Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - OAK-PDX Delay

I was supposed to take a flight with my wife from OAK-PDX today at 12:20 but there is some kind of technical problem and we are now looking at a departure past 6pm. The ground staff haven't really given much information and said that even the 6pm flight is waitlisted. Without status I think we are screwed. I guess it's karma because I have not had any other major delay in my last 100 or so flights.

I'm kind of torn between trying to be a calm and reasonable pax but also quite pissed about a 6+ hour delay on such a short flight. I'm also a bit worried about our return because I left plenty of time for connection on to SFO for a return flight to TPE but not 6 hours.

Originally I was just going to get a rental car and drive from SF to Portland but we are not in the US very long so 10 hours each way seemed excessive. It would have cost about $160 round trip including rental cars and gas. The tickets with Alaska cost nearly $600 between us so I paid a $400-odd premium to get there in 2 hours vs 10 but now we are probably looking at spending even more than 10 hours in a crappy airport terminal.

Do you reckon I have any recourse with Alaska? I don't want to harrass the gate agents. It was my first flight with them, no status. Should I just keep my mouth shut, learn from the experience and not bother flying with them next time?

Sorry to hear about the delay. Could you ask to be put on a OAK-SEA-PDX flight? or can you find a way to get to SFO-PDX or SFO-SEA-PDX?

It takes a little over an hour on BART to get to SFO. A taxi would take less time-but cost more. The other option is to buy tickets on Southwest and have Alaska refund your tickets.

Sorry to hear about the delay. Could you ask to be put on a OAK-SEA-PDX flight? or can you find a way to get to SFO-PDX or SFO-SEA-PDX?

Agree with Duckouttahere, it sucks when a plane goes mechanical :(

Do look at flying OAK-SEA-PDX, or if comfortable, BART runs to SFO... and SFO and OAK are coterminal so you may be able to get an agent to confirm you over to a SFO-PDX N/S...

Were you on AS2644? There is a departure at 3:40 PM nonstop OAK-PDX with space on it (AS2610) - try to get moved to it perhaps?

This is the current info on alaskaair.com for AS2644 (http://www.alaskaair.com/airport/flightstatus/flightstatus.aspx?DAY=10/26/2009&FLIGHT_NBR=2644):

Flight: 2644 (Horizon Air) Alaska Tracker will be available when flight is airborne.
From: Oakland to Portland, OR
Date: Monday, October 26, 2009
Page Last Updated: 1:33:52 PM update
Departure Scheduled Actual Gate Arrival Scheduled Actual Comments Alerts
Oakland 12:20 PM ETD 2:30 PM 12 Portland, OR 1:55 PM ETA 4:00 PM

I don't know where this 6 hour figure came from, because the flight in question (QX 2644) departed and arrived 2.5 hours late. While a 2.5 hour delay is annoying, I wouldn't expect much compensation.

I wouldn't worry too much about your return, although SFO is known for air traffic control delays, so especially if your flight is scheduled to arrive in the 9AM-1 PM range, there is a good chance it could arrive up to about 90 minutes late.

With this lengthy of a delay wouldn't it also be wise to consult the Contract of Carriage to see what, if any, compensation might be available?

With this lengthy of a delay wouldn't it also be wise to consult the Contract of Carriage to see what, if any, compensation might be available?

Meal vouchers and a hotel if it's an overnight delay. One could also try to invoke "Rule 240 (http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/company/tariff/domestic/tariff_domestic_section6.asp)" and have AS reaccommodate them on another airline to their final destination.

Meal vouchers and a hotel if it's an overnight delay. One could also try to invoke "Rule 240" and have AS reaccommodate them on another airline to their final destination.

So with a Rule 240 invocation could they get on a WN flight out of OAK, assuming availability?

So with a Rule 240 invocation could they get on a WN flight out of OAK, assuming availability?

No, since WN currently has no interline ticketing agreement. Flying on an AS issued ticket they could endorse it to AA, CO, DL, UA, US,...almost every other airline but WN.

Meal vouchers and a hotel if it's an overnight delay. One could also try to invoke "Rule 240 (http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/company/tariff/domestic/tariff_domestic_section6.asp)" and have AS reaccommodate them on another airline to their final destination.

With the problem that "Rule 240" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_240) hasn't existed since airline de-regulation in the late 70s.

With the problem that "Rule 240" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_240) hasn't existed since airline de-regulation in the late 70s.

No, it's still a part of most airlines' contract of carriage. In AS's COC it's under "Rule 240AS - Flight Delays/Cancellations (http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/company/tariff/domestic/tariff_domestic_section6.asp)." CO calls it "Rule 24."

Well they gave us the option to stick around and try to get a seat on the already overbooked 15:40 flight or go back through security and take a shuttle bus to San Jose. I didn't feel like clearing security again so we stuck around which turned out to be a good decision - the mechanical problems were fixed and we landed around 4pm.

As long as we got here a few hours quicker than driving I feel like it wasn't a total waste of money.

Just as we were about to land the weather got crazy and we were deplaned in a hailstorm. I don't know if it was related but the terminal had lost almost all power so the carousels were down and we had to wait another 40 minutes to get our bags pushed out manually.

FAs were super nice and obviously very experienced, my wife said she was really thirsty so they gave her a few cans of soda to take off the flight.

Well they gave us the option to stick around and try to get a seat on the already overbooked 15:40 flight or go back through security and take a shuttle bus to San Jose. I didn't feel like clearing security again so we stuck around which turned out to be a good decision - the mechanical problems were fixed and we landed around 4pm.

As long as we got here a few hours quicker than driving I feel like it wasn't a total waste of money.

Just as we were about to land the weather got crazy and we were deplaned in a hailstorm. I don't know if it was related but the terminal had lost almost all power so the carousels were down and we had to wait another 40 minutes to get our bags pushed out manually.

FAs were super nice and obviously very experienced, my wife said she was really thirsty so they gave her a few cans of soda to take off the flight.

Thanks for the followup llary ^ and glad you made it finally!