TeaAddict

(If you are thinking to yourself, I didn't know AS flew to Madison, WI, yeah, they don't.)

AS367 from MKE to SEA made an emergency landing at MSN last night, due to a potential fire in a wheel well. They landed safely, and that's good. But after an hour or so on the tarmac, the passengers were told to somehow get themselves and their luggage (which was unloaded) back to MKE airport, get a hotel, and they'd be able to get a separate flight to MKE (AS9340) later today.

The only problem with this is that at 11pm at night, there's basically no way to get to MKE (an hour plus away by car): there's no transit, the rental car agencies were closed, and Madison isn't massively full of cab drivers to begin with, much less ones willing to go 2 hours out of their way in the middle of the night. Some people had family/friends who drove in from MKE to Madison to pick them up and drive them back. No idea what everyone else (including the pilots and flight attendants, who were similarly stranded) did. Once in MKE, there were were no hotels available. So, unless you happened to know someone you can stay with, you spent the night in the airport and are now waiting for the gate staff to arrive so you can check your luggage in. (AS flies MKE-SEA round trip once a day, so there's only part time gate staff.)

Again, glad the plane landed safely, and my family member on the flight thinks the crew did the best they could, given they were also basically abandoned by AS. (Among the alternatives AS didn't pursue, btw, were putting passengers on flights today from MSN to SEA on Delta, which has a route via MSP that's fairly to direct.) But to tell a whole planeful of people (including a lot of families with kids) to get to another city on transportation that didn't exist, spend the night in hotel rooms that didn't exist and then give them a $12 "breakfast" voucher, is really something.

I'm mostly sharing this story here because I think it's appalling and want to make sure AS doesn't sweep it under the rug. But also, AS is currently promising $400 in future credit to passengers, which seems insultingly low. My family member would like to write a blistering letter refusing the compensation but isn't sure who to send it to. Thoughts?

notquiteaff

My usual response is that Elliott.org has customer service and executive contacts. For Alaska

https://www.elliott.org/company-cont...aska-airlines/

But note that the information is a bit out of date - Brad Tilden is no longer CEO and was replaced by Ben Minicucci (still listed as COO and President).

If you want the story to get some attention to encourage better decisions in the future, perhaps a SEA-based reporter like Dominic Gates would run with this story? And likely some miles and points and credit card blogger will pick up this story based on this thread.

If AS sent a rescue plane to MKE, why didn’t they sent it to Madison? Did they think there weren’t going to be enough hotel rooms, and that it would be easier for people to self-transport back to MKE and find a hotel there? Or is the lack of ground staff the reason? I assume even at MKE they just use an outsourced contractor, so is it not standard practice in emergencies to use a contractor for one-time services? And what happened to the checked bags and freight?

Perhaps they did consider it and found that the Delta flights, operated by a single 717 and a bunch of CR9s, didn’t have enough capacity for the 739 load of AS passengers?

olouie

Get it picked up by the bloggers like lucky over at onemileatatime or the points guy and usually airlines will make it right much faster than waiting for their internal customer service.

Or write a physical letter (https://www.alaskaair.com/content/about-us/help-contact) which always gets a more robust response.

Xrayman

Coach USA has multiple daily buses from Madison to MKE airport for future reference. Not that late but in morning and the Sunday MKE flights to SEA leave in afternoon and another in the evening.

sltlyamusd

Yeah, it looks like they deadheaded a plane out to MKE for the rescue flight. I don’t understand why not MSN, apart from not having a gate or ground staff there. But with only two flights from MKE, I’d imagine they use contractors. It’s shorter by car, but nearly 2 hr by bus from MSN to MKE.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N268AK

AKLifetimeFlyer

This is a tough one. I am not sure what else AS could have done. Could they have organized a group of busses that late at night? The fact there were no hotels available in Milwaukee is also not ideal, but what can AS do about that?

Presumably, they landed at the nearest airport they could with safety in mind. I’d be a little worried that public backlash, or shaming would perhaps influence corporate decisions in the future whereby pilots may not make the safest decision (landing at MSN) but instead push on for fear of similar backlash.

sltlyamusd

There’s a bunch of events in Milwaukee this weekend, so the lack of hotels isn’t too surprising.

notquiteaff

I don’t think anyone is questioning the decision to land at MSN.

The OP is questioning the recovery plan.

kileysmom

I take it this was Saturday night? That complicates an already serious challenge for trying to find a hotel or get a bus company on the phone for transportation. No airline can have emergency arrangements at every airport where they might have to land but being a Saturday night makes it even worse to arrange anything. The idea that AS didn't get the back up flight into MSN is frustrating.....thinking that was mostly due to costs to set it up over MKE where they have privileges. Cost should have been a secondary consideration. It would be nice to know what AS did and when they did it.....maybe a complaint to a federal agency???

Eastbay1K

I would expect that the airlines should have an emergency on call triage unit for these circumstances, where a handful of employees are available (remotely) to make arrangements and can communicate with the distressed travelers. It isn't like the plane diverted to Tehran, or some remote Arctic airstrip.

olouie

Ideally but Alaska basically is still run like a small regional airline. If anything goes wrong outside of SEA (and maybe a few other big “hubs”) you might be surprised at how badly they bungle things. It’s all individual person dependent (eg if the person who they are supposed to call isn’t there or on vacation) there can be no backup plan.

Aliquot

They could have sent the new plane to MSN, not MKE.

olouie

And worked with local airport and authorities to arrange shelter and food. At least cots at the airport and bus to MKE in the morning. Even United and AA can do that.

Eastbay1K

I know that, you know that, and that is why my post was qualified with a should. Of course, the airlines will scream bloody murder when confronted with proposed regulations to make the should a must.

StrandedinLA

I like the idea of AS service to all these places towards the East, but one hiccup and the house of cards comes down. After they hosed our Christmas plans back east a couple years ago, I go with Delta heading east. Sadly the kids' holiday time with grandparents can never get a do over (obviously that's not all on Alaska, but I trusted them too much.)