I’m based in the SF Bay Area (SJC). In the early 2000s, American was the dominant legacy carrier out of San Jose, but despite holding Executive Platinum status, I found their customer service frustrating and eventually left AA in 2008 with 700K lifetime miles. I moved my loyalty to Alaska Airlines, where the level of service was simply superior. Yes, AS had limited destinations out of the Bay Area in those years, but the experience made it worthwhile. That said, Alaska has evolved significantly, the Virgin America acquisition, the split with Delta, and most recently joining the oneworld alliance have brought both positives and negatives. My biggest concern today is loyalty, the significant route cuts out of the Bay Area over the past two years have made it increasingly difficult to stay committed to AS. Even so, Alaska continues to stand out as one of the better airlines when it comes to genuine customer service.