Alaska Airlines review: Hates families 41

My friends boat sank and they spent 5 hours in a life raft 70 miles out in the Bering Sea and they got rescued and arrangements were made by the Coast Guard for 3 crew members to be flown home to Seattle while the guys were being transported and questioned by the Coasties. Anyhow this was pre arranged by the government as it is what they do as a service to survivors. It is the CG's way of honering them for their bravery and luck and being able to pull of a textbook example of how they handled the situation and how doing so greatly upped their survival chances. So they get dropped and escorted to the anchorage airport. They are escorted by uniformed officers up to the security checkpoint they pass thru tsa with no delay or molestation but when they get to the gate the attendent denies them entry on the flight cause of their appearance. These men just went through a rough deal and were fortunate to live and were left with nothing but what they wore when the boat caught fire and they abandoned her. They were given special treatment to get them home as quick as possible to be reunited with their families who are the real victims usually in these cases. Often the ending is tragic. So everybodies freaking out and some ### at the gate decides they dont look right and wont board them. They madee it home the next day due to some good hard work from david who is an aa customer rep guy or some title like that and all is well but they still shouls not have been denied. Also when i complained david claimed that they were denied cause of a problem with one of them and he assured it wasnt appearance and respectfully declined to tell me what the problem was but he still would not take full responsibility and he said she followed correct policy rule. I say he did good but he is still a ###ing lying little weasel punk puppet for aa. My friends were clear why they werent boarded. And now they are trying to cover it up by lying as they have recvieved alot of heat from alot of people we all know. Alot of heat. There were lawyers on it immediatly from us to them. They know what happened was wromg and they have admitted it in person but wont do it publically. They do not want to be held accountable for any legal action that might come of this. If they could be honest we would forget it but they cant. Their story evolved and changed all night long during the ordeal. We have several eamails from david responding to all complaints and it is almost comical how they all differ and how he is trying to save aa from being sued . The bottom line is all they need to do is admit the gal was wrong and fire her. its to late for her to apologize. If she did though we would consider settling out of court as long as she doesnt get the chance to do it again meaning transferred to another dept and still employed as we are not vendictive people. They really ###ed up and left these guys hanging for all night long. It was horrible judgment on the employees behalf and david even though he has worked hard to settle this he is still a lying punk vand could not tell the truth if he wanted to. he would lose his job. It shows us that alaska has no regard for what the hell is going on with regards to family. This was all about getting home to family and counting the blessings and giving god glory for all things good. it was about being alive and getting to really feel it by the experience you get when your welcomed home by all that love you. It only got delayed a day but believe me it really ruined the homecoming anticipation and stirred a great deal of anger and frustration. I do commend david even though he is a lying ### puppet. he worked all night looking for our men and got them home and we are grateful for his service but dot like being treated like were stupid or 2nd class citizens. The truth is always the easiest. But because AA has no integrity they will never admit it or hold the gal accountable. All because they are afraid of getting sued for money. Good grief even if they do lose it will not be a big judgment. I bet they try to settle with a gag in place for us if they do. Dirtbags they are. Boycott AA folks. They dont deserve your business. They dont care about the families as the only one talking is david. everyone else does not respond other a statement from an executive who tried to defend their actions by undermining what really happened. Big corparation politics. They are all ###. I bet she would have let a Muslim with a turban on his head board even if every passenger refused to board with him because of being offended by Islamic Ideology. I am speaking hypothetically and i know this is not realistically something that would happen. Just an example of how Americans are being trashed and our government and Obama loves it. The more stress and dram for our lives the better for them. Just ask any vet or most soldiers what I am saying. We are being taken over by foreign special interests that pull everybodys strings. Alaska air is onof them. Welcome to the NWO and thank you come again

two thinngs here,
1. baggage sent onto a plane, unaccompanied, then not taken off as soon as passenger was removed from flight list.(big ### no-no, , , some-one needs to be fired).After all the americans fist shaking at everyone to fall into line about air safety, It seems rather neglectfull for them to endanger those other passengers, alot of peaple on this thread are bashing you for presumably making others late, What if it was a scam to get a bomb on board(which it was'nt), but what if?...all those passengers would be dead, An airline needs to follow all its rules, not just the ones that it finds handy at the moment.
2.the fact that the stand-by passengers were still boarding, There clearly was time to allow you to board, , so everyone complaining and ranting you were causing late flights, , well take heart they are unable to read the whole complaint and thread.

quote"
I have worked for an airline for 30+ years and I have seen lots.Most of the time it depends on how the "agent" handles the situation. As the OP said they were still giving away seats to stand-by passengers---revenue pax standing by or company staff/other airlines' staff on reduced rates standing by. Standby pax are always boarded the last 15 min or so.Did it ever cross your mind that maybe she is trying to help one of her colleague/ friends to get on? Happens all the time, we keep quiet though!..

