That's It... We're Done with Delta Airlines
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- Опубліковано 22 лип 2024
- "How Airlines Quietly Became Banks" (Wendover Productions)...
• How Airlines Quietly B...
"Delta Airline overhauls how you earn Medallion status in biggest change yet" (The Points Guy)...
thepointsguy.com/news/delta-s...
"Frequent fliers cry foul over changes to Delta’s loyalty program" (ABD News)...
www.abccolumbia.com/2023/09/2...
"Delta to further limit access to its Sky Club airport lounges in effort to reduce crowds" (CBS News)...
www.cbsnews.com/news/delta-sk...
Alaska Airlines status match upgrade offer...
www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...
"Enshitification" as described by Corey Doctorow...
www.wired.com/story/tiktok-pl...
Just to be clear, I don’t care about airline status because I want to get free upgrades or complimentary WiFi. In order to do the work that we do in the way that we have to do it... Folk like Tarah and I require the support that airlines offer to business travelers. This is about solving emergency issues which can arise during travel and could potentially ruin a whole project.
If you've felt slapped in the face by Delta, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Likewise, if you're already a frequent flier with Alaska, tell me all the pros and cons down below! 👍😁👍
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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
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
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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
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"
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.
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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 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.
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?
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.
What kind of mic do you use for your video? It’s so clear and I can’t see it
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'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.
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 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.
Thanks for the heads up! Don't often get the chance to fly Alaska being an east coaster, but I've had good experiences in the continental US with United. Not a very frequent flyer. Good luck with Alaska and let us know how it compares!
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"
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.
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.
Thanks Dev,
I live near ATL and fly occasionally. Thought about the delta amex stuff and have received horrible customer service from both in the last two weeks. I am in the same boat looking for new Atlanta based company.
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.
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.
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.
I’m not adobe savvy enough to make such a well produced video but im in the same position and making the same decision. The way Amex treats their merchants is enough to keep me from getting their card. I’m based out of CLT so it’s easy for me to jump ship to AA with no more connections for the most part. Is Alaska doing any form of status match?
When I originally moved to Seattle in 2018, I flew a lot of Alaska down the west coast, but eventually switched to Delta after I would spend 30+ minutes on the ramp waiting for a gate to open up. At least in Seattle a few years ago, the Alaska Ramp was slow to get planes in.
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.
Who do you suggest replaces them?
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
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.
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.
Alaska has done us decent. You'll probably find issues anywhere. One time we had a flight back from Hawaii and stopped in Seattle and our connecting got switched around multiple times and ended up at a gate we couldn't find, turns out there was a shuttle during construction yet no signage. Sometimes the seat power ports are clapped out but they've all worked. They have some old bombardier turbo props for smaller routes which are wholly uncomfortable. But my wife has the card and the companion fare is nice. Averaged out we probably fly once or twice a year so it makes the rates pretty cheap. The worst run in I've had with a gun issue was flying out of Denver. Some TSA guy took me from check in up an escalator to another room to manually verify through another X-ray machine what was in my luggage. It was very weird. I keep a pistol in a abus-locked hard-sided pelican case which is then cable locked inside my suitcase which then is TSA locked. They can open the suitcase and see the pistol case but they cannot remove the pistol case not open the pistol case. Nobody's ever had a problem with it in Seattle or Phoenix but Denver TSA got a little weirded with it but ultimately they just passed me along and I wasn't late for the flight. All in all, as an infrequent flyer, they've done good, better experiences than southwest.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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've never been in the US, that whole loyalty points system seems extremely complicated.
The wildest part to me is how you can go to a hotel or rental car company to get frequent flyer points. Or even something like an airline credit card you pay with. Really weird stuff.
Are you in the Seattle area? Nonstops are such a crucial part of flying these days.
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.
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.
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.
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 flew Alaska for years while on the west Coast. Good airline but their flight schedule used to be very limited nationwide.
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.
All the Alaska flights I know of in my area are actually AA flights so I've never had a chance to fly with them. But one of my employees lives out that way and uses them regularly enough seems to be happy with them.
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.
