# Rant:  Alaska Airlines absurd schedule changes



## DaveNV (May 30, 2014)

Well, they did it again...  Alaska Airlines has managed to screw up my travel plans for the umpteenth time.  It seems every trip I've made with them over the last several years has required some sort of schedule modification at some point, sometimes wrecking my carefully scheduled itinerary. Today is no exception.

In this case it's a nonstop flight from Seattle to Maui for September.  The flight was to leave around 10:00AM from Seattle, arriving nonstop in Maui around 1:30PM.  I made my reservations months ago, and was all set for the trip.

So this evening I checked the flight, to see once again if I could get a better seating assignment, and I get the dreaded "Due to schedule modifications..." message, telling me I need to call for manual assistance with the reservation.  Crap!  The last few times this has happened, it's been a schedule change of a few minutes earlier or later.  This time?  MORE THAN SEVEN HOURS!  Turns out Alaska cancelled this daytime nonstop flight, in favor of a nighttime nonstop departing after 6:00PM, and arriving around 10:00PM.  Not a good change at all. Even the Alaska agent couldn't understand them canceling such a high-demand flight as that.

After some manipulations, the agent put us on a one-stop flight through Sacramento, leaving three hours earlier than before, but arriving around the same time.  A definite hassle for us, (means getting up in the middle of the night to drive to Seattle to make it to the airport in time, higher bill at the car park because of extra hours, plus a much longer travel day), but at least it doesn't completely blow half of our first day on Maui, the car rental, grocery shopping, timeshare check-in, and so forth.

I asked for compensation for this tremendous inconvenience, and the best I could get was a credit of 5000 air miles each.  I appreciate it, but would have preferred to have my original schedule.  I'm generally a loyal Alaska customer, but this sort of thing is getting VERY old.

/Rant over

Dave


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## klpca (May 30, 2014)

That's terrible, especially because there doesn't seem to be any particular reason for the change.


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## MuranoJo (May 30, 2014)

I'm hearing about a lot of this lately, and several with Alaska.
Unfortunately, it seems it's becoming an industry standard.
And to think just a few years back, I didn't bother to check our reservations until a few days before we left.  Not now.


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## artringwald (May 30, 2014)

We also got the "Due to schedule modifications..." message. I was starting to get steamed, but when I called them, I found out the departing and returning flights to Kauai were changed in our favor. Of course, it could change again before next February. I wish they'd at least send email when there is a big change so I have time to change my plans if I need to. I have to remind myself to keep checking every month or so.


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## Chilcotin (May 30, 2014)

Did you also have them check the nonstop flights from Bellingham to Maui?


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## DaveNV (May 30, 2014)

Chilcotin said:


> Did you also have them check the nonstop flights from Bellingham to Maui?



I did, but everything Bellingham to Maui routes through Seattle, causing even greater delays and higher airfares. To complicate issues, we're flying back from Kauai, so getting back to our car would have been a problem.  In and out of Seattle is our best option for this trip, and the loss of the very convenient outbound nonstop is the major annoyance.  So far, they haven't messed with the return nonstop from Lihue to Seattle.  Let's hope they don't. 

And I agree with artringwald -- a polite "Oops! We've had a schedule change, please call us" email would be nice.  I'm a frequent flyer mileage member, and they've had my reservation for months.  They always make sure they have my contact information on file, so why not use it to send me something other than spam emails?  It shouldn't fall on me to have to keep checking up on them.

Dave


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## sjsharkie (May 30, 2014)

BMWguynw said:


> And I agree with artringwald -- a polite "Oops! We've had a schedule change, please call us" email would be nice.  I'm a frequent flyer mileage member, and they've had my reservation for months.  They always make sure they have my contact information on file, so why not use it to send me something other than spam emails?  It shouldn't fall on me to have to keep checking up on them.
> 
> Dave



Dave--

I feel for you, but are you sure that your contact information is correct on your itinerary and that it didn't get lost within the spam?  Could it be they didn't link up your spam email address and the one that is attached to your itinerary?

