Alaska Air's Rude Manner
 

After spending 9 days in Alaska together with my two sons (6 & 7), we took 3 connection flights from Fairbanks to Miami.Alaska Air is the airline for the first flight (45 minutes) from Fairbanks to Anchorage.Alaska Air was also the most uncivil, discourteous, unpleasant and rude one I have ever encountered. First of all, the entire ceiling storage belonging to my 3 seats was taken by other passengers. In spite of the fact that I have to take care of my two sons, the flight attendant showed total indifference to help resolve the storage problem. When I put my backpack on the floor underneath the seat, obviously, not in the way the flight attendant liked, the flight attendant demanded the pilot to stop the plane on the tarmac and even threatened me if I didn't obey her instruction, she would have my 2 sons and myself excluded from the flight. Such irrational and hysterical abuse of power would never happen to any other airlines. The exclusive flying rights over Alaska may play a role in their flight attendants' rude manner. Do you have a choice? Will I take Alaska Air again? <BR><BR>Armstrong Wong<BR>Hong Kong

Can't comment on your situation but I will say this about Alaska airlines (and I've flown on them a dozen plus times). On my last flight I tried to call their 800# to ask customer service something about my flight the day before it left and literally I called 42 times between 5 am on a Monday and 1am the next morning and NEVER got through to a life person. The SHORTEST waiting time the automated service announced was 27 minutes! And I DID wait over 20 minutes that time but finally got another call coming in and had to give up. It was infuriating as not a single person seemed to be working answering phones at all that day or night. When I told the Alaska person at the airport all she said is "no one else has complained". Like it's normal?

With regard to the overhead storage of "your" seats, that doesn't really exist. Many times people who are boarding in the back will fill up the front storage bins. You don't give a lot of detail but for example, if everyone is not in their seats with seat buckles on the plane cannot move. The same is true for stowage of luggage. There is a difference between "irrational" and "required".

Armstrong: Was that flight attendant's name Gretchen?

i have flown alaskan many times from the states to canada and have always had excellent flights and they are often the cheapest. i find callling ANY airline's customer service these days is a test of patience. i think with all the on-line booking they have cut their staff a lot. i dread it if i ever have to call.

You are the kind of traveler that makes everybody Mad. You Whine when you can't get what you want and you use your kids to justify your complaining. Go with the flow. Nobody gets it like they want all the time. I had a great experience on Alaska Air....and did not run into complainers like you.

Gretchen ([email protected]), because the ceiling storage bin for seats 22d, e, and f was taken entirely by other passengers, I did put my Lowe Alpine backpack on the floor, which posed no hazard whatever. Nonetheless,the flight attendant didn't like the way because it's not the "completely" underneath the prior seat. Then, that's irrational! And, for that alone, she stopped the plane. That's hysterical. <BR>She even accused me for delaying the flight. The truth is that flight AS180 (July 26) arrived in Fairbanks at least 20 minutes late. Is her accusation fair?<BR><BR>zzz ([email protected]), thanks for reminding me that I should have jotted down the discourteous flight attendant's name. In that moment, my focus was my two sons' well being. I tried my best to avoid any escalation and confrontation in spite of the flight attendant's constant provocation.<BR><BR>been there ([email protected]), you only expressed your biasd view. Most passengers on the plane won't share your view. What I want was just cabinent space,for which every passenger is rightly entitled for. Were you a father taking your children to travel in foreign countries such as China, you could have viewed my situation with more understanding. Was I my demand too excessive? I can only speak my for own traveling experiences for the last 20 years. I took almost all major airlines in the world. If you had tried Cathay Pacific, Singapore, JAL, Korea Air, British Air...etc. you could have agreed with me that some Alaska Air's flight attendants are exceedinly discourteous and ungracious especially when you had eye-withnessed the situation in the first place.<BR><BR>I paid my full price Alaska Air tickets and expected reasonable services, including but not limited to, adequate storage bin space. This is neither a favor nor something extra.<BR><BR>What would I benefit from "using" my two sons while paying expensive air tickets for them to explore Alaska? Now they felt about the racial discrimination themselves. Definitely we won't visit Alaska again thanks to the Alaska Air.<BR><BR>Armstrong Wong<BR>Hong Kong

