaska" questions. (For that matter, someone at Delta who came from Alaska relatively recently might be able to give you the same answers.)
Regardless, working retail in Seattle, I see SO MANY Alaska credit cards. I don't know if it'll work for you (hopefully!) but it obviously works pretty well for a lot of people.
I've flown AS a few times in the last few years primarily into SEA and PDX. I've almost always gotten my upgrade to a front seat as an AA EP (Emerald). The biggest issue I have with them is they're great if you're going west, but elsewhere it's not that useful. 90%+ of my flying is on AA so I can leverage them to each other.
Working at a major metropolitan airport for the last 3 years, I can say that Alaska is one of the few airlines that I have yet to hear any major complaints about. Sadly, I don't travel so I cant speak to it myself, but from what I've heard it's all been nothing but praise.
Bit off topic, but do you take Amtrak much? Do you have any experience with its rewards program? I think you mentioned that you use it before.
I frequently use the coast starlight and amtrak cascades lines over flights for the price and comfort despite the time.
one of the best parts of Alaska is the partnerships. You get status across all of the partners. Much larger network than Delta.
I feel you friend - I am nearly a 2M miler on American (butt in seat) and the move to credit card for for qualifications really is crap.
I have been Diamond Medallion since charter year and am 90k short of 2 million miles w/ Delta. Delta knows that people will complain but in the long run, they ain't going anywhere because all the airlines will follow suit and the frequent fliers will all be in the same boat no matter the airline they fly.
Once I hit 2 million and have gold locked in for life, I'm a free agent. You say that you don't pay for first class, and are always up there ... I bet that's getting few and far between now. It is for me and I'm at the top of the list almost every flight. Delta offers cheaper (by hundreds of dollars) paid first class upgrades to people who don't have the status we do, enticing them to pay more for them later. Fewer upgradeable seats every year. I predict that in fewer than 5 years, we won't get any complimentary upgrades because they will all be sold. Glory years of being a frequent flyer are over, but at least I got to experience them for a long time!
i see that makers faire mare is back in full swing. will you be attending. ?
that is mare island 0ctober 13-15 and 20-22
also what is your opinion of suntory old whisky. and caol isla?
I don't fly often but on a recent trip I choose to fly Alaska from the northwest to Florida and back. The flight down was fine but when I landed I was notified that my return flight that was scheduled 11 days out had been cancelled. I still don't understand why! So currently I won't fly Alaska for the time being. They did help my get a flight with AA but the more expensive seats that I had purchased on Alaska were not available, so ended up crammed into the worst seats on the plane with the least amount of leg room.
Flew Alaska from Dulles to Vancouver this summer and they misrouted my wifes bags. It was a bit frustrating though, the only reason the bag was checked was because they said it wouldn't qualify as a carry on. It was on the larger side, but its been cleared on most other airlines. So we paid to check it when we hadn't planned to and then it was lost. To make it right, they gave her carte blanche to replace anything she needed up to $200 for the 1 night she was without her bag. We ended up not needing to buy anything besides her toothbrush, but it was a great gesture. Just emailed them a copy of the receipt and they refunded the balance to our credit card that was used to pay for the baggage fee.
Speaking of airlines shilling their credit cards in-flight, I've been annoyed with Alaska several times because their pilots shill the credit card on approach. Pilots don't have more important things to do?
To your other questions - on the same route between Alaska and Delta (won't say which for PERSEC, but suffice it to say I fly it several times a year), I find that Alaska usually has worse service. Their gates are in a remote part of the airport with fewer services and longer travel times, their planes have no IFE, and the whole experience seems overall cheaper, despite the cost being on par with Delta.
I know they catch alot of flack, not saying it's not deserved, but Virgin has been really good to me. Especially living in the UK and having to keep crossing the Atlantic. No hassle and pretty much every service I use gets me points.
For your gun case - I fly with a Pelican Air case as my luggage. On any airline about 98% of the time they bring it to the luggage office and you need an ID to pick it up. The only annoyance is that customs also treat it as special - I just came back from Cancun and when I got there the baggage office called me over the PA to the office. When I got there they had to walk it to Mexican customs where they searched all of our luggage by hand.