Now I am only suggesting that this could indeed be the case here.

I phoned Alaska Air to see what there policies are on stranding peaple in other countries, , I was on hold for over an hour and still never was told anything, , I would be of the opinion that this american airline should be investigated by CANADIAN officials, If found they have violated there global police policies IE: un-accompanied baggage removeal from plane, then allowed plane to fly into canadian air space, , , they should not be allowed into our airports, airspace..PERIOD!..The americans are more than happy to shove a light up your ### if you are going farther south, , , but if the plane is north bound, , , who cares, , Even though its there plane, , , there rules, , , there lack of ability to inforce ALL the rules...all or nothing peaple..You can't chose the rules in life to follow..

Wait a second... I'm confused. You were stranded with NO BABY SUPPLIES!?

What did you expect to do when the baby INEVITABLY soiled itself on the plane? Surely, you hadn't checked your CARRY ON luggage, such as your diaper bag. For that matter, what did you plan to FEED the baby? Airline peanuts? Club soda? Half-cold chicken cordon bleu? That hadda be at LEAST a 2-3 hour trip. If your baby can go that long without eating, drinking, or crapping... congratulations. He may already be Jesus.

Sorry, I have to go with the big evil corporation on this one. They've got to draw the line SOMEwhere. The old adage rings true: A failure to plan on YOUR part does not constitute an emergency on MY part. And a stinky baby is NOT an emergency. That's just LIFE. We've all BEEN there. And, frankly, y'know what? Exploding diapers don't happen "all of a sudden." Something tells me that baby should have been changed EARLIER. It sounds instead like you showed up late, hauled ### (I would hope) through the check-ins, terminals, and security stations unaware of the mounting diaper dilemma.

I dunno... just... none of this passes the smell test to me. You never planned that your baby might need to be changed in-transit? You assumed it'd take too long for the plane to take off... right before the plane was scheduled to take off? Even then, you don't think a stewardess would allow you to rush off to the bathroom before everyone was seated? Did you even think to ask? For that matter, if the diaper was as explosive as you say, a towel might come in handy. I'd reccomend to keep one in your diaper bag. Which you apparently... had checked onboard in cargo?

No, ya screwed up royal. It sucks, but at least it's over, and at least you learned something. Hopefully, among those lessons, is that of "let's not call a company family hating because your kid is super neato and way specialer than every other possible baby or passenger." We've all had to deal with family messing things up for us. That it's not your baby's fault it pooped itself makes it no more the fault of the airline.

Consider this: what if there are 10 babies about to board. One makes a big mess. Oh, but it'll only take a few minutes. Then the next. Then the next. At which baby do we decide that we cannot possibly wait any longer? If taking your infant on a plane is too much of a hassle for you, you have a lot of options. Boat. Train. Car. Bus. Holding the plane on the count of twosies is NOT one of them. Nor should it be. For that matter...

YOU'RE BRINGING A BABY ON A PLANE. EXPECT TO BE THE MOST HATED PEOPLE THERE, OR DON'T GO AT ALL.

I have worked for an airline for 30+ years and I have seen lots.Most of the time it depends on how the "agent" handles the situation. As the OP said they were still giving away seats to stand-by passengers---revenue pax standing by or company staff/other airlines' staff on reduced rates standing by. Standby pax are always boarded the last 15 min or so.Did it ever cross your mind that maybe she is trying to help one of her colleague/ friends to get on? Happens all the time, we keep quiet though!
Yes the OP/family should have planned their time better but the "agent" could have held those seats for them since the aircraft door hasn't closed yet and they are still calling out the names of standby pax.
To the OP- next time you should stay w/ Air Canada or Westjet, The fares on Alaska Airlines is not that cheap anymore...check it out yourself!