Got news for you--it has to be completely under the seat by FAA regulations and what the flight attendant was according to the rules. The flight cannot take off if it isn't.<BR>

Gretchen ([email protected]), if it's FAA's regulation, it might be a new one. I'll look it up on FAA's website. When taking our next flights, I'll make sure it's completely underneath the prior seat. Gretchen , thanks for your info. <BR>During the unfortunate moment, I could only base upon my 20 years' flying travel experiences with almost all major airlines including NW, UA and AA, with which I have never had any trouble.<BR>Again, it's a matter of Alaska Air's flight attendant's poor communication skill. She could have explained it to me like you do. My backpack contained a notebook for my travel GPS calculation and weather forecast, and 4L of water for my painful gout foot. Therefore, it could only 75% underneath the prior seat. The flight refused to listen my explanation about my medical condition. She could be legally correct. Definitely, she's very rude and uncompassionate. She could have been more helpful to treat her needy customers. The storage was a simple technical issue, but she solved it by abusive shouting commands.<BR><BR>Would you enjoy being shouted at?<BR><BR>Armstrong Wong<BR>Hong Kong

My daughter is a flight attendant--a truly lovely young woman. She has had to yell at passengers who would not comply with rules/orders. These attendants are put on airplanes for your safety ONLY. They are not food servers. It is your safety and the safety of the plane that is their total responsibility.

Sorry Gretchen it's part of flight attendant's job description to serve drinks, meals and to be courteous to the passengers and to ensure safety. If they can't be courteous they should get in another line of work. AND, no one likes to be screamed at. There are ways to deal with people without having to scream at them. Most people laugh or tune someone out who screams at them, look at your kids, if you scream at them, they don't mind any better do they???

Armstrong-Write to the CEO of Alaska Airlines, include flight number etc. and state what you have said here. Good luck.

I totally agree they should be courteous. I wonder EXACTLY what this person's demeanor was--he tells his side very well as being just a victim. I think if it went so far as to have the pilot stop the taxiing it might not have been so "innocent" in his refusal to obey an order. And he can indeed be removed from the plane for it. And yes, FA's do serve drinks, etc. but it is NOT their primary role--just to split that hair a bit further. I know you will be relieved to know--I'm done.

Gretchen is correct in stating that the back pack must be completely under the seat and it is an FAA regulation. If something happens or the plane hits turbulence, if the backpack isn't under the seat, it turns into a flying weapon.

Doesn't matter if the backpack was fully under the seat or not the Flight Attendant has no right to yell at anyone and should be reprimanded. There are ways to deal with the public without having to resort to screaming fits. And, Frequent Flyer is correct, if you can't handle it and be courteous get in another line of work where you don't have to deal with the public....

the backpack had to be under the seat only during take off and landing then you can take it out.<BR> I have flown alaska many times and their service has gone to hell in a hand basket even in first class. We went to Mexico in May and were in first class and the FA did'nt serve anything after the 1st hour or so(we were still in mexico air space) until we were almost to San Francisco, She was in the galley reading something. Going down was fine. Once in a while you'll get an upbeat FA thats fun. On one flight i asked the FA about the service and she said i'm from the old school where service was a prority. She stated now the FA's have gotten lazy.

If some FA screamed at me for whatever reason I would raise so much hell that person would be in the unemployment line. And if the FA's are too lazy to do their job now makes you wonder what would happen in a real crisis. Ten to one, they wouldn't be able to handle it.

Let's face it the airlines hire Flight Attendants because of their looks and they are required to do the little spiel on safety which is a joke by the FAA. If the airlines were really serious about safety they would hire EMT's or ex-military who are trained in emergency management. But that would probably cost them too much. Flight Attendants are window dressing, nothing more, nothing less.

Armstrong, you have every right to be mad. No one has a right to yell at you since you're not a kid and they should treat you with respect. You are paying their wages. It's their job to help you find storage space because some bin hog took the ones above your seats. It's their job to be courteous and respectful of the people paying their salary. <BR><BR>As for the posters who think you're irrational for complaining, don't pay them any attention. If you got poor service, then definitelyt have your voice heard. (been there [email protected])probably has stock in the company or something since he's so anti complaint. I bet he's never had a bad experience on a flight.<BR><BR>Keep up the fight and I hope something changes.

Just a question--since people with children board first, why were all the bins filled?