Rerouting due to Hurricane Odile
Sep 17, 2014, 8:26 pm
#1
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Rerouting due to Hurricane Odile
I hope this is the right place to post this, if it's not I hope the mods will move it to the appropriate place.
8 of my friends were scheduled to fly AS from SJD to SFO today. Their flight was obviously canceled due to the hurricane and they instead we're put on a government evacuation flight to MEX. They called up AS reservations and we're told that if they wanted to fly home they would either need to stay till Saturday when their was availability on Alaska's single daily flight to LAX or they had to pay $250 each to take an Aeromexico flight tomorrow. They obviously couldn't stay in MEX for three days so they took AS up on the offer of $250 per person. My question is, should they really have been required to pay the $250 per person? I know the weather is not Alaska's fault but it seems kind of excessive when they already had paid $450 each RT. Obviously nothing can be done now since they already paid for it, but i just thought I would ask so I know what to do in the future. Thanks for reading and I appreciate ANY insight whether it be negative or positive so I can know what to do in the future.
8 of my friends were scheduled to fly AS from SJD to SFO today. Their flight was obviously canceled due to the hurricane and they instead we're put on a government evacuation flight to MEX. They called up AS reservations and we're told that if they wanted to fly home they would either need to stay till Saturday when their was availability on Alaska's single daily flight to LAX or they had to pay $250 each to take an Aeromexico flight tomorrow. They obviously couldn't stay in MEX for three days so they took AS up on the offer of $250 per person. My question is, should they really have been required to pay the $250 per person? I know the weather is not Alaska's fault but it seems kind of excessive when they already had paid $450 each RT. Obviously nothing can be done now since they already paid for it, but i just thought I would ask so I know what to do in the future. Thanks for reading and I appreciate ANY insight whether it be negative or positive so I can know what to do in the future.
Sep 17, 2014, 9:10 pm
#2
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I'd check with Customer Care to ask about a refund for the unflown portion of the round trip.
There's another thread about Odile but I can't link to it. There's mention of Alaska invoking its flexible travel policy.
There's another thread about Odile but I can't link to it. There's mention of Alaska invoking its flexible travel policy.
Sep 17, 2014, 9:23 pm
#3
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Sep 17, 2014, 10:41 pm
#4
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$250 is probably the fare difference between what they had and the AM flight.
They should probably refund, or go for something with a lower fare.
MEX-LAX-OAK tomorrow morning walk-up fare on AM connecting to DL is $212.
There would probably be little to no fare difference if they picked that, or they could refund and rebuy that.
They should probably refund, or go for something with a lower fare.
MEX-LAX-OAK tomorrow morning walk-up fare on AM connecting to DL is $212.
There would probably be little to no fare difference if they picked that, or they could refund and rebuy that.
Sep 17, 2014, 11:35 pm
#5
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Without seeing the ticket its hard to say, but my guess is that AS let your friends use the value of your tickets toward whatever AM was charging.
Its worth calling for sure, but I'd wait a week or two. Right now the focus is getting people out of there. AS's own waiver has changed at least 4 times today based on new info.
The airlines or goverments may end up putting a policy in place between the airlines to make everything a wash and AS will give you some or all of that fare difference back. But give them all a little time to get through the initial wave.
Its worth calling for sure, but I'd wait a week or two. Right now the focus is getting people out of there. AS's own waiver has changed at least 4 times today based on new info.
The airlines or goverments may end up putting a policy in place between the airlines to make everything a wash and AS will give you some or all of that fare difference back. But give them all a little time to get through the initial wave.
Sep 18, 2014, 2:19 pm
#6
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What was the "government evacuation flight" like, I wonder? On a military aircraft, or on a civilian airliner appropriated for that purpose? Not trying to make light of their understandably stressful experience, but it seems like that would be an interesting tale.
Sep 18, 2014, 2:35 pm
#7
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+1 are these AM birds? Or maybe old MX ones? 
Originally Posted by fairviewroad
What was the "government evacuation flight" like, I wonder? On a military aircraft, or on a civilian airliner appropriated for that purpose? Not trying to make light of their understandably stressful experience, but it seems like that would be an interesting tale.
Sep 18, 2014, 3:13 pm
#8
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From what I saw on the ramp, Mexican government B-727-200s were being used.
Sep 18, 2014, 3:19 pm
#9
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+1 - Do not try to straighten this out now. It is more than likely that AS allowed OP (+ friends) to use the value of their AS tickets and that the $250 is the fare difference charged by AM. AS would simply be reissuing the ticket and collecting the difference which it then pays to AM. Can't really expect AS to eat the $250.
On the other hand, if there is something worked out with the carriers, it might result in some form of refund or credit. Unclear, but it certainly won't happen until everybody is out.
This is a strong plug for travel insurance. Hurricanes may not happen every day, but stuff does. It would be nice if OP could simply rebook and not worry about the ticket, the hotel or the meals.
On the other hand, if there is something worked out with the carriers, it might result in some form of refund or credit. Unclear, but it certainly won't happen until everybody is out.
This is a strong plug for travel insurance. Hurricanes may not happen every day, but stuff does. It would be nice if OP could simply rebook and not worry about the ticket, the hotel or the meals.
Sep 18, 2014, 3:26 pm
#10
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Haven't spoken to them yet about that aspect of the journey home. A few of them were IDB'd from their Aeromexico and that airline has been less than cooperative so I have been trying to get the rest of them home asap.
From the media stories and photos I have seen it looks like a combination of commercial and military aircraft. I have so far seen photos of a 737 from the mexican air force, an Interjet A320, and a mexican federal police 727 all being used in the evacuation.
Sep 18, 2014, 4:45 pm
#11
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Unique A/C for sure- saw a Mexico Police 727 in MEX earlier in the year.
Originally Posted by Snowdevil
From what I saw on the ramp, Mexican government B-727-200s were being used.
Sep 18, 2014, 9:19 pm
#12
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I was flown on a Volaris plane into TJ and then walked across the border.
Sep 18, 2014, 9:25 pm
#13
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They're using everything. Gov't planes, as well as planes chartered from AM and Volaris. Alaska is now also operating flights back into the US under direction of the Mexican gov't.
I was flown on a Volaris plane into TJ and then walked across the border.
Any 707 spottings?
Originally Posted by ocdb8r
I was flown on a Volaris plane into TJ and then walked across the border.
Any 707 spottings?
Sep 18, 2014, 9:50 pm
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