Xrayman

Interesting , my flights scheduled for SEA direct to MKE (AS 366) tomorrow (12/6/2021)was cancelled less than 24 hours before scheduled takeoff due to “snow advisory” per the call center in seattle. I purchased my flight back in September or October during some Alaska fare special.

Interesting that there is no snow appearing in seattle, but in the days leading up to flight the seat chart seemed to show a lot of open seats.

Flights were being made available on Alaska site from SEA to ORD tomorrow morning with an American connector from ORD to MKE for $303 at the time flight #366 was cancelled. I called the service center and they would not rebook me on this flight. Very disappointed that they would not perform any courtesy customer service for a long standing 75K (last 5 years consecutive and rapidly approaching million miles). “Sorry it’s weather related and we were told no use of outside carriers from supervisors”.

I had to buy that flight alternative on Alaska site myself and couldn’t use wallet funds because it has an American leg and requires only new funds.

If this phantom “weather” cancellation occurs again I will immediately status challenge to delta. I can get to million mile and get life gold within the next couple years with just occasional leisure flights. I can’t tolerate unreliable service and “this” convenient loyalty for my business travel.

Calculon

My weather app says it’s supposed to start snowing in 35 minutes. But I didn’t see how much or how hard they expect it to fall.

FlyerDigits

Xrayman did they give you any choices to rebook or did they tell you a refund was the only option???

Xrayman

They rebooked me for Tuesday (next day) for same flight. However, my business flights are not for leisure and when I fly time matters. I need to be in MKE area for business purposes Tuesday morning and thus my original intent to fly Monday. My personal business activities don’t usual permit me the flexibility to travel and rebook meetings for alternative days on short notice as it typically affects multiple other individuals schedules. I was scheduled to return home Wednesday. 2 flights this week for 1 full day of work in person with clients and 1/2 day Wednesday.

Zoom conference meeting have made things a bit more flexible. However, I have asked my team to attempt to return to travel and personal relationship developments. Perhaps I’m being old fashioned and should adapt and accept that traveling and meeting clients and partners in person is no longer an absolute need.

I’ve decided to cancel my business flights for the rest of holiday season and will reassess personal travel for the upcoming calendar year. Have also decided not to travel this week and Will use time tomorrow to meet virtually with the team tomorrow by zoom and apologize to clients by phone. Will use the efficiency of not having to travel time to open up discussion with team on how current state and future state of business travel for our firm should evolve. I had budgeted for our team a return to 2019 levels for 2021 year.

sltlyamusd

Doesn’t it defeat the point of the AA/AS partnership and AS OneWorld membership if they refuse to rebook on AA during irregular ops?!

FlyerDigits

+1

notquiteaff

My weather app (Dark Sky) shows light rain at SEA.

I guess an airline named after the sunshine state of Alaska can’t really be expected to fly where snow might occur.

Xrayman

43 degrees Fahrenheit and light mist/rain.

yeah phantom snow.

Eastbay1K

My comments are not defending the AS interaction you recently encountered. Nevertheless, 2 comments / questions:

1) Did you ask to speak to a supervisor (you know, the ones that said no use of outside carriers); and,
2) If you think that the experience with another carrier will ultimately be better (I mean the big picture, not one discrete incident), bridge to sell, etc....

Xrayman

That’s what supervisor stated.

No expectation with other carriers.

that being said We all have alternative options to flying now a days that are much more acceptable.

having coffee at home instead of flying round trip this week. Clients expressed understanding and acknowledged good for my work life balance as I informed them I would take kid to school today.

new normal may need to be less business travel for our firm despite my attempts at 2019 goals for client face time.

notquiteaff

I dunno… if you frequently fly routes where AS has a once a day service with no good ability to re-route because they don’t have any hubs east of the Cascades, perhaps another bigger carrier is the better choice for those trips.

djp98374

a few factors…..

1 where was the plane located on Sunday?
2. where was the assigned flight crew?
3. PAX on the flight?

with this also cones things like crew rest times such as where their flight was coming from and if it would be much later than scheduledthus pushing the next days flight.

since it’s daily back and forth. In makes more sense to just cancel.

notquiteaff

If I can trust the Port of Seattle website, these are the flights cancelled by AS for today (as of 9am PT):





(Delta seems to have no cancelled flights)

Xrayman

no problem with cancelling. If it’s directly “weather related” and letting things fall where they may.

my potential issue is using “weather” in this case snow flurries as a get out of jail free card for carriers and in this case Alaska for which many of us on this site have deep and long standing status relationship that are meaningful not when everything is going great but when we face challenges and look for a partnership to support and “reasonably “ accommodate.

getting me on a flight that is directly able to purchase on an Alaska site seemed reasonable to me as opposed to making me at the last 22 hours do a lot of gymnastics to accommodate a phantom snow storm.

LoungeLizardHugo

WTH? There is not any frozen precip in the forecast for today? RNO-SEA landed in SEA at 8:56AM this am. This makes no sense at all to cancel flights for conditions any carrier can fly in.