Bleh: Alaska Airlines Cuts All Points & Status Earning On Saver (Basic) Fares

I've been saying for months and every news release out of Seattle proves that AS is going to ruin the HA merger just like it did Virgin America.
Sucks that fuel spiked just as AS was getting serious about longhaul international from SEA but, when you pay the highest cost per gallon for jet fuel and costs skyrocket, you gotta figure out how to cut costs somehow.

@ Tim Dunn -- "you gotta figure out how to cut costs somehow." Indeed! And eliminating mileage earning on basic economy fares is a concept that Delta "innovated," so what does that say about Delta?

@ Tim Dunn -- We're waiting to learn which EWR-LAX frequencies UA operates with 737-900ERs, please!! These are the important details!

AS' "value proposition" was that it did more than the big 3 and they can't afford to do that anymore.

With a smaller network and soaring costs, they will be in a much more difficult position than ever.

This won't be the last of these types of cuts.
Don't put your pen back in the drawer just yet.

Things good that have come from the Alaska/Hawaiian merger: 0

United's mileage earning on basic is actually pretty weird. It's basically just -3 miles/dollar, so it's an 100% reduction in earnings for people without a card or status, but just 25% less for people at 1k with a card.

Only in the US it is a race to the bottom; being the worst-valued carrier. The trend is opposite in the rest of the world to be the very best.

"only in the US"

Alaska is the Hyatt of Airlines. It's thinks it's big enough that it's clientele is captive to it's offering, so it can screw around with its clients like Delta does.

Hey Ben, you say this is disappointing, like you would ever book a saver or basic economy fare

Surely this is gonna be tied to the rollout of the new revenue-based earning? I know you can keep distance based earning, but it's a huge deval since you lose cabin bonuses if you pick it.

This is the final end to loyalty and now all airlines are transactional, like Trump. I get it that basic economy passengers should be punished with low earnings but now its just transactional.

I never book saver/basic from any airline anyway. I don't know what's gonna happen to me tomorrow, so no-flexibility is a no-go.

But the long-promised decent cabin bonuses haven't shown up yet, so I'll take the miles ...

Ben, you wrote: "While I’m sure a secondary motivation here is to minimize costs and improve margins on basic economy, I think the bigger reason for this is to be punitive, and encourage people to book more expensive fares." While there can be no doubt -- one way or another -- that Economics is the basic (no pun intended) motivator, I always have a hard time believing that corporate boards say, "How can we screw the little guy today?" Will Alaska save money by eliminating points earning on Saver fares? Of course. But the idea is to save money, and to [hopefully] urge customers to "buy up" (and make more money). AND, as you point out, other carriers already have done this.

For me, this is the WORST part of it. Alaska has always taken pride in being different than the legacy characters, to set themselves apart from the rest. It saddens me that they are becoming just like the others...

I have no interest in basic economy. Normally I book premium as long as the airfare difference compared to Y is within reason.

Same old story, the rich benefit while those who cannot afford higher price tickets are left in the cold.

“Just doing business” as an excuse for treating others poorly is a horrible way to live. I sure hope karma exists.

Would’ve gone with Marriott, because, you know, Hyatt basically just copied them, and, these days, it’s not just aviation or hospitality, all industries, at least in the US, are pretending to act like monopolies who don’t care how they mistreat consumers and workers alike. I hope there is a reckoning soon…

I found it… UA 0000.

(He made it up.)

The Hyatt wounds are still fresh.

This is clearly an industry trend and it's not going to stop. At what point does loyalty no longer have a value?

You are clearly getting a fare that is below the cost to deliver that fare. Do you expect airlines to reward you? Airlines know that there's a large group of flyers totally uninterested in miles and status, or the credit cards to get them (or they can't qualify) and just want a cheap seat on a plane. That is what this is designed for.

Sites like these (and the commentators) mock spirit and the like, but these so called “premium” airlines give u less for more. But never any real criticism about their extraction and race to bottom policies.

Across the board it's getting harder to earn miles and those miles are also worth less. I never flew Alaska much, but given the same thing is happening with United, for the first time in probably a decade I realized I really don't care what airline I fly with anymore and am just going for price/convenience.