When coming back to the US they did basically the same thing, but CT scanned the bag and let me go.
I like Alaska planes and have their credit card. The only reason I don't use them more is the lack of direct routes from the Bay Area to smaller US international airports like MSP or Chicago. If I was in the Seattle area I'd definitely use them most of the time.
With the power outlets on Alaska airlines planes, all the seats have power however the power is capped to 75 watts. If you try to pull anymore than that the seat will cut the power.
ah interesting. so no laptop charging
@@DeviantOllam if it pulls more than 75w yeah. I normally bring a small 67w USB-C PD charger for my laptop for use on the plane.
As someone who went "free agent" this year I agree 100% with your move. However, it is Delta Air Lines ;-)
Oh and baggage has never let me down over the last 25 years of flying alaska, it's never been misrouted even when flying on a multisegment multi airline trip.
Baggage service at SeaTac is just a mess though- good luck getting them within the 20 minute guarantee, and there's no way I'll stand in the big line to claim my 50 free miles if bags arrice late.
Let me know next time you want to compare domestic abuse to an airline miles program.
I'll send it off to the next court hearing in defense of the person who beat his/her partner.
Best defense ever.... "I did it for the miles".
I like Alaska a lot -- SeaTac is my home airport, so it's a good choice. The biggest upside for me has been their 50lb limit on ammo in checked luggage, instead of 11lb that most airlines do. They have managed to screw the pooch a couple of times with my handguns coming up on the regular baggage belt (twice at SEA, once at DFW), but have otherwise been pretty damn good in that respect.
The "airline choice" thing never comes up for me- I fly the fastest flight going where I am going at the time I want to go at a reasonable price and there's virtually never 2 airlines that both meet that criteria(no Frontier/deep discount fight club class flights though). I use a credit card that gives 2%+ cash rewards and can generally buy a much better ticket with that cash than I could with airlines miles.
I have heard Delta is an initialisism for “Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive”
Miles total or per year?
I don't fly with Alaska (or anyone) enough to be in their loyalty program but as a regular basic passenger, I find them to be a good airline. Their planes are in good repair, the WiFi has always worked, you know the things you would assume are basic but you can't take for granted these days. I haven't had to deal with their customer service much, but when I have they've done a good job. So far never a lost bag, even when going to Canada, which is often where I fly them to.
My only complaint, and the reason I don't fly them all the time, is that for the most part you have to route through SeaTac as that is their only major hub and since I don't live near there it can add a lot of travel time vs another airline. For you, sounds like a non-issue.
Interesting how different jobs have much different needs from air travel. I never have baggage issues because I'm flying almost exclusively on charter flights to various little fly-in communities in Northern Ontario, on tiny Pilatus DC-12s where you can literally see your gear behind you. The most important thing with the tiny cargo/charter airlines is how reliably you can get ahold of an actual dispatcher by phone who can actually tell you the ETA of the plane that's coming to pick you up. There's no reward tiers, but there's also no security lines.
I have had an Alaska airlines membership for many years. the things I like are 1st bag free, the yearly companion certificate and they have a program where you can get bonus miles for using your AA card at certain restaurants.
Sorry to hear brother. That’s a bummer
I was a loyal Delta passenger and gained status on spend and flights. I have the platinum card and used it exclusively. I am looking at nonbranded cards, and I stopped caring about status. I just want to go to the lounge and get points. So, I'll be airline agnostic and just get points to use as I wish.
I'm a 10 year Alaska-only flyer out of Seattle. The airline has generally been great, and the fact that they are smaller means that I feel at least marginally more respected compared to dealing with the giant airlines.
The lounges are great, where they exist. The Lounge+ subscription gets you into AA clubs as well, and is well worth it if you're committed to paying for a lounge subscription. Turns out most places I fly aren't one of the 6 airports (SEA, PDX, LAX, SFO, JFK, ANC) that have an actual Alaska Lounge. No way to earn free lounge access with status though.