In previous years, I did not receive updates from Alaska regarding schedule changes, however, I thought enough people complained where they changed their policy.  For my flight in September, I did receive notification of a flight schedule change (30 minutes) for my Hawaii trip.  My assumption is that this is an automated workflow that is triggered by the system anytime a change occurs.

Unfortunately, schedule changes are not uncommon when booking many months in advance on Alaska.  I think I have had at least one each time for my Hawaii trips on AS metal.  Last year's worked for the better as I ended up with a non-stop instead of a one-stop due to the schedule change.

All airlines are pretty much the same from a contractual standpoint with respect to schedule changes.  The contract is to get you from A to B, not from A to B at a specific time.  So, unfortunately, it is left up to the airline to determine if you receive anything for the inconvenience.

Here is the policy from AS:
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/ab...ent/customer-commitment-schedule-changes.aspx

Hope this doesn't sour your trip.  It'll all be good once you get to Hawaii, right? 

-ryan


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## Sandy VDH (May 30, 2014)

Lets face it. If you book in advance EXPECT schedule changes.  You can use it to your benefit and often get on a flight that was more expensive, so often I book the cheapest and then play the game to get the best flight available when the schedule is actual going to happen.  

This does mean you must constantly monitor your flights. 

As I have mentioned on other posts, I had a reward ticket booked, where the *A partner stopped flying to my final destination.  So now I can't even go to where I am planning to go in the first place.  Kicker, never received any notification, I noticed that flights were missing from my itinerary.  If I had not noticed until closer to departure I would have had a prepaid trip to a destination I am no longer able to get to on the airline I was booked on.


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## DaveNV (May 30, 2014)

sjsharkie said:


> Dave--
> 
> I feel for you, but are you sure that your contact information is correct on your itinerary and that it didn't get lost within the spam?  Could it be they didn't link up your spam email address and the one that is attached to your itinerary?
> 
> ...




Hi Ryan,

Nope, everything is correct, and there are two of us on separate reservations with the same itinerary.  Neither of us got anything.  And even though I object to the many spam emails they send, I do look at every one of them to make sure they DON'T send me something I need to see.  In this case, they didn't.  I don't think they've ever sent me something about their schedule changes - they've left it for me to find it on their website when I log in to check my reservations.

This won't spoil the trip, certainly.  As you say, it's Hawaii, so it's all good.  I just wonder what would have happened if I hadn't checked up on things, and had discovered this major change weeks or months from now.  At least at this point I still have options available to me, and I was able to salvage a semi-reasonable itinerary. Others who may not be as OCD about reservations as I am may not be so lucky. 

Dave


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## sjsharkie (May 30, 2014)

BMWguynw said:


> Hi Ryan,
> Others who may not be as OCD about reservations as I am may not be so lucky.
> 
> Dave



I personally was shocked to see an email update from AS this time around with regards to my schedule change.  I am also OCD about reservations and am accustomed to not relying on AS for notification.

It's too bad that the policy they have in place is not consistently being applied.  It can be leveraged as a benefit and seen as a customer service win for AS if there is enough notice in place.

-ryan


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## DaveNV (May 30, 2014)

Sandy VDH said:


> Lets face it. If you book in advance EXPECT schedule changes.  You can use it to your benefit and often get on a flight that was more expensive, so often I book the cheapest and then play the game to get the best flight available when the schedule is actual going to happen.
> 
> This does mean you must constantly monitor your flights.



Sandy, I agree you need to monitor things, and I do that.  But a little 10 or 20 minute schedule change is not a big deal.  But in this case, to just switch a ~six hour flight from a 10:00AM departure to one after 6:00PM, which changes arrival times from mid-day to one well into the night, seems pretty reckless, especially with no explanation.  It would mean my after-flight travel could put me arriving at my timeshare around midnight.  This idea was absolutely something I wasn't prepared to go through, which is why I booked the original flight I did - a nonstop that gets me where I need to be in broad daylight makes much more sense than arriving in pitch dark.

