SamuelS

Week before last, flying LAS-SEA-YVR. My LAS flight arrived directly opposite to the gate where an earlier flight to YVR was departing. That flight hadn't started boarding yet and was T-30 or thereabouts. It wasn't a legal connection to book as it was less than the requisite 60 minutes MCT, but I figured I would at least try at the airport when I arrived.

Approached podium where agent made every effort to avoid eye contact for a number of minutes until I finally said - "excuse me - I'm trying..." at which point she interrupted me and told me she was busy working a flight. I replied that I was trying to get on that very flight and she said "it's full - I can't help you". I was a bit taken a back at her abruptness. I then said I could see from the GIDS screen above her that there were 2 folks not checked in, so could I at least standby. She replied that standby is not permitted on international flights.

I then said that I was MVPG with no checked bags, and I understood I could at least do same day changes and that now we were at 30 minutes prior to departure - for the folks not checked in - could she release those seats. She replied that those seats would go out empty, and that she would not be getting me on to the flight as it was international, and she could not talk to me any further on the matter and to go to Customer Service if I wanted to discuss this further.

I did as instructed and went to the customer service desk nearby, which was also staffed by a QX employee. She was equally unhelpful, unsympathetic and abrupt.

Giving up on getting onto the earlier flight, I went to the BR to sit out my 2+ hour layover in Seattle, and relayed my frustration to a BR concierge. The BR concierge added 2500 "customer relations" miles to my account and apologised for the abruptness of the QX staff, which was certainly a nice gesture, but still - getting in 2.5 hours earlier would certainly have been nice. A BR employee confirmed that the flight closed out with empty seats.

On DL last fall, I had same situation in SLC turning up around T-20 to ask if I could get on an earlier flight - also transborder - and agent not only onloaded me, but also then ripped up the BP that spat out, tapped away for a few moments, and processed an upgrade to F as well. It took all of 3 minutes total from time I arrived at podium until time I was boarding the aircraft.

I know that on international flights there is a little bit more involved. However if airline staff and standbys can be onloaded <30 minutes prior, and if DL can make this happen for a revenue pax, then is there a reason an MVPG with no checked bags could not be accommodated on QX?

As for the overall attitude of the QX ground staff folks I encountered in SEA that day - a bit underwhelming.

Finkface

I have changed flights many times SEA-YVR and PDX-YVR at the gate when I got in earlier than expected and wanted to get on an earlier flight to YVR. Never been an issue and never seemed to be a problem at all. So I don't think the 'international' excuse is valid, or else I have been granted major exceptions without them telling me in several cases.

tusphotog

Nope. I've never had an issue switching YVR flights on QX (or AS, FWIW).

This is a problem I've had more and more with QX staff at SEA. There are some great, longtime agents who truly go above and beyond, but I've found there are a lot of indifferent QX folks. They now seem to close flights early, and ever since AS moved to N, they don't hold flights for late inbound connections (no big deal on the shuttle flights, but a big problem on some flights).

dgreen12

alaskalistens.com

Give them feedback through their feedback system so it can be bumped up the ladder for getting things fixed.

mikexner

Since Horizon went to contract flying for Alaska, in my opinion, things there have gone downhill with new employees. Frankly, I avoid Horizon at the cost of 75K vs Gold.

When I do fly Horizon, if I have a challenge, I either go to the Alaska customer service desk or the Board Room if I'm in Seattle.

A couple of older Horizon flight attendants who I've seen for years flying Horizon, have shared that Horizon gets the same dollars no matter how full or empty a flight goes out (I make no assertion of the truth to this). But, it explains a lot. Alaska takes care of their people, the Horizon agents don't have the same feeling of "home".

Just my opinion and experience.

formeraa

Be sure to mention the exact flight number and date so that they can pinpoint the specific employees on duty.

PV_Premier

my primary experience w/ QX is RNO-SJC and SMF-PDX. agents on both ends have been fantastic and i know many of them by name. my only experience with QX in SEA has been SEA-BIL and it was fine, not memorable for any good or bad reason.

jsguyrus

Since I am based in YKM a flight on QX is the first/last flight of any trip. About half the agents in YKM are very long term employees who know me on a first name basis, they are always outstanding. Even the newer staff seem to go out of their way to be accomodating. My only issue with QX is their amazing frequency of being late which has nothing to do with the airport staff.

ANC

AS is slowly letting QX staff turn into Envoy staff so to speak

SamuelS

Thanks for the replies and insights. Given that others have been able to have changes accommodated - even on YVR / transborder QX flights, I have sent a note to AlaskaListens with the feedback.

anc-ord772

Hmm, good heads up.

I will be flying SEA-PUW and YKM-SEA-PDX on QX next week, and will hope for smooth sailing.

IWontRegretThis

From my experience of about 30 PDX/SEA-SEA/PDX, SEA-EAT and SEA-BOI, I cant really remember a bad experience with a QX staff, nor anything to write home about. Have never had any issues moving flights forward or later (never even had to standby once, always got confirmed), but the one time I had an issue with a QX agent, just went to the boardroom and had it sorted.

czpdx

My experience with QX staff at SEA is usually in regards to getting on an earlier SEA-PDX shuttle. I'd say in the past year or so, the GAs are much less willing to put me on the waitlist than they used to - they instead send me across the hall to the customer service counter. Sometimes with a bit of a bark.

ANC

from my experiences and Im sure most would agree. The QX area in SEA is a big overcrowded cluster bomb. Perhaps the GAs have been trained to shuttle people off to the service counter because of this and the lack of space for QX flights during peak times