Canceled Christmas/New Year's Holiday Flights (2021)
Jan 1, 2022, 8:51 am
#61
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,361
It seems like an annual event that AS has a weather meltdown in either Seattle or Portland, then claims it was an unanticipated “once in a lifetime” event, says they’ll do an after-action and implement changes, etc. And then, the next year, the exact thing happens again. The only thing one can take away from this is that they either don’t care, or figure there’s not much they can do in a space-constrained hub like SEA. Maybe it’s a bit of both, because it doesn’t seem like anyone ever gets fired after epic operational disasters.
Jan 1, 2022, 9:45 am
#62
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,705
We've had more than our share of "once in a lifetime" events in the past few years. Record storms, fires, only exceeded by storms and fires that set new records a year later. Throw COVID on top of this and it is going to be our new way of living. What airline hasn't had a meltdown at some point over the past few years? I will continue to follow my own sage proverb. "Sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side.. Sometimes it is dead."
Jan 1, 2022, 11:50 am
#63
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: SoCal,
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro
Posts: 771
We've had more than our share of "once in a lifetime" events in the past few years. Record storms, fires, only exceeded by storms and fires that set new records a year later. Throw COVID on top of this and it is going to be our new way of living. What airline hasn't had a meltdown at some point over the past few years? I will continue to follow my own sage proverb. "Sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side.. Sometimes it is dead."
Last edited by Tack; Jan 1, 2022 at 12:53 pm
Jan 1, 2022, 9:54 pm
#64
Join Date: May 2003
Location: SFO, mostly
Posts: 2,204
Flying to ORD tomorrow on an award ticket and just saw that my flight is canceled. When I try to change to a new flight, it is trying to require an additional 10,000 miles, which doesn't make any sense since I thought fare increases were waived under the current policy. Or are mileage tickets exempt? MVP if that matters.
Jan 1, 2022, 10:35 pm
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,406
award vs cash shouldn’t matter … if you really need to fly tomorrow and don’t want to wait for an agent, I’d just take a screenshot of the change request, pony up the miles, and worry about the refund accounting later
Jan 1, 2022, 10:51 pm
#66
Join Date: May 2003
Location: SFO, mostly
Posts: 2,204
Just called and got an instant callback. Pushed the flight back by a day and the mileage upcharge was waived--hope for better luck Monday. So far, good job AS!
Last edited by sltlyamusd; Jan 2, 2022 at 12:18 am
Jan 2, 2022, 9:30 am
#68
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: RBKC
Programs: AA EXP and Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 3,856
Jan 2, 2022, 10:51 am
#69
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVP Gold 100K
Posts: 2,329
If anyone has called in and requested a callback, it might be worth calling back today if you haven't heard anything. It had been over 24 hours and I hadn't heard anything so I called back this morning and someone picked up the phone within a few seconds.
Jan 2, 2022, 11:19 am
#70
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: HNL
Programs: AS MVPG, Global Entry
Posts: 771
I'm scheduled for that flight tonight. I got the notification asking for volunteers to take a different flight, so I wonder if it is actually overbooked at the moment.
Jan 2, 2022, 12:37 pm
#71
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
Yes, there is a yearly snowstorm in Seattle that shuts the entire metro down from a few inches of snow, not just the airport. There are legitimate reasons why the region is unable to handle snow like other parts of the country but I won’t get into all of it here. Suffice to say that if you live in the area, you know what to expect when this happens, and yes, it seems to happen every year.
When it comes to the airport, it seems like de-icing is the main issue. Specifically, de-icing at the gate slows everything way down. Alaska is not going to be able to handle cold weather without finding an efficient way of de-icing in a more efficient place. So what is the solution here? Can this logistical problem be solved? Is there any will to solve it?
When it comes to the airport, it seems like de-icing is the main issue. Specifically, de-icing at the gate slows everything way down. Alaska is not going to be able to handle cold weather without finding an efficient way of de-icing in a more efficient place. So what is the solution here? Can this logistical problem be solved? Is there any will to solve it?
It's not like other airlines at Seattle were performing flawlessly either with inbound and outbound flights. It's just amplified with Alaska owning Seattle.
Jan 3, 2022, 12:01 am
#72
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, DL FO, Marriott Gold, Hertz 5 Whatevers
Posts: 1,099
Weird experience today: Canceled a flight in advance and the flight ended up being cancelled - AS still sent me an email and text message telling me that my flight was cancelled without viable alternatives in the next few days. Also, why doesn't AS allow customers to track refund status online? Seems like something that's missing from the website and would help with the phone volume that customer service is handling right now.
Jan 3, 2022, 12:31 am
#73
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: PDX, OGG or between the two
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 2,874
Weird experience today: Canceled a flight in advance and the flight ended up being cancelled - AS still sent me an email and text message telling me that my flight was cancelled without viable alternatives in the next few days. Also, why doesn't AS allow customers to track refund status online? Seems like something that's missing from the website and would help with the phone volume that customer service is handling right now.
Jan 3, 2022, 1:58 pm
#74
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,406
Jan 3, 2022, 2:08 pm
#75
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, DL FO, Marriott Gold, Hertz 5 Whatevers
Posts: 1,099
AS is great under normal conditions, but they really need to figure out a better online/self-serve process to help reduce the load on customer service - it seems to me that Seattle has had quite a bit more snow in the past few winters. Heck, even the city needs to do a better job clearing side streets of snow too so that people can actually make it to work after a snowstorm.