Dave


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## jehb2 (May 30, 2014)

Just a couple of weeks ago Alaska changed my return flight from Hawaii.  We were suppose to leave 11pm and they changed it to 11am *12 hours earlier.*  We would have lost a whole day of vacation.  Furthermore they had us spending the night in the Seattle airport.  They said they would NOT put us up in a hotel.  To make matters worst this was an AA frequent flyer ticket and Alaska said they couldn't change it and AA said since I was on Alaska they couldn't change.  After much back and forth and going up the chain of command a senior official at AA gave me the ideal route and times all on AA planes.  

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211094


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## Jimster (May 30, 2014)

*Alaska*

We'll you could have flown another airline and probably paid more.  OR you could have flown another airline and gotten crappy service-I have 2 others in mind.  You can rail all you want about these changes but changes are a fact of life.  To see it any other way would be similar to calling pan am or twa.  That was then-this is now.  Alaska has to do this to stay in business and be competitive.  There are already rumors that delta will absorb them.  If you think you are unhappy now ...  Personally I think Alaska is one of the best domestic airlines.  I Am sorry about your inconvenience but it is to be expected.  Ask yourself this question: would you get 5000  miles from delta, UA, or aa?  I think you know the answer is NO!


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## california-bighorn (May 30, 2014)

*Happens often*

Because we usually book several months in advance with Alaska Airlines, it is usual for our flights to be changed at least once prior to departure.  The worst was a flight to La Paz where there was a two day change in the flight because they changed their flights (on Horizon) from daily to only two a week to La Paz.  That time we were compensated fairly with nice credits for future flights that ended up being enough credit for 2 future flights. Although we had to pay for additional hotel dates, I ready accepted their offer in that case.  Other times we have been told "you can take it (the flight) or leave it".  Dave, we will also be flying out of Sacramento (SMF)to Maui in September.  Flight 805 departing @ 10:30.  SMF is only a 30 minute drive for us.


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## DeniseM (May 30, 2014)

Yep - They had us flying out of a different state - arriving 12 hours later.

We recently switched over from Hawaiian Airlines Visa (defunct) to the Alaska Airlines Visa, and I'm wondering if we are going to regret it.


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## DaveNV (May 31, 2014)

Jimster said:


> We'll you could have flown another airline and probably paid more.  OR you could have flown another airline and gotten crappy service-I have 2 others in mind.  You can rail all you want about these changes but changes are a fact of life.  To see it any other way would be similar to calling pan am or twa.  That was then-this is now.  Alaska has to do this to stay in business and be competitive.  There are already rumors that delta will absorb them.  If you think you are unhappy now ...  Personally I think Alaska is one of the best domestic airlines.  I Am sorry about your inconvenience but it is to be expected.  Ask yourself this question: would you get 5000  miles from delta, UA, or aa?  I think you know the answer is NO!



I agree with everything you've said.  In this case, the tickets were purchased using the companion fare vouchers from the Alaska credit card, so the option of using another carrier wasn't available.

This isn't the first time Alaska has done this sort of thing to me.  A few years ago we were booked to fly nonstop from Seattle to Cancun. Sometime before the flight they decided to cancel that route, and they arbitrarily booked us on another airline routing through Houston, and having an overnight layover in the process. It would have taken us nearly two days to get to Cancun. Not an acceptable option, thank you very much!  I was able to rebook a more reasonable flight, but it still took a very long time to get there.  And now I understand they're bringing BACK the flight to Cancun!

I know it's a business, but somebody has to give some sort of consideration to the passengers.  I don't understand how canceling a nearly sold out flight (obviously a popular flight) in favor of one so much later in the day makes good business sense.  If they're trying to be competitive, I think they should look at how and why people are booking that flight. Customer convenience is only part of the equation.

