
Alaska Air Acquires Virgin America - smb06
http://www.differentworks.com/?eml=EML-_VX_20161214_DealClose_20161214:A1_Greeter_1a_%7C%7C20161214_ASVX%7C%7C&utm_campaign=20161214&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TRANSACTIONAL
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JamilD
Previous discussion, when the merger was initially announced, here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11421894](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11421894)

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cylinder
Something similar to the Branson foreign ownership issue: Rupert Murdoch had
to give up his Australian citizenship to be allowed to own US television
stations.

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the-dude
If you want to be a Millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new
airline ( Richard Branson )

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yladiz
Annoyingly, though, the two companies still don't talk when it comes to
reservations. Recently I missed a flight from Portland, and since it was very
close to the time the flight left they rebooked me on another flight. I asked
both the Virgin and Alaska desks if I could get a flight on Alaska since it
was earlier than the next Virgin flight (the next morning) but they don't
communicate in that way and couldn't transfer it. They also said it'll be a
year or two before the two systems merge to allow such a thing.

However, besides that slight inconvenience (which would rarely matter anyway)
both of the company's customer services are great. Alaska is always great, on
and off board, and Virgin is a pleasure to fly with because of their newer
planes amongst other things. Hopefully the merger makes them both better than
the already good level they are.

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CodeSheikh
So the merger made this new "entity" 5th largest airline in the U.S. after AA,
Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest. I guess it is considered an achievement for
some.

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freyr
Wouldn't that make it 6th?

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CodeSheikh
Oh I didn't put that list in any order :) I am not sure if JetBlue is bigger
than SW or vice versa.

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freyr
I meant you listed five airlines bigger than Virgin/Alaskan, which would make
it 6th.

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xenadu02
Now everything Virgin America will get much worse. Time to find a new miles
credit card I guess.

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jyrkesh
I highly suggest you wait and see. I moved from LA--where I flew almost
exclusively Virgin because they were fantastic--to Seattle--where I now fly
exclusively Alaska and have an Alaska credit card.

The credit card is fantastic, their mileage program is generous, their partner
network is wide, and in my experience, they've got really good customer
service, both on the phone and in the air. They do a low-price guarantee so
that you can call in and get refunds if the price of already-purchased tickets
drop. Combine that w/ TripIt Pro, which gives you notifications when the price
drops, and you can save a ton of money.

The downside? They're much lower tech than Virgin: typically no screens on the
backs of seats (especially for shorter flights), less of the fancy check-in
stuff, the app isn't SO slick. But I really think the value combined with a
sense of "wow, that was actually a pleasant flight" more than makes up for it.

So I'm actually excited to see if we can get the best of both worlds: the
technical innovation of Virgin with the no-nonsense customer experience of
Alaska. :fingers crossed:

Either way, I'm stoked to have more places to earn/burn miles.

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pbarnes_1
United is a better airline than Alaska if you're flying out of SFO... United.

Alaska doesn't even let you pay for E+ seats. Or have IFE. Or... working WiFi
half the time.

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unstatusthequo
United is hands down the worst airline I've ever flown. American, Virgin,
Alaska are much better. Even Delta.

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GCA10
Baseline United service is deplorable. But they've become quite clever at
providing better variants for people who fly them a lot. It's almost like
being a party member in the old Soviet Union. You get the equivalent of your
own, better-stocked stores, etc.

The private United lounges are quite nice. Tasty buffets and excellent coffee
machines, at no additional cost. Lots of space and outlets to get some work
done. Plus the staff at those lounges have access to all sorts of better tools
to get you re-routed, improve your seat, etc.

I'm a mere MileagePlus Silver foot-soldier in their world. But the United
Explorer credit card gets me a couple lounge passes a year. On occasions when
weather has disrupted my intended flights, the Lounge Wizards have managed to
get me astonishingly better arrangements, just because they can.

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fapjacks
Not just for the baseline flier. My last flight out of SFO with United, I
watched as the gate agent _called the police_ on a _first-class passenger_ for
getting on the plane without first putting his standard-sized carry-on in the
stupid little metal thing. I vowed to the gods in the heavens at that moment
that I would never fly United ever again. I should mention here that three out
of my last eight flights with United were delayed at least four hours, and we
sat on the runway for most of that time.

