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| Alaska Airlines Elite Status and delay compensation |
In a time when it seems like every airline is trying to punish the passenger for having the audacity to fly with them, Alaska Airlines seems to be one bucking the trend. Last year was rather busy for me and I earned the lowest elite status with American Airlines, Gold. While that was nice, they quickly changed the mileage earning scheme to the revenue based model like United and Delta had a few years before. However, my love for visiting Alaska had me flying on Alaska Airlines more and getting the significantly reduced miles using my AAdvantage really felt like I was being cheated since Alaska is really far away.
I had heard that Alaska Airline Mileage Plan matched status with certain airline mileage programs so I decided to give it a shot. Using the info found on thepointsguy, I emailed the department the required information and about two weeks later, was granted MVP status. I had the lowest tier of AAvantage so I got the lowest tier of Mileage Plan. But it was moot as I had to delay my next Alaska trip for a few weeks and ended up flying on another airline.
By the time I got around to flying on Alaska Airlines, it was a short hop from Juneau to Anchorage via the famed milk run Flight 65 which runs from Seattle to Ketchikan to Wrangell to Petersburg to Juneau to Anchorage. I booked the ticket a week before departure.
I was camping at the Mendenhall Campground but happened to be at the Safeway 24 hours before departure so I used the wifi to check into my flight via the app. The next day, I arrived to the Juneau airport to check in and was delighted to find I was upgraded to First. With Alaska, you don't have to worry about segments and how long the flight is. You either get an upgrade or you don't. I proceeded to security and got up to the departure lounge to find that the flight was running a half hour behind. No big deal. But by the time I came out the bathroom five minutes later, the delay ballooned to 3 hours! Apparently there was a mechanical problem with the plane in Petersburg. I went to the bar and had a few drinks and a pizza and returned to the gate area to find the flight was still 3 hours delayed. They asked if anyone had not gotten their meal voucher and I was like, ME!
As this was an issue within the airline's control, Alaska offered a $12 meal voucher which could be used at the restaurants at the airport or two locations off airport grounds. The two restaurants were about a 10 minute walk from the airport. I opted to stay at the airport as I did not want to go through security again. About 30 minutes before the estimated departure time, I redeemed my voucher for a salad. If you've been to Alaska, $12 does not go far, haha! Hoping to begin boarding soon, I was informed the plane was still on the ground in Petersburg but was getting ready to leave.
After a four and a half hour delay, the plane finally arrived. After a rather quick turnaround, I boarded with the First class passengers and settled into 1A. The new departure time rolled around and more bad news came in. Apparently a door seal problem. After another 30 minutes, the front door was finally shut and we headed to the runway. Or so we thought. The plane paused before the runaway and the captain came over the intercom to inform us there was now a flap problem and we would be returning to the gate. When it rains, it pours.
So back at the gate, many passengers were quite despondent about their connections and wished to try for the next two departures. Probably half the passengers deplaned in hopes of snagging a seat on the two remaining flights of the day. I however was not in a hurry as were most of the First class passengers. The guy behind me asked if there was a meal and the flight attendant served most their snack. I opted to wait until we got in the air but enjoyed a nice Jack on the rocks while we awaited further news. After an hour, the plane was given the all clear and we proceeded back to the runway. Finally, we were airborne and on our way for the short 90 minute flight.
Once in the air, I had another Jack and my snack. I was quite surprised at the quality of the "snack" as opposed to a snack (bag of chips or nuts) on any other airline I flown First on for much longer flights. Basically, a charcuterie plate with pastrami, cheese, olives and bread with mustard spread. While small, it was defiantly filling after eating pizza and salad waiting out the delay. A final Jack and we were on final approach to Anchorage.
What was supposed to be a 3:15 PM arrival turned into a 10:00 PM arrival. I was just happy to arrive at all and headed to my lodging. I received an email apologizing for the delay and was promised a $150 discount for a future flight. The next day, the discount code came and it was for $200. I am quite impressed that not only did Alaska Airlines keep me well posted along the delay but that they also offered the meal voucher AND $200 in credit. I have been delayed for similar reasons on other airlines and was lucky to get rebooked and a sorry. While I can't guarantee you'll be treated the same if you're delayed with Alaska, they have definitely earned my future business and I hope they can resist the notion to conform and keep their mileage plan... a mileage plan.
Note that discount does not cover taxes and airport fees so even if the ticket costs less than the value, you'll still have to pay something. But still a good deal as it's a discount that you otherwise wouldn't have.
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All photos taken by Paul Clough.
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