Dave


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## Ken555 (May 31, 2014)

I agree with the poor communication about flights from all the airlines (if only they were as timely with those notifications as with their constant marketing). I have found that in general my TripIt account, which monitors flight status, does alert me more timely than any airline notification...even those that do so. There are other solutions than TripIt for this, and I'm now of the opinion we should all have one of these independent services checking our itineraries constantly on our behalf to minimize the late notice which occasionally occurs. It won't reduce frustration about flight changes, but at least you wouldn't be dependent on the airline contacting you (or not) and having to intermittently check manually. 

Last time I had a flight change I was actually alerted first by the airline and then TripIt, which surprised me, since TripIt is usually able to do it fast. In any case, I like the independent verification and not relying on the airline for this info. After all, the sooner I call to request a different route the better since other people on my flight may be doing the same thing and there may be limited seats on other acceptable routes.


Sent from my iPad


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## Elli (May 31, 2014)

After reading all these posts I was afraid to look at our Alaska reserv. Seattle to the Big Island in Nov.  Fortunately, those flights didn't change yet.  I usually check about once a month, looks like I might have to check more often.


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## jehb2 (Jun 2, 2014)

Elli said:


> After reading all these posts I was afraid to look at our Alaska reserv...



Since they sent me an email regarding the 12 hour change (with the overnight airport stay) in our first ticket, it didn't occur to me to check our other ticket.  Surprise, they have us leaving 3 hours earlier.  

If I had known Alaska operated like a budget airline I wouldn't have gotten the tickets.  I figured since they were partnered with American they were a regular major airline.  When I was young and single I wouldn't have minded the crap associated with flying with a budget airline because the cheap ticket was an acceptable tradeoff.  But I have 2 little kids now.  With the latest change we now have 2  4-hour layovers.  I guess I should be grateful we don't have to sleep in the airport...



Jimster said:


> You can rail all you want about these changes but changes are a fact of life...Personally I think Alaska is one of the best domestic airlines. I Am sorry about your inconvenience...



I have flown extensively for 25+ years worldwide and excluding flight delays I have never had a major airline do what Alaska has done.  So my personal experience with them is that they suck at least when it comes to changing flights.


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## Timeshare Von (Jun 2, 2014)

jehb2 said:


> Since they sent me an email regarding the 12 hour change (with the overnight airport stay) in our first ticket, it didn't occur to me to check our other ticket.  Surprise, they have us leaving 3 hours earlier.
> 
> If I had known Alaska operated like a budget airline I wouldn't have gotten the tickets.  I figured since they were partnered with American they were a regular major airline.  When I was young and single I wouldn't have minded the crap associated with flying with a budget airline because the cheap ticket was an acceptable tradeoff.  But I have 2 little kids now.  With the latest change we now have 2  4-hour layovers.  I guess I should be grateful we don't have to sleep in the airport...
> 
> ...



Alaska Airline is operating like any of the rest that want to survive in a very competitive industry.

You say you haven't flown on any major airline that has done this sorta of schedule changing . . . well apparently you haven't flown on Delta recently, especially if you have booked your ticket more than 90 days in advance.


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## jehb2 (Jun 2, 2014)

Timeshare Von said:


> . . . well apparently you haven't flown on Delta recently, especially if you have booked your ticket more than 90 days in advance.



Exactly.  I refuse to fly Delta because I consistently hear bad things about them.  Someone here on TUG has "DELTA: Driving Every Loyal Traveler Away" as their permanent signature.  There are other airlines I won't fly because I don't like the way they operate.  

It never occurred to me that Alaska would change my plans so drastically.  There was another much better flight available but Alaska wouldn't change it. They told me their automated system switched me and that's what I got.  They told me I could buy a ticket for that flight if I wanted to take it.  