Good thing is there is always someone to blame when there is a problem. These guys probably booked their flights online because if they had booked through a professional travel councilor they would have been aware of the fact that they are supposed to check-in AT LEAST 60 minutes prior to departure. 20 minutes, you were already late. What you are saying here is you would rather have had everyone already on the plane who were going to connect in Edmonton miss their flights because of your child's poop. That you do not care about the set rules Alaska Airlines is run because your child should always be placed first. I am sorry but you guys are entirely to blame and the sooner you realize that the better because you are just making noise for the wrong reasons. I applaud AS for offering you the coupons because you didn't even deserve them. You were late and inconvenienced yourselves and its a pity you feel all the other passengers must have paid for your tardiness. Even if the baby was smelling that much, you and your wife could have checked in first and then she could have gone to the washroom to clean up the baby after checking in. Next time, get your priorities right.

We also don't know how professional or unprofessional the gate agent might have been. We do have the side of the story presented by a person who is upset and has an axe to grind. I've certainly witnessed my share of situations in which a customer service representative has been portrayed as "unsympathetic", "harsh", "insensitive", or worse when they didn't simply give the other person whatever they asked for. I'm not saying that's what happened here, but there's enough other information in this "complaint" to certainly cause me to reserve judgment on any allegations made about the gate agent's demeanor.

I also fly extensively, much of it with Alaska Airlines, and I in full and total agreement with Alaska's policies on closing boarding in this case. Arriving at the gate 20 minutes before departure, he's lucky the door was still open. There have been times when I have been denied boarding arriving 20 minutes before departure.

Waaaahhhhhh, waaahhhhhh! I screwed up and got to the gate 5 minutes before the doors close, and then my baby pooped, and we had to go clean it up, and the airline did exactly what they said they would do. Waaaaahhhhhhhh. For crying out loud, are you serious? I fly 2-3 times every month and sometimes have very short layovers (under 30 or 40 mintues). If the plane gets delayed for 5 minutes so you can change a diaper, I may miss my next flight. How could you justify these complaints when the first thing out of your mouth is "I arrived at the gate 20 minutes before takeoff." Where have you been for the last 15 years? Do you not know boarding starts 30 minutes early (40 at LAS) and parents with small kids get to board first so they get more time to get themselves together? I'm apalled the airlines offered you vouchers and not only did you decline, you very conveniently left that part out of your lil tantrum. Way to start your speshul snowflake out on her life of expected entitlement.

Just ridiculous! I'm flying with Alaska Airlines over 50, 000 miles/year for the last 7 years. Yes, I have an occasional situation with customer service but it doesn't even account for 0.5% of my flights. To say that Alaska's customer service is bad is simply irresponsible. Especially, comparing it to WestJet's customer service... I had to switch to Air Canada for my in Canada flying from WestJet because of the way I was treated by some of their employees. And mind you, switching to Air Canada took some very serious consideration, they are not even close in customer service to Alaska Airlines.
So, Mr and Mrs It's Never My Fault/Pay Me The Money - please don't fly with Alaska Airlines anymore. Other passengers of this great airline will be only better off not having your "15 minute of fame seeking" characters around. Keep on posing for pictures in Edmonton Journal. You are obviously entitled to special treatment, so you can get it from some other airline...

You @$$hat NO PERSON WITH A BRAIN leaves 20minutes until takeoff!? You know that just because of your "wee wee" you could have caused other people to miss other connections in Seattle. Get off your thrown Mr. Ego and get back down to the rest of us who actually make plently of time for flights. Change him on the plane for goodness sakes. Their has to be a missing link here, someone had to be buying a latte, buying a magazine or are you just so stupid to leave 20 minutes before takeoff?

First and foremost... if you are traveling with a child, you should give yourselves ample time in getting through security. I am a frequent traveler, and I get sick and tired of these people always trying to make excuses for their own mistakes. Don't you know that the world does not revolve around you. Whether or not you have a child that you are traveling with or you're by yourself...if you're late...you're late... I don't think that the airline was out to get you...but they do have procedures to follow. I know for a fact that this kind of stuff happens all the time... I've been put on standby myself... but I know it was my fault... get over it... I'm surprised that they even offered you vouchers... It was your fault... not theirs...

