Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - AS changed my flight, won't change it back!

:mad: So pissed at AS right now. Can't believe the way I was just treated by *****, a "supervisor" at the gold line.

I had a flight departing at noon, let's call it flight number A. No connections, one-way ticket. It had a schedule change, ironically enough one I could not acknowledge online. New departure time is 1:10pm. AS decided to put me on a flight number B, leaving at 11:30am instead. Well, no thank you. I would like to stay on my original flight number A. No can do.

Then ***** got on the line to tell me that in no uncertain terms I booked a time, not a flight number and they kept me on a flight with the closest to original departure time.

Ok, I get it but no thank you, just put me back on my original flight.

Well, we can do that but you will have to pay the difference in fare and lose your instant upgrade.

WWHHHHAAAATTTTTT?????? Are you kidding me? I want to stay on the flight I booked, in the seats I booked, but I can't without shelling out more money and losing my upgrade?

Yes sir, that is correct.

Unbelieveable. And that's how you treat your Million Miler, Lifetime Gold, 75K flyers. I am just fuming here. :mad: Well, thanks for nothing *****. Goodbye.

Seems like 90+% of people would prefer to A) leave just 30 minutes earlier instead of 1 hour later and B) keep the upgrade.

I can see reasons for wanting A even though it now leaves later (aircraft type or something) but I can't see that you were so badly wronged.

Seems like 90+% of people would prefer to A) leave just 30 minutes earlier instead of 1 hour later and B) keep the upgrade.

I can see reasons for wanting A even though it now leaves later (aircraft type or something) but I can't see that you were so badly wronged.

What about not being able to make the earlier flight due to a commitment or something? I often book flights leaving just after I get off work. I'd be ticked if I were forced to take an earlier flight and get in trouble for taking off work early when a later flight (especially if it's the same flight number!) is available and perfectly reasonable.

I understand what they did and why they did it and 99% of the time it is probably the right thing. This is the 1%. I am being wronged by their not putting me back on the flight I booked. That option should always be available.

I understand what they did and why they did it and 99% of the time it is probably the right thing. This is the 1%. I am being wronged by their not putting me back on the flight I booked. That option should always be available.

I can see your point, especially with Jackal's example above.

I have been booking so late recently that I haven't had a schedule or aircraft swap. :) On AA I had a bunch of changes and had mixed luck in getting my preferred options. One I absolutely had to change because it would have required missing significantly more work time (not just 30 minutes but 2 hours), and another I had to change because the connection was legal but highly likely to lead to a misconnect and I had booked extra time on purpose. But a third where I was changed from a CR7 with F to an ERD without F I could not change to the earlier CR7 flight.

slopeboy, maybe you should try calling back once you cool off ....

What about not being able to make the earlier flight due to a commitment or something? I often book flights leaving just after I get off work. I'd be ticked if I were forced to take an earlier flight and get in trouble for taking off work early when a later flight (especially if it's the same flight number!) is available and perfectly reasonable.

^

It's very odd that they wouldn't accommodate you, is your original flight full now? I would call back, if you haven't already, and hope to get someone other than ***** and explain why the 11:30 flight won't work for you.

^

It's very odd that they wouldn't accommodate you, is your original flight full now? I would call back, if you haven't already, and hope to get someone other than ***** and explain why the 11:30 flight won't work for you.

It's not that the 11:30 won't work, I'll make it. But don't you think I should still have the option to stay on the flight I booked without having to "explain" why? I shouldn't have to come up with an excuse to stay on the flight I purchased.

Or am I just out of line?

It's not that the 11:30 won't work, I'll make it. But don't you think I should still have the option to stay on the flight I booked without having to "explain" why? I shouldn't have to come up with an excuse to stay on the flight I purchased.

Or am I just out of line?

I think the most accurate answer is that it depends on what it says in your contract of carriage and the terms of the fare class you bought. It's possible that your fare class is sold out and they are trying to shuttle you off to the other flight with fewer advance bookings. But that's just speculation.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder why it would be a big deal for them to switch you to the original flight number, even though the time is a bigger chance from the original than the new flight number. I think calling back and keeping your emotions in check is the best strategy. I don't think it can hurt to ask again.

It's not that the 11:30 won't work, I'll make it. But don't you think I should still have the option to stay on the flight I booked without having to "explain" why? I shouldn't have to come up with an excuse to stay on the flight I purchased.

Or am I just out of line?

I think you should have the option to stay on the flight you booked at no additional cost to you (by virtue of your status). Ifthis is a change they are making for everybody, I could see making a non-elite pay the freight like they were trying to do to you. In my opinion, Golds and 75K's should be held harmless from that assessment.