The app is solid, I've had some nagging complaints* about it that I'm sure are true for most airlines, but in terms of booking paid or award travel, it works.
I fly longer flights most of the time, so I feel like Alaska's second option for getting status - 60 segments for gold (vs 40k miles) scaling to 140 segments for their top level 100k status - is a bit unattainable. With 500-mile minimums for EQMs, you would virtually have to fly only SEA-PDX/SEA-LAX or other very short flights to ever qualify this way.
Their customer service is very good, the status priority line has always put me through to an agent with zero wait. I'm sure there is a short wait sometimes, but I've never experienced it.
Two criticisms
The price of Lounge membership has doubled in the last 5 years, and while the flagship Alaska lounges have improved, its mostly been in size, not necessarily quality, so I'm paying more lounge buildouts that simply let Alaska sell more lounge memberships.
40k+ elite members get "MVP Gold Upgrade Codes" which can be used to upgrade one flight to first class. These are pretty close to useless, the amount of eligible upgrade inventory is extremely low, let alone on cross-country flights. Even if I book 4+ months in advance, and the flights are completely empty, there is no way to use these codes. The best bet is to book what you want, and wait for exactly two weeks or one week prior to the flight, and see if "the system" releases upgrade inventory, then pay a bit extra (gold upgrade codes only work on certain fare classes, and the default full-fare Main Cabin fare often doesn't count) to use the code. I've basically given up trying to use them, and just offer them to friends and family, and maybe put in the extra effort for a SEA-ATL flight if I feel motivated.
* Alaska doesn't do a great job having their app push notifications match with reality. As a lounge customer, it is highly valuable for the app to send me a push notification when my flight is actually boarding, not just 40 minutes before departure before a gate agent has even started thinking about boarding.
Are you in the Seattle area? Nonstops are such a crucial part of flying these days.
I've found Alaska's in seat power generally works. I'm just a plebe, but I've found them to be great to work with, the sears in the aircraft comfortable, and the flights generally on time.
Alaska has been my go to for domestic flights for a very long time. (I am a life long resident of Cascadia) I can't speak to their lounges. I rarely fly anything above economy plus. I was upset slightly last spring when they changed their lounge policy to only be available for flights over a specific length. I had booked a business class ticket from Seatac to DFW and it was just under the length that would have allowed me to use the lounge.
Alaska was our main carrier when we were in the PNW. Miss it now that we are not in close to any of their hubs.
Alaska has been pretty good to me. I had my backpack and all my luggage stolen a few hours before a flight; called them with nothing but my wallet and phone and was able to delay my flight at no cost. That gave me enough time to file a police report and get a taxi to the airport.
I fly SEA to SFO a few times a year, which doesn't rack up enough miles to reach any kind of status.
Admittedly, it's probably been 5-6 years ago (so ymmv), but I did status match with Alaska from my Platinum or Diamond with Delta (the one year I had it) for their 75k level. Coming back to SEA from SFO, I was something like 24 in a list of 50+ for upgrade to 1st class. There were 16 or 20 1st class seats on the plane altogether. The people I talked to at the time said they rarely got upgrades at the 75k level. I stayed with Delta then. Now I'm pained by these BS changes coming, but most of my travel is to Europe, and when I shopped Alaska they had partners that didn't work well for me and my routes. KLM does what I need the most. I occasionally use Air France (if I can't avoid CDG) and it's fine. I'm intending to wait and see, but I hit my 1st million last year and I'm not ready to cut and run for another airline that doesn't offer me a better solution to my problems. We'll see :-(
The argument for these changes are ones I've seen firsthand this past year... Post-pandemic it's been almost impossible to get a seat in a lounge - seems like everyone and their aunt Margaret has upper tier status, takes the upgrades, and buys the damn comfort plus seats I used to get for every single flight I didn't get the 1st class bump on...
tl;dr
Not happy, but haven't yet found a better option for me...