This is a perfect example of External focus of blame. Alaskan did the right thing. Any reasonable thinking parent knows that 20 minutes before a plane takes off is not enough time. Are we forgetting that if you were there on time you would have been boarded the plane half an hour before take off, therefore you would have actually been on the plane when the situation arose to change the diaper. You could have gone into the washroom while the others boarded and left when you were supposed to. Stop laying blame because you were not prepared. It's obvious you don't care about others on the plane, why should anyone support you in this. It's attitudes of entitlement like yours that bug the rest of us. There is more people on the plane than just them. 5 minutes is still late! Be adults and take the voucher. What happens if you are late for the bus, will you try to' shame' St. Albert transit into paying for a cab to get you into Edmonton.
As a Canadian from the same area as these two, I just want to say that we are not all whiney and blame anyone but ourselves. I have to think that most of us agree that the airline is not at fault for the actions of two people who probably act like this all the time. I would be ashamed of myself for per suing this.
C.M

Sorry. When you fly you have to be on time and ready to go. Arriving on 20 minutes before an international is scheduled to depart puts the blame right where it belongs -- on YOUR SHOULDERS. Take responsibility for your mistake. The airline offer was VERY FAIR and APPROPRIATE considering that it was YOUR FAULT.

I wish more people would be held accountable and not make the whole flight suffer because of you inconsiderate actions.

OMG a simple phone call to the gate to say this couple was on their way, a simple phone call, that's all. The front line person who denied them is evil. The rest of the world ALWAYS makes accommodation for babies, but not this airline ~ Well, I guess I'll never be flying Alaska Airlines.

I can guarantee you that Westjet would have announced Baby Levi needs a diaper change and we will be 5 extra minutes ~ everyone on board will have laughed and waited patiently.

I think it unreasonable that you expect a refund when you were very late ... international flights:
make sure you arrive 2hrs before, check your luggage in on time
go through security with plenty of time to spare especially with infants, strollers milk etc!
get to the gate on time once you luggage is on the aircraft and there is a minor problem like diaper issues they will have to wait a few minutes because your luggage is on the aircraft!
what about the people already on the aircraft with connecting flights? do you expect them to miss their flight, and cover the cost because you and your family were late ?

sorry I can not see how you showing up late for your flight and missing the gate warrants a full refund. 2 hours before an international flight is the recommended MINIMUM time you should arrive at the airport.
Having an infant gives you some special consideration but the world does not revolve around you. What if several people had connections and they missed them because of you? do you expect them to be put out? do you expect the airline to have to cover that cost?
Get to airport on time.. check your bags on time.. go through security with lots of time.. if your bags are already on the flight they will have to wait for last minute diaper issues .. otherwise they spend just as much time delayed trying to remove your bags from the aircraft.

I am a frequent flyer and have flown many times with my children. I have been in the exact situation Thomas & Colleen were in above. The big difference being we planned and made sure we had sufficient time to deal with our children prior to boarding time!

It is irresponsible to arrive 20 minutes prior to boarding when the boarding pass and airline website clearly state 40 minutes is required. This is even more of a factor when travelling with children. Then too go and complain about it when the airline holds you too their posted boarding times!

Elliot's post above has offered to refund your tickets. I do not see what more you expect from Alaskan Airlines. Time to take responsibility for your lack of planning and tardiness.

You're idiots. Many first time or infrequent travelers don't know what they're doing. When they're told what to do, however, they follow instructions dutifully and get where they need to go without trouble. You decided NOT to do that. You showed up late, with trouble brewing. Bless you for breeding, but that is a choice. Do not recruit me, or the airline, into your the "village" it takes to raise your baby. If you cannot make your appointments, accept the consequences. Do NOT blame everyone else. Do not blame the airline, or attempt to inconvenience the poor souls who got to the gate on time, with babies changed. I have missed flights. I have begged for leniency. I have asked for favors. But I have NEVER and I will never take the attitude you have -- you know... the one that makes your crap-producing baby look like a grown up? So, do just that-- GROW UP. Take the voucher you're not entitled to. Turn around and walk away. The airline can only hope you choose not to fly them again.