It's possible that your fare class is sold out and they are trying to shuttle you off to the other flight with fewer advance bookings. But that's just speculation.

I believe that to be true. The fare class is NOW sold out on my original flight. It wasn't sold out when I bought it obviously. There are plenty of seats left up front, 14 of 16 in fact, but no U space since they moved us off of it.

I'll try again later. You can't win if you don't enter.

slopeboy, maybe you should try calling back once you cool off ....

+1

Every time there is a change and it hasn't worked for me I have had no problem calling and getting different flights. This is weird. I don't think you should have to call back after cooling off, I think you should get the thing you actually paid for. I know there is some contractual provision that probably covers them, but that's ridiculous.

I believe that to be true. The fare class is NOW sold out on my original flight. It wasn't sold out when I bought it obviously. There are plenty of seats left up front, 14 of 16 in fact, but no U space since they moved us off of it.

I'll try again later. You can't win if you don't enter.

This is pretty much the exact same thing that happened to me about 1 week ago, with the exact same response. Such penny ante stuff to lose goodwill for.

Try calling back in the middle of the night. AS treated me pretty well when I called them late at night. It's not busy. They took their time to help me and were professional and pleasant. The agent had to get a supervisor for approval but it wasn't a problem.

I booked companion fare travel for my nephew and his wife DFW - SEA - HNL. Originally booked a morning flight but then a schedule change caused too short a MCT in SEA and so AS dropped the flight. We moved it to the afternoon flight a day earlier. Later they had another schedule change and brought back the morning flight so I called again and switched them to the morning flight (1 day earlier than the original flight since we now had a prepaid hotel for the extra night because of the first schedule change). It took a while on hold but I was pretty happy with the customer service I received. They gave me wide flexibility to choose from available flights that worked for us.

1. Take a deep breath & calm down.
2. Call back.
3. Do not refer to the prior conversation & do not be judgmental or in any way critical of the carrier.
4. Do say, "You moved me from A to B. While it's only a 30-minute change and ordinarily I would be thrilled that you took care of me, in this case I've got a meeting and can't make the earlier time. Please shift me back onto my original flight and into my original seat."
5. I would write all of this down and read it.
6. You need to be prepared for the possibility that you and the prior supervisor did not hit it off quite right and s/he documented what s/he told you in your record. If that happens to be the case, don't justify yourself. Say you were hot under the collar.

1. Take a deep breath & calm down.
2. Call back.
3. Do not refer to the prior conversation & do not be judgmental or in any way critical of the carrier.
4. Do say, "You moved me from A to B. While it's only a 30-minute change and ordinarily I would be thrilled that you took care of me, in this case I've got a meeting and can't make the earlier time. Please shift me back onto my original flight and into my original seat."
5. I would write all of this down and read it.
6. You need to be prepared for the possibility that you and the prior supervisor did not hit it off quite right and s/he documented what s/he told you in your record. If that happens to be the case, don't justify yourself. Say you were hot under the collar.

Oh there was no "hot under the collar" moment. We were all very pleasant. I didn't get mad until I hung up and vented here (thank you FlyerTalk). ***** was just so "this is the reason and that's the way it is" with me, that I was floored afterward. We'll see what happens next time. I hope I just caught a supervisor having a bad day.

Sounds like an awful experience! I have never booked Alaska and your post does not make me anymore more inclined to do so. I have heard horrible stories from my Seattle friends who are stuck flying Alaska on the West Coast in reagrds to the customer service. It seems AK is a small airline with a strong headed mentality. With a strong hub in SEA it is easier to treat customers with disdain. Luckily United and Southwest provide some decent alternatives in the Northwest down the West Coast.

I don't think you're out of line at all Slopeboy. That's no way to treat your best customers.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder why it would be a big deal for them to switch you to the original flight number, even though the time is a bigger chance from the original than the new flight number.

If AS changes a reservation by more than 45 minutes, according to their staff, than they will not charge a change fee for the difference in price when you have to change the ticket.

So if they put us on a flight that is less than 45 minutes and we have to change the flight than they will charge us a fee for the price difference. So it is in AS's best interest to place you a on the earlier flight. That way if you cannot make the earlier flight they can charge you for the changes.

I discovered this same situation a couple of weeks ago when they bump myself to your same 11:30 flight and I called to book later because my connecting flight would not allow me to get off my other flight before the door closed on the 11:30. So you are not alone in regards to the flight swap.

The folks on the phone line stood firm for two phone calls. So I have given up on trying to fix the ticket. I am hoping my first flight lands early so that I might be able to board in time. My arrival time is 11:05 in Anchoarge.

This is another way for AS to make a little more money from us in these poor economic times for the Airline.

Sounds like an awful experience! I have never booked Alaska and your post does not make me anymore more inclined to do so. I have heard horrible stories from my Seattle friends who are stuck flying Alaska on the West Coast in reagrds to the customer service. It seems AK is a small airline with a strong headed mentality. With a strong hub in SEA it is easier to treat customers with disdain. Luckily United and Southwest provide some decent alternatives in the Northwest down the West Coast.

This is funny. UA has better customer service than AS on the west coast. :D

That said, I have had my run-ins with the AS reservations folks, but honestly there are more good than bad. I think their res line is the one part of AS ops that is not better than AA, DL, US or UA.

If the time works as the OP says this wouldn't be a big deal to me.

Seems AS thought they were doing you a good thing by getting you in earlier than original flight plan.

Maybe I am more relaxed than some of the posters on here. To each their own of course. :p

If AS changes a reservation by more than 45 minutes, according to their staff, than they will not charge a change fee for the difference in price when you have to change the ticket.

So if they put us on a flight that is less than 45 minutes and we have to change the flight than they will charge us a fee for the price difference. So it is in AS's best interest to place you a on the earlier flight. That way if you cannot make the earlier flight they can charge you for the changes.

I discovered this same situation a couple of weeks ago when they bump myself to your same 11:30 flight and I called to book later because my connecting flight would not allow me to get off my other flight before the door closed on the 11:30. So you are not alone in regards to the flight swap.

The folks on the phone line stood firm for two phone calls. So I have given up on trying to fix the ticket. I am hoping my first flight lands early so that I might be able to board in time. My arrival time is 11:05 in Anchoarge.

This is another way for AS to make a little more money from us in these poor economic times for the Airline.

It isn't that ...at least not in SlopeBoy's issue or mine (We're both MVPG so no change fee for us). The issue is ..if you have been upgraded ..they will move you to a flight that also has a U Space ..but is a (sometimes MUCH) less convenient connection. They also have stopped having flexibility on opening up U space or the fare bucket you've booked into, as long as they can "reaccomodate" you ...which is at their interpretation, not yours. Apparently Revenue Management trumps all at this point.

:
Well, we can do that but you will have to pay the difference in fare and lose your instant upgrade.

WWHHHHAAAATTTTTT?????? Are you kidding me? I want to stay on the flight I booked, in the seats I booked, but I can't without shelling out more money and losing my upgrade?

Yes sir, that is correct.


I am not sure how you can say that money is not the issue when he was clearly told that if he wanted back on the specific flight number he would have to pay the difference in ticket price to obtain a seat.

5:00am in Alaska, on phone now with the Gold line, on hold while she speaks to her "lead". Fingers crossed.

And......drum roll please......... fail.

AS wins. Oh well. I guess my Freddie votes will go elsewhere now.

5:00am in Alaska, on phone now with the Gold line, on hold while she speaks to her "lead". Fingers crossed.

And......drum roll please......... fail.

AS wins. Oh well. I guess my Freddie votes will go elsewhere now.

Can you say "chip, chip, chip"?

:mad: So pissed at AS right now. Can't believe the way I was just treated by *****, a "supervisor" at the gold line.

I had a flight departing at noon, let's call it flight number A. No connections, one-way ticket. It had a schedule change, ironically enough one I could not acknowledge online. New departure time is 1:10pm. AS decided to put me on a flight number B, leaving at 11:30am instead. Well, no thank you. I would like to stay on my original flight number A. No can do.

Then ***** got on the line to tell me that in no uncertain terms I booked a time, not a flight number and they kept me on a flight with the closest to original departure time.

Ok, I get it but no thank you, just put me back on my original flight.

Well, we can do that but you will have to pay the difference in fare and lose your instant upgrade.

WWHHHHAAAATTTTTT?????? Are you kidding me? I want to stay on the flight I booked, in the seats I booked, but I can't without shelling out more money and losing my upgrade?

Yes sir, that is correct.

Unbelieveable. And that's how you treat your Million Miler, Lifetime Gold, 75K flyers. I am just fuming here. :mad: Well, thanks for nothing *****. Goodbye.

I'm not sure I understand the issue. Is it the timing? Do you like that particular flight number? What if the 12:00 flight number had become the 11:30 flight instead, would this still be an issue? What if both flight numbers were changed in the schedule change?

Apparently Revenue Management trumps all at this point.

Sadly, that is now the case at AS--from the top down. :(

I'm not sure I understand the issue. Is it the timing? Do you like that particular flight number? What if the 12:00 flight number had become the 11:30 flight instead, would this still be an issue? What if both flight numbers were changed in the schedule change?

The issue is loss of choice after the flight was purchased. Alaska made a change, and assumed that their decision was best for the passenger.

It's bad enough that they are forcing their choice on the passenger --- who just happens to be one of their "best" passengers (as they have defined it).

With all due respect, your "what if" alternatives are not material to the issue at hand.

5:00am in Alaska, on phone now with the Gold line, on hold while she speaks to her "lead". Fingers crossed.

And......drum roll please......... fail.

AS wins. Oh well. I guess my Freddie votes will go elsewhere now.



Unbelievable.

It's hard to understand how this could actually be AS policy, it makes no sense whatsoever and could cause a serious inconvenience to their customers. There have definitely been situations where I've booked a flight that I couldn't leave any earlier or later. If they put me off of that flight and onto another, through no fault of my own, and then had the gall to charge me for getting back on my old flight I would seriously consider looking elsewhere for the bulk of my air travel.

I don't think you're out of line at all Slopeboy. That's no way to treat your best customers.

I agree, the changes made at AS over the past couple years are just alot for us to take after being treat like MVP Gold; in my case for the past 15 years!!! Now a supervisor would rather loss you as a customer than accommodate one of their best customers.:(

I agree, the changes made at AS over the past couple years are just alot for us to take after being treat like MVP Gold; in my case for the past 15 years!!! Now a supervisor would rather loss you as a customer than accommodate one of their best customers.:(

The problem is ..and it isn't just AS ..is that the whole elite/FF system is unsustainable in such a low margin business. The legacy carriers are moving as quickly as they can to FCM (or in plain English, you wanna sit in F ..you pay for F ..and it will be a good bit more than you pay for Y, if you pay for Y, expect to sit in Y the vast majority of the time), and the LCC's (plus VX) are going to a flat "dollars spent=bulk discount on future fares" model with single cabin service (except for VX). AS is a hybrid of LCC and legacy at this point. They provide a F cabin, with a fairly watered down hard product at a somewhat higher price than Y, but much lower than the other legacies. AS model, I'd have to imagine leads eventually to single cabin service at least on anything other than Transcon or Hawaii. It will be hard to truly monetize F, the product doesn't justify the premium the other legacies charge, and they'd likely make more money, squeezing in a few more Y seats. I hate it as much as anyone, but think it is all but inevitable.

The problem is ..and it isn't just AS ..is that the whole elite/FF system is unsustainable in such a low margin business. .I might agree to an extent but whats causing airlines to have these low margins or lose money in part is due to their pathetic customer service and lack of regard for customers and in some airlines downright disdain for passengers which seems to run rabid in these so called "legacy carriers" IE AA...where are they? oh yes trying to save themselves! The elite/FF systems are sustainable if they'd put some effort into respecting ma and pa kettle a little bit but instead ma and pa kettle say screw it and go fly on WN where their bags fly for free! If AS is migrating towards the standard legacy carrier way of treating the customers like crap they are going to start losing every quarter like a lot of the legacies do. Or maybe thats what they are trying to do....run the value of the company down so DL can afford to buy it.....and Ayers and the other executives can cash out, retire, and laugh all the way to the bank

I might agree to an extent but whats causing airlines to have these low margins or lose money in part is due to their pathetic customer service and lack of regard for customers and in some airlines downright disdain for passengers which seems to run rabid in these so called "legacy carriers" IE AA...where are they? oh yes trying to save themselves! The elite/FF systems are sustainable if they'd put some effort into respecting ma and pa kettle a little bit but instead ma and pa kettle say screw it and go fly on WN where their bags fly for free! If AS is migrating towards the standard legacy carrier way of treating the customers like crap they are going to start losing every quarter like a lot of the legacies do. Or maybe thats what they are trying to do....run the value of the company down so DL can afford to buy it.....and Ayers and the other executives can cash out, retire, and laugh all the way to the bank

I'm playing Devil's Advocate a bit here ..but the one thing that's been proven, pretty much since deregulation is that the Kettles want it cheap ...period. A 10 dollar R/T savings matters more to most of them than customer service or comfort. The public generally gets what they want (the bast*rds!). The real problem for FFers is that the Y product is intolerable on more than an occasional basis while Kettles are willing to tolerate a Greyhound like product if it is cheap, so even mediocre F products are overpriced because we pretty much need it to keep our sanity. Giving it away makes no sense to an airline, when there aren't better alternatives.

The issue is loss of choice after the flight was purchased. Alaska made a change, and assumed that their decision was best for the passenger.

It's bad enough that they are forcing their choice on the passenger --- who just happens to be one of their "best" passengers (as they have defined it).

With all due respect, your "what if" alternatives are not material to the issue at hand.

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree then, because I think the actual flight numbers are not relevant. As far as I know, all airlines have a threshold for schedule changes, beyond which they will allow changes without fees or add/collects. Alaska's apparently is 45 minutes. OP's schedule change has him departing 30 minutes earlier. The fact that there is a flight departing 70 minutes later that happens to have the same flight number as the one originally booked is not relevant. AS got him at a flight within 30 minutes of the original schedule and preserved his upgrade.

All that being said, I would think that for a MVPG75/MM they would happily accomodate a change to the later flight without the add/collect. I was just trying to understand the motivation. On the surface, it appears to me an attempt to take advantage of a relatively minor schedule change to get on a flight with a more desireable schedule. If the 12:00 flight number had become the 11:30 flight should the OP have been able to switch to the 1:10 flight with no add/collect?

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree then, because I think the actual flight numbers are not relevant. As far as I know, all airlines have a threshold for schedule changes, beyond which they will allow changes without fees or add/collects. Alaska's apparently is 45 minutes. OP's schedule change has him departing 30 minutes earlier. The fact that there is a flight departing 70 minutes later that happens to have the same flight number as the one originally booked is not relevant.

I don't think that's quite true. The OP's flight departure time changed by 70 minutes, rather than ask him whether he'd like to remain on the flight he booked they automatically moved him to a different flight that departed 30 minutes earlier. Had they moved his flight 45 minutes earlier or late then I can understand them asking his permission, but the 70 minute departure time change should have forced AS to contact the OP and ask which flight he'd prefer to take.

I don't think that's quite true. The OP's flight departure time changed by 70 minutes, rather than ask him whether he'd like to remain on the flight he booked they automatically moved him to a different flight that departed 30 minutes earlier. Had they moved his flight 45 minutes earlier or late then I can understand them asking his permission, but the 70 minute departure time change should have forced AS to contact the OP and ask which flight he'd prefer to take.

It was only a 30 minute departure time change though, flight numbers for most purposes aren't really relevant to a passenger. Let's say AS100 goes ANC-SEA. They shuffle flight numbers around and now AS100 goes PDX-SJO (someday :D) it's not like your ticket will now be good for PDX-SJO.

I still think, as long as there isn't a bunch of notes now in the OP's PNR saying not to, calling and asking nicely with a plausible reason and asking if they would be willing to change the flights would work. They apparently have a 45 minute policy for changes, and I don't see why they would break that policy without a valid reason.

Well AS finally came through for me. An agent with customer care had read my posts and contacted me. They were able to get us back on to our original flight in our original 'U' seats and at no additional cost. Although AS should have resolved this with my original phone call to the gold line, I am pleased that someone with AS made the extra effort on my behalf and I am very appreciative.

Well AS finally came through for me. An agent with customer care had read my posts and contacted me. They were able to get us back on to our original flight in our original 'U' seats and at no additional cost. Although AS should have resolved this with my original phone call to the gold line, I am pleased that someone with AS made the extra effort on my behalf and I am very appreciative.
^^

I do think that since the airlines (AS with MVPG+ status and WN excepted) try to screw their customers when their customers need to make changes, the airlines should be that much more accommodating when they change their plans on the customers.

I do agree with alphaeagle that the flight number has nothing to do with this situation, but it is an unfair assumption on an airline's part that a specific alternate time will work for the passenger for the myriad reasons given above (can't make it to the airport in time for the new departure, new arrival is too late to make connecting flight or meeting, etc.). If the airline changes its plans, the passenger really should have wide leeway to find something else that works for them. If the airline doesn't want to give them that amount of leeway, then maybe it shouldn't change its plans. ;) (That's their argument about change fees--if the passenger doesn't want to pay the change fee, then maybe the passenger shouldn't change his plans. ;))

Glad AS did sort this out for you in the end, though, even if it took the amount of effort it did. :)

Well AS finally came through for me. An agent with customer care had read my posts and contacted me. They were able to get us back on to our original flight in our original 'U' seats and at no additional cost. Although AS should have resolved this with my original phone call to the gold line, I am pleased that someone with AS made the extra effort on my behalf and I am very appreciative.

This is a win for everyone.

A win for a Customer.

A win for Alaska.

A win for Flyertalk.

:D I am glad it worked out :D

This is a win for everyone.

Well, a delayed win. I'm glad that someone at AS was able to see the big picture and make it right.

Well, a delayed win. I'm glad that someone at AS was able to see the big picture and make it right.

I'll bet it wasn't ****** !! :D