We fly southwest often and have only had one instance of bad customer service when they forgot to bring our bags with us. If you're not already burnt by them id suggest them.
Also, I might be flying Alaska now
Alaska is a Regional carrier. I fly between the bay area and Portland about 5 times a year. As long as book early a 1st class seat has usually been $20-40 more. With the first class seat, you get primary seating, better overhead and underseat, you get a meal and you get two free checked bags and one carry-on plus one personal item like a purse or laptop carrier. Regular seating you're technically gonna pay for any check in bags, and yiou seem to always have lots of bags in your videos
I live just north of DC and fly Alaska fairly regularly to and from Seattle for work. Even as a lowly MVP/Ruby/Silver equivalent i still got 2 checked bags and fairly frequent upgrades. Alaska has only lost my luggage once, on my flight home because apparently the SeaTac conveyor system broke. Within 12 hours of arriving home and filing a claim i had tracking numbers, and by day 3 they were on my porch. I will continue flying with them until i need to go somewhere they don't service.
Point of amusement: i had started a corporate status match with Delta and less than a day later they announced the current shenanigans. I may still use them for non West Coast locations but I'm not likely to chase any Delta status.
Taking a miles trip to Korea just to attain a higher miles level is disgusting. It is like igniting a pile of tires merely to watch them burn, heedless of the environmental havoc ensuing.
I don't really fly enough to make any use of the mileage or loyalty programs, or give you a really detailed answer, but I would say out of the last 4 times I've flown anywhere, I've flown on Alaska. I've always had a pleasant experience. I don't think they do free beer anymore, but first class does come with free alcohol. I'm not sure about the whiskey, though.
I've never had any issues with baggage, knock on wood. I haven't visited the Portland lounge, but I've heard it's small. Though PDX is going through a massive renovation right now. The app is fine. Easy to navigate. I'm flying soon again on American, so I'm curious how the experience will differ. I know if you fly enough, you will have a problem, but I will always fly with Alaska whenever possible.
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?
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.
I totally agree. We worked so hard for status only to have the rug pulled out from under us. It’s very off putting. We like to fly budget sometimes and we like to fly in comfort+ a lot but our basic fare flights are now completely worthless. We cannot upgrade or get miles for basic fares. And for international flights, the basic fares are still couple thousand dollars for us. I feel like we should still get miles for any miles flown. We do have the credit card as well and even with this, we don’t get miles anymore on the basic fares.
Flown Alaska for a decade, gun case most times, never lost. But mine is a Pelican Air 1615 with Abloy 340s.
Definitely not the video title I wanted to see after my first ever flight got booked with Delta LMAO.
At least now I know not to bother with signing up for any rewards programs! Keep up the good work Dev, love your stuff, excited to actually be able to put your flying experience to use.
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 :(
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.
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.
That bit at the end had me cracking up - be brave, get out of your comfort zone, try a different airport lounge xD
Alaska's frequent flyer program is good but used to be OP. A few years ago, you could credit Delta and American flights to Alaska.
I absolutely LOVE Alaska. The staff has always been so good and friendly regardless of what class I would be flying. When I had MVP i got upgrades frequently too, but most of my flights were Seattle to the Bay area. The app has been good but I will say i've never used the app to book miles but the website has been easy peasy with good availability.
I'm going to book a flight from Europe back to Seattle for next spring and am looking to really go lux and Condor has lay flights for stupendously cheap and be earning like 3x miles.
The whiskey and scotch are Woodford and Glenfarclas.
Baggage has been great and they regularly will gate check for free, but it doesn't matter much since card holders get a free bag and if y ou pay with your card you get another bag too. For every person you booked.
Lounges have been good, but i don't use them since i'm usually not connecting and i show up real close to the flight.
👍 Best part is loving in Seattle and how Seattle based they are. IT JUST FITS.
And i forgot to mention how LGBTQIA+ friendly they are. They even let their staff choose the dress they prefer (masc or fem) which as a trans person I cannot love more!
Miles total or per year?
Within the first minute of the video I immediately though of the Wendover video. I should have expected your were well aware of it. :) I flew Alaska quite a bit when I was in the PNW. They're definitely one of my favorite carriers.