Alaska & Aeromexico Cut Ties As Of January 1, 2018

AS provides an excellent service. Having just taken Aeromexico from Toronto to Mazatlan and having misconnections and delays in Mexico City on both ways due to their internal partner networks I would not see this as a great loss. Better AS service direct is preferred to connecting through Mexico City.Mileage Plan offers many choices and has not behaved fortunately like the Big 3 , with their penny pinching devaluations. Keep up the god work AS

Well, as long as we're just spitballing¹ here . . . Alaska (AS) is an airline I've flown infrequently at best (four times since 2012, when I joined their Mileage Plan), but I've never been disappointed. That said, I am now an MVP Gold elite with Alaska due to my FF status with Virgin America (VX). Given the some 300k+ miles I have now with AS², I'll continue to fly them unless and until they disappoint. That said . . . Seeing Delta (DL) as being behind the move to sever the ties between AS and AeroMexico is probably correct. It makes the most amount of sense, at least on the face of it. As others have already said, a potential loss of AirFrance/KLM would be substantial, indeed, and would no doubt be a result of DL playing some serious hardball. There are, however, other options available -- both to Europe and the Far East -- on other airlines so while it would be HIGHLY DISAPPOINTING, it wouldn't be the end of the world. But the reason that I continue to "rack up" miles with AS is precisely for award travel overseas. If all I wanted was domestic travel, I'd have continued to make most of my flights via Southwest (WN). AS/VX is, IMHO, best seen as the "mirror image" of JetBlue (B6), extensive routes up-and-down one coast, some long-haul (domestic), and a smattering of (relatively) short international flights to Mexico and/or the Caribbean. I don't expect any sort of merger to be considered between them for several years, until the AS/VX merger is all settled; any issues -- both internal (with employees) and external (with consumers) -- resolved; and any debt substantially paid off. I don't see WN on any sort of a merger track -- neither as the "swallower," nor as the "swallowee." But down the road -- and largely contingent upon what DL does (for AA and UA seem content to follow in their footsteps) -- it *is* a possibility. _______________ ¹ "Maybe, and I'm just spit-balling here, maybe we have a responsibility as officers to train Santiago." Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), in "A Few Good Men." ² This is AFTER redeeming more than 200,000 points on AS/VX so far this year.

AS losing Aeromexico, meh Don't even bring up losing KLM/Air France! That would be terrible. Even if it is hard to find award travel with them using AS miles, its a great partnership because of their products. Iceland and Condor will get you to Europe, but they don't even come close on the experience. I still think a Jet Blue / Alaska merger makes the most sense to create a really strong (albeit quirky) contender to the big US 3.

I've flown AS for 25 years, I still don't understand why people think they are so exceptional. Hard and soft product is sometimes marginally better than other offerings on some routes, but they are often more expensive on most of the routes I fly (at least in F, not sure about economy). For transcons I can usually fly Delta in a flat bed, or for $150 to $300 more I can fly Alaska with 38 inch seat pitch, I don't get it. They are the best option for short haul on the West Coast though, especially to smaller cities. Other than that, I don't know why people think it's so much better. They have a lot to do in the next few years, need to integrate Virgin America and they definitely need to update their First Class, by March they'll have two competitors offering transcons with flat beds from Alaska's primary hub, often for lower prices than Alaska currently charges.

AS Y seats are blah. No personal IFE. No thanks.