Alaska Airlines - treated like a sack of *****.......

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by Jim Cesiro

The solution was simple. Go sit in a 1st class seat. When the 1st class passenger confronts you over the seat tell them the FA told you to sit there. Let them hash it out.

I wouldnt go to first class. they usually board first anyway, but thats a sure way to get booted off the plane. Simply grab any seat you can find, when they show up, its ON!

[450knotOffice]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Geez, Scott. I fly 50-70 times a year and I've yet to pay extra for a window AFAIK. I select price, then select a seat.

You may be right. I'm not in reservations, so I'll have to ask somebody about that.

[alf]

I once heard an attendant refer to coach as the slave class to a biz class customer sitting next to me within ear shot of coach. I wrote in that one.

[911Rob]

Pure B.S., that's why I advocate buying your own Jet.

I'm thinking 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 747.
that should solve your problems.

I hate flying, its worse than taking the bus imo.

[Gogar]

Just remember to get a kickass liability policy for your private runway, in case some kids sneak in there at four in the morning and try to see how fast their parents' Beemers can go.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

Pure B.S., that's why I advocate buying your own Jet.

I'm thinking 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom 747.
that should solve your problems.

I hate flying, its worse than taking the bus imo.

Its situations like this that keep me working. My old boss took the airlines on vacation yesterday, heading to some very nice islands overseas with his 3 kids in tow. Its the kids first time on an airline and they are young and used to getting their way having grown up on a private jet.

Cannot wait to hear the comments once they get back and wonder when the first email will come from him asking if I am ready to go back to work with him when he buys another jet.

[Craig 930 RS]

We will see in what matter said company responds. Stay tuned.

[9dreizig]

Give em hell craig!!!

[Craig 930 RS]

Normally I operate on "self responsible mode" - suck it, up move on........but

1) To be told to "go find a seat" - on a full flight - plus the
2) Get off my flight attitude when I doth protest (actually, asking where to sit....)

[Neilk]

Actually, where did you end up sitting?

You should have taken an aisle seat in that row and told the passenger who's seat you had taken to take it up with the "stewardess".

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I'd have been tempted to take the seat behind the guy, then kick his seat the entire flight, preferably getting him in an uproar and forcing the attendants to deal with it.

[Craig 930 RS]

Resolution:

A fellow Pelican who is associated in a way with Alaska contacted a primo Alaska CR rep......
and I just received a call, an apology, and a $100 credit. That helps -- but WILL IT PREVENT IT in the future?

Anyway, good call Alaska.

[osidak]

would have said "sure no problem" and plopped my ass right down in a first class seat and let that person deal with their ****

[450knotOffice]

Great! Glad to hear that it was somewhat resolved so quickly, Craig. You're right though - attitudes won't change unless and until blanket emails are sent out to the cabin crews reminding them of the proper procedures to use in the event a situation like this arises again (which happens every day, btw). At my airline, when two people end up in the same seat, or someone has to be moved out of a seat to accommodate another passenger with special needs, passenger service (aka, the gate agents) has to re-assign the seats so that everything is accountable and trackable. This is especially important with a full flight.

Sometimes the FA's get so caught up in an "on-time" departure that they start to get a bit stressed as the official departure time approaches, trying to get everybody down in their seats. This attitude can be directly placed on the backs of senior management who put big pressure on the employees to maintain the best possible on-time departure and arrival record. Employees (except for the pilots) can and are called into their supervisor's office if it's determined that they were the cause of a late departure - even ONE minute late. It puts a lot of pressure on everyone to leave on time and not be the one charged with the late departure. Interestingly enough, this requirement is brought on by the DOT which tracks this stuff monthly and makes it available as public information. How many times have we heard on CNN or some other such news outlet the rankings for airlines concerning their rate of late departures relative to each other? The airlines take this stuff seriously because it seems to have a direct affect on the number of people willing to purchase a ticket on XYZ airline.

[Seric]

They used to be the best, my mother worked for corporate. She left after they got a new CEO and they did a re-org. They haven't been the same since. To bad.

[Craig 930 RS]

Scott - I understand the explanation, a good one.

However, the FAs were casual, visiting one another and looking bored with no apparent stress whatsoever.
And ZERO consideration for /or even a vague offer of "hang on, we'll find you a seat"

[450knotOffice]

Well that's just wrong, Craig. I'm sorry you had to deal with that (and they are not even my airline but employees like them make us all look bad).

I had a situation with a very, very rude gate agent and supervisor down in MIA with my own airline when my wife and I were trying to non-rev back home. The agent didn't like my wife's choice of clothes to wear and wouldn't let her in first class because she said that the the clothes weren't legal for non-revs in that class. We knew they were and tried to convince the agent otherwise. My wife had traveled in those clothes many times before in that class and never had a problem. The agent called her supervisor (not to get a ruling, but rather a back-up) and they stood firm. I was pissed (silently). When we got home, I fired off a detailed letter to the powers that be and included two pictures of my wife in her clothes. I told them that these agents need to be taught consistency and that I wanted some sort of reprimand in both of their files for being so condescending to the two of us - especially when the were in the wrong. Whether or not that ever happened, I'll never know, but I did receive a call from one of their VP's apologizing about the whole incident. I politely reminded him that nothing would change unless, at the very least, emails were sent out reminding employees to be professional and courteous to all passengers - non-revs included.

[Craig 930 RS]

As a pilot, I'm sure you'll also appreciate the fact that they immediately pulled rank and called the pilot (who was in preflight) - to the cabin. Poor guy.

Actually not poor guy. He was immediately on their side -

[450knotOffice]

The probably embellished their story to him and he bought it hook, line, and sinker.

[Craig 930 RS]

That is exactly the vibe I got. Except the pilot looked like he enjoyed it too much. Seriously.