I've read the story in the Vancouver paper and went as far to come to this blog site to see if there was more to it. There isn't.
The airline were right in this case, maybe not too polite, but right none the less. This is just one of the joy's of parenthood and believe me, there are many more to come. Take the $400. voucher and move on. You are wrong this time parents. AA
perhaps a 'talk' with that agent about attitude is in order, otherwise your reputation is very good.
1SeniorObserver

It's unfortunate that you met up with an agent who didn't handle things in the best possible way - but the rules were clearly stated and you were late. Trying to use social media to incite others to campaign on your behalf, particularly after you were offered reasonable compensation is just poor on your part. In fact perhaps you should have though twice before posting your blog - social media isn't a simple as posting a complaint and sitting back to watch a groundswell of support for your issue. In fact, I would say from the response on this blog that you have only managed to get yourself hoisted on your own petard!

Mellen67. This is the last thing I have to say on this.

I have never said I wasn't delayed for other reasons. I said I have never been late due to my own responsibility and taking every initiative to ensure I am on time. My point was I could judge others faults, but I am not. In this situation, I have empathy.

My comments were in regards to THIS situation and how I perceive the airline could have handled it better. It is their business. Their choice on how to handle difficult situations and their choice as to whether their handling will result in customers using their airline.

Alaska Air is terrible, anyone who has had a problem with them knows that. I flew with them last year with my husband and 8 month old son. We were at the check-in counter for half an hour while they tried to check us in. Once we got on the flight we were told that we would have to move because there was another infant in the same row. The flight attendant was no help and told us that our only option was to sit in different rows or sort it out ourselves. Luckily there were kind people on the flight that overheard this and moved so that we could sit together.
I feel badly for this couple. Anyone who has had to deal with an exploding diaper knows how stressful and terrible it is. I know for one thing, Westjet would have been understanding. That's why I only fly with them now.

As a father of 4 children, I would advise that you pay your bills, take the voucher to offset them, learn your lesson, don't embarrass yourself any further, and move on. Employ better planning next time! The world does not revolve around you, or anyone else.

Mellen67. Since you are directing comments directly at me...don't tell me what I don't know. When I book with an agent, I take the initiative to double check with the airline to make sure I have enough time. I don't go by the agent's word alone. I have never been late for any flight. I travelled 30 hours overseas with a 9 mo old infant. Dealt with four clothing changes due to explosive diapers, switched terminals in major international airports 2 times (in the middle of the night). And never was late for any flight. I confirmed all my connections before I left and made sure I had time. I have travelled for 3 more years with a child, and again, have never had any problems due my own responsibility. Yes, I am the perfect traveller. And still, I am not sitting in my self-righteous perfection judging someone else who was in a difficult situation. I still believe the response from the airline was over the top. The couple was there and they knew it and was trying to deal with a very difficult situation in the best way they knew how. By the airlines own admission, they have had difficulties and are trying to resolve them. This may have not been the best approach and they would be wise to review their policies. Not everything in life is so black and white as the policy written on a piece of paper.

I do think the couple should take ownership of the fact they were late and have accepted the vouchers.

Next time you direct comments at someone, know who you are talking to.

You were late getting to the gate. The boarding time is CLEARLY printed on the ticket and the boarding pass you were holding in your hand. You chose to ignore that boarding time and only go through security 20 minutes AFTER the boarding time.

And now you are blaming the airline for your own failure to be at the gate on time?

And I thought that Albertans were big on PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

I'm amazed that they offered you anything, the fact that you are refusing the $400 each in credit just displays your self important arrogance to the world. That's a LOT more than Air Canada would have offered you.

I've travelled HUNDREDS of times via air with 1 or 2 children in diapers with me. Alaska Airlines is THE MOST FAMILY FRIENDLY of any airline I've ever flown on and whenever possible I fly Alaska when travelling with children.

you were late, and that was your fault and your problem, not the airline's or the other people that were there on time. suck it up. your entitled attitude shows through when you state that you went up to "inform" the gate attendant that you would be late for boarding (so they should hold the plane) and "telling" the AA agent that your wife is coming along so they should wait.

everyone in the world who has ever been on a plane knows that you're taking a risk if you only arrive at the gate 20 minutes before departure. it's your fault - I am completely behind the airline and the agent on this one.

