Alaska Air strikes again

[fourfive8]

This could fit equally well in General Chat, but it has to do with quite a few traveling anglers with fish boxes. For the past few years Alaska Air has started to push a plan of operation that sacrifices customer convenience and customer care. No matter when you buy tickets, they have gotten into the habit of tweaking their schedules, sometimes by hours. Then they’ll email you options for changing your schedule at no cost even though you chose and planned around a schedule that needs to stay close and within reason.

This year to Ak was no exception. I had to redo my schedule around one of their changes. And this, past week during my trip, I got multiple emails from them offering no fee flight changes. The only thing I can think of is they continually run these bookings through an AI algorithm in an attempt to maximize their plane fill rate.

Just got off a flight on Alaska Air from Anchorage with one simple 2 1/2 hour flight change/layover in Seattle. Plane arrives and half the checked bags didn’t. Several fish boxes in the mix… lovely. Thank goodness I didn’t try to bring any fish back! Both SeaTac and Alaska Air have issues. It’s obvious Mayor Pete Bootygig was busy doing other things for four years and the new guy at Sec of Transport better get that act together! In the mean time future trips to Last Frontier will be sans Alaska Air. Unfortunately some hubs are only served by Alaska Air/Horizon without using a very expensive charter.

As an aside but possibly related cause-effect??? I took these photos in the Seattle airport today. Should be self explanatory, a Trademark of Tampon, the Minnesota Stud Muffin”, Tim. Fill in the blanks…
Notice one in the bin… Somebody had to push the button

Additionally, now Alaska Air is really pumping their merger/acquisition/partnership with Hawaiian Air. Whatever… I think they need to get their house in order before playing big shot.

 

[Sourdough]

It is long past over do that all U.S. airlines become state controlled. I can’t believe I’m saying that but all of them have betrayed us, even after we bailed them out after that Covid nonsense. All the major foreign airlines are far superior to all U.S. airlines. Heck, even the commuter Airlink is superior. Write Trump, write your useless congressional representatives and demand the airlines become state controlled. We deserve the best, not 3rd string.

 

[Arctic97]

I have worked in the fishing industry for 30 years. So, I have flown through Seattle on my way to/from the ship in Dutch Harbor 2 to 4 times a year for work flights alone. Alaska used to be a great airline. Sad to have watched it deteriorate over the years. We also start a lot of our personal travel from Boise, so Seattle is a major hub for connections, but now I try to avoid it when I schedule a trip. Seems lately that you can hit the runway there on time and it will still take them 40 minutes to get set at a gate. It has just gotten too busy. I know Delta has expanded there a lot and it has become a real traffic jam in and around the terminals/gates.

 

[cash_tx]

I still haven't forgiven Alaska Air for buying and ruining Virgin America (my favorite domestic airline at the time). Granted, Branson was being forced to sell Virgin America; and any domestic buyer would have likely ruined them, but Alaska is the one who actually did it.