If they could switch me to a crappy itinerary why couldn't they switch  me to the one that was closer to my original ticket.  

They created the problem.  They had the means to fixed it, but they wouldn't.  I wasn't even asking for any compensation.


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## WinniWoman (Jun 2, 2014)

This is why I do limited flying for vacations now. I prefer drive to vacations. When I take a vacation, I am looking for stress free. Have enough stress at work. Don't need to pay big bucks for big hassles.


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## DeniseM (Jun 2, 2014)

But that drive to Hawaii is a killer!


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## scootr5 (Jun 2, 2014)

DeniseM said:


> But that drive to Hawaii is a killer!


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## WalnutBaron (Jun 2, 2014)

Timeshare Von said:


> Alaska Airline is operating like any of the rest that want to survive in a very competitive industry.
> 
> You say you haven't flown on any major airline that has done this sorta of schedule changing . . . well apparently you haven't flown on Delta recently, especially if you have booked your ticket more than 90 days in advance.



Von is right. This has, sadly, become an increasingly frequent practice of the major airlines. I recently had a flight that was booked about 60 days in advance on a Delta domestic business flight that changed THREE times before the day of travel mercifully arrived.

That said, I have never had the problem with Hawaiian Airlines. Ever. I know I sound like a shill for Hawaiian Air, but they truly make flying as enjoyable as possible, and I often find that the Aloha spirit is alive and well there. In fact, on a recent international flight to Seoul, I was so impressed with the flight crew's helpfulness that I wrote a letter to Hawaiian Air's management to let them know about it.


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## DeniseM (Jun 2, 2014)

We NEVER had these kinds of changes with Hawaiian either - we may be switching back to them, even though they don't fly out of our local airport.


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## Blues (Jun 2, 2014)

WalnutBaron said:


> Von is right. This has, sadly, become an increasingly frequent practice of the major airlines. I recently had a flight that was booked about 60 days in advance on a Delta domestic business flight that changed THREE times before the day of travel mercifully arrived.



On a complete tangent, this is one of several reasons that I love Southwest and fly them preferentially.  Once they make a schedule and sell you a ticket, *that's* the schedule.  I've never seen them change it.  People complain about their open seating.  Open seating has never been an inconvenience to me.  Airlines randomly changing flight schedules - now that's an inconvenience.

-Bob


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## Jimster (Jun 2, 2014)

*Alaska*

As almost a million mile flyer, I assure you this is what the airlines do.  I have had it happen to me on u/a, aa, delta and us scare.  It didn't happen to me on southwest but that could be because I had trouble getting them to book the flight to Hong Kong.:rofl:


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## Ken555 (Jun 2, 2014)

Blues said:


> On a complete tangent, this is one of several reasons that I love Southwest and fly them preferentially.  Once they make a schedule and sell you a ticket, *that's* the schedule.  I've never seen them change it.  People complain about their open seating.  Open seating has never been an inconvenience to me.  Airlines randomly changing flight schedules - now that's an inconvenience.
> 
> 
> 
> -Bob




Southwest cancelled my flight last year from Vegas without any notification - another case of TripIt coming to the rescue. They were not very helpful. Don't believe it doesn't happen with SWA as it does. I'm sure flight changes happen with all airlines for various reasons.

The best reason for a flight change I was given was from Air France in 2012 for my return from Rome via Paris to LAX. When I arrived at the airport at 5am I was told the flight was canceled since they didn't have enough people for it (at least, in the end, I believe they told me the truth). When I asked if the next flight would provide sufficient time to make my connection in Paris, the AF personnel wouldn't commit. In the end I had to request they move me to the Alitalia nonstop flight instead, which worked out better in all respects other than a six hour wait at the airport. Ironically this provided me sufficient time to take other members of my family to their gate (they flew BA) and see them off and then meet them in LA, as my nonstop flight left after them but arrived prior.


Sent from my iPad


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