I understand the comments above saying rules are rules, etc, but I cannot believe that these people or the ones at the gate remember what it's like to have a baby or have ever experienced a diaper blow out. I have. As a new mum I can completely relate to the family above and feel so sorry for what happened to them. The bottom line is that I don't think it is about the money. It's about the point.
Two minutes people? The poor new mum rushed as fast as she could to get back to that gate and obviously the airline knew they were checked in or they couldn't have cleared security. We aren't talking about a "normal" person who should suck it up and buy a new toothbrush, make the best of the situation and catch a later flight. It sucks, but I'd have done it in the past. Do you have any idea how much stuff is required for a baby? (And therefore how much time it takes to get them out the door? This couple likely gave themselves more time than they thought they needed and still ran short - it happens!) Or how stressful it is to not have what you need when taking care of one? The diapers, the wipes, the clothes, the receiving blankets, the socks, the toys... It is hard to believe that something so small needs so much stuff, but they do. I get stressed if I get stuck in traffic with my little one, let alone stuck in an airport with nothing.
Show some compassion people. Five minutes will not make you miss your connection.
Alaska Airlines should be ashamed.
Hearing this story and having a child, I will never fly with them again, and I had one of their frequent flyer credit cards.
Business gone.
Thanks AA staff and owners for proving you obviously don't have any children or don't remember what it's like to have a baby.
I'll stick with West Jet. They are AMAZING.

Though NEVER NEVER LEAVE ONLY 20MIN TO YOUR FLIGHT...WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? The fact that you were there, told the attendant your wife was coming seems that the attendant was unreasonable. Yet on that note, maybe they have been told many "stories" over the years that are untrue and just have a basic line. You would think though that the fact that you did check in with her would give some room for human issues.

Also; what if this was just a ploy? To get a bag on the flight with goodness knows what in it? And the plane blew up?

Good luck, makes me think a lot less of the company, more so wonder about the humanness of the attendant-or maybe they are under so much pressure from above the attendant had no choice but to follow rules no matter what your situation was?

But, again NEVER ARRIVE THAT CLOSE TO THE PLANE LEAVING!

We can always, in hindsight, come up with an action that might have been a better choice. But this airline is in the business and should have better policies for dealing with this. Say what you want, this plane was not late for takeoff (in response to such concerns of others' connecting flights) and the company could have handled THIS SITUATION with more professionalism. If other airlines can do it, they should be able to.

I don't have a family, so I'm not bias in that sense. However, I think what the employee at the desk did was pretty inappropriate. Yes they were late, but the situation wasn't handled the best it could've been. I was actually pretty surprised to read that Westjet didn't help out (not their problem to deal with though).
I have cancelled my flight this spring with Alaska Airlines due to this issue and I will never fly with them again unless they change their policies - what a terrible way to treat people. Westjet will be more fun anyway :-)

You haven't explained why you were so late arriving to the airport in the first place. Getting through security with only 20 minutes before departure sounds incredibly late. And with an infant, no less! I thought everything took 3x longer with an infant!

Why should everyone else wait for you because you were late? My husband and I get to the airport early, and I would be pissed if I was late taking off and waiting around for someone who was not prepared for life. Yes, crap happens, but that is why you have to come early. Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on the airline's part. Haven't you ever heard that before?

And another thing - if you can't afford $1000 from an emergency fund somewhere for a situation like this, you probably shouldn't have been living it up in Vegas in the first place.

I also fly frequently and make every effort to arrive early enough to accomnodate any disruptions or delays, so I understand the airline's policy about being on time. But, PLEEASSE! This airline has absolutely no concept of customer service or humanity. If your schedule is so important to you that your humanity is thrown out the window, then I will be sure to travel other airlines. If this couple had not appeared at the gate at all and the airline was not even aware that they were there, I would say their actions were justified. I have flown internationally and nationally and have many times heard airlines calling for individuals by name over the intercom system who were late boarding. I have also heard them on the phone asking if the customer's baggage had been checked to see if they were even in the airport. These are airlines who understand customer service. It may be an inconvenience, but IT IS YOUR JOB. Deal with it. But to give away the tickets for 1 minute of lateness when they knew the couple was there and they were making the effort to get to the gate...you should be ashamed of yourself. I know we live in a narcissistic world (as evidenced by the comments on this board), but it does not make this behavior acceptable. I teach my 4 year old to have better behavior to others than I see here. What a sad comment on our world.

