SEA-KOA diverted to PDX???
I fly SEA-KOA on a regular basis and had never been diverted although I was aware of the fuel stops in OAK. I was surprised to receive this email 2/12:
Unusually heavy headwinds today will require us to make a mainland fuel stop in Portland en route to Hawaii, which will result in a delay of your flight arrival. Our airport teams and flight crews are working hard to keep you updated and minimize the impact to your travel plans as much as possible. Please visit alaskaair.com for updates on your flight arrival time.
How much could diverting to PDX help? Little did we know this would turn into one of the worst flights possible. After one hour on the ground in PDX, we were informed the lavs not working . Mechanics managed to fix that. We push back and sit. Pilot informs us one of the onboard computers is blank. We push back, another hour and change. Finally we take off, 6 1/2 hour flight time. Door close to opening over 10 hours. We were given the pre-printed $100 off your next flight certificate and another certificate for 2000 mileage plan miles. F/C flight attendant ran out of white wine 1 hour into flight (weight restriction?!) No meals for purchase available for the last 10 rows of coach, ran out of food (again weight restrictions?!). Luckily there weren't any serious confrontations, but a lot of unhappy travelers.