A couple of days ago I wrote about how there were media reports that Alaska and Aer Lingus would be forming a partnership. We hadn't heard anything directly from either airline, though this is logical enough, and something I predicted when Aer Lingus announced that they'd add flights to Seattle as of this May. Alaska…
Continue reading: Alaska Shares Details Of New Aer Lingus Partnership
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At this point, Alaska is practically a One World airline for North American travelers. They lost all their Skyteam partners and signing up more and more One World airlines (or their partners).
They still have KE which is a SkyTeam airline. But the rest of the partners are skewed towards One World indeed.
I've always wondered if they would actually join Oneworld, I guess if they add a partnership with Iberia next we'll know it's coming.
@M.O. I think AA has veto power on OW, so I'd imagine those discussions not going far.
AA has a weak presence in Northwest, so I do not think they are THAT against AS. They also just added SQ so it is not really going towards OW. AS seems to be looking for whatever partner they can find, which seems to be OW airlines most of the time. Also do not forget their unique partners like EK, HU, and FI.
I love Aer Lingus. I love Dublin. I love Wexford. I love Ireland. I love the Irish people. The main thing I don't like is that they drive on the "wrong" i.e. left side of the road.
I know many of you already know that you can pre-clear US customs in Dublin even before you get on the plane, some of you may not. That makes a huge difference in being able to deplane completely as if it were a domestic flight. I always look forward to stopping in Dublin at least for one night prior to returning to the US. It's just how I do Europe. Try it.
Regarding AS joining OW: did AA and/or AS *want* to pull back on their partnership, or was AS forced to do it as condition of acquiring VX? I would think that if neither AA nor AS wanted that and it was purely a regulatory thing, that AS joining OW would be more likely.
They added Condor and Iceland Air, as well. Not these are great, but they aren't OW.
@Color me Irish - I hate the Dublin pre-check. You swap a potential long immigration queue in the US (sometimes I wait an hour, often I'm through within 20 mins) with a guaranteed long immigration queue in Ireland - after which you sit in a plain waiting room for 1 hour plus!
Maybe I've just been unlucky in Dublin/lucky in the US though?
Callum,
I've seen people miss flights because of the delay with US pre-clearance. Their bags then get de-planed and they have to leave the area and, presumably, wait 24 hours for the next flight.
If you are starting your trip in Dublin you can build in extra time, and there is a lounge air-side. But if you are connecting in DUB then it can be tight
Ben [or Tiffany ,love her], I have a paid Business Class trip on Aer Lingus coming up...Do you think it would be safe to just not credit these miles to any program and attempt to credit to Alaska MP once the functionality is in place...??? I think that my only other option for earning would be BA Avios...Thoughts...???