I've also had terrible experiences flying with a family on Alaska Airlines - I've used pretty much every North American airline and they are by far the worst for customer service. They wouldn't let my family do early online check-in, then had us scattered around the plane on an overbooked flight (including initially having my 2 year-old sitting by himself on a 6 hour flight) and refused to make any effort to change the seating (luckily a kind passenger was willing to trade). The flight was about 40 minutes late but they never gave us any updates on when it was going to be boarding - while we were trying to hold off on feeding a crying baby until we could board to avoid a situation similar to the original complaint (but would've had plenty of time if we'd known it would be that late). We had a "diaper emergency" on the plane, but at first they weren't going to let my wife get by the beverage cart to change it (even though it was leaking everywhere). In general all the staff, from the gate agents to the flight attendants, were grumpy and rude (most likely due to working for a poor employer).

The airlines are operating a business, accountable to many people including the passengers on that flight.
These people have no one to blame but each other.
They should have acted in a more responsible manor, let see arrive at gate on time etc...

It could have been handled better by Alaska Airlines. Sure they had the right to give away the tickets and all but the bad publicity they get will cost them a lot of customers. Sometimes you gotta bend the rules and make exceptions. Its what good customer service is about.

I cannot believe the rude remarks left on this blog. Airlines are making money hand over fist - giving the ticket away means that the airline makes MORE money. This was an exceptional problem and really wouldn't the people of the plane be just as happy to wait a few minutes rather than sit in a plane with a reeking diaper. You can try as hard as you want to get to the airport on time but it's never that simple especially if you are travelling with an infant. CRAP happens people - where is the empathy in this world? My kids are learning about empathy in their circles of courage at school. Perhaps some of these "frequent fliers" who hate to wait...perhaps you should join our circle of courage and learn some empathy. It saddens me greatly that a family got ditched so that the plane could leave on time...leave on time YA RIGHT! I fly plenty and I rarely leave on time. Heck, my entire family was stranded on a runway for 4hrs on our way to Hawaii a couple years ago. The airline didn't even offer the people on the plane water during our long wait. Airlines don't care about people...they care about $$$$$!
For the family who was stranded - I applaud you for not taking their "crap" and I'm sorry that it happened to you.
For all those applauding the airline...just you wait and see...the next one being left behind will be YOU!

Ok, so they gave your tickets away, that's too bad, but that's life and that's the rules, things happen in life so get over it and move on.

some thing you can not control like baby's if i was on that fight i would not want to sit beside i kid full of crap i travel alot things do happen i know how airlines tried people we are just cargo I when to Texas one year on Christmas on american airlines because i was traveling alone i was put on standby family's where first 7 hours on standby i was dead tired and nobody cared i paid full price for my ticked also so why i get to go on standby sure they give me a free voucher good for a year i never used the darn thing as far as i concern they can stick the ticket you know where i am human i paid for my flight i have the right to be on time also thats what we pay for give the guy his money he had to put out to get home i dont mind being a little late 30 min or so dont kill anyone not 7 hours or more hours well i guess Alaska airlines loves bad Pr i hear many complanes about Alaska you never get me on there flights go westjet your better off

Travelling with children can be a challenge, since your plans were entirely in your own hands, accept the fact that you were late and irresponsible.
The fact that you had to endure the consequences of your own actions/tardiness, well maybe you have learnt something .
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
You cannot expect everyone to revolve around you.
Who do you think you are asking to hold up a fully loaded plane.
I don't think the airline should have offered you vouchers.
I do believe you are just playing out your bad manners and your inconsiderate behavior, trying to seek some public sympathy.
Who really wants to deal with people like you and your wife.

Some people think the world should revolve around them and their needs. As long as they "explain" why they want what they want, then everyone should comply.

As someone who frequently flies, I get sick of attending 2 hours pre flight for international flights (as per most airlines request) only to find my flights held up by someone else. That it was your child had little to do with anything. Everyone has their excuse for being late. It's simply not acceptable when it comes to holding up 100's of other people due to your own poor planning.

Leaving yourself only 20 minutes prior to your flight was your doing. No one elses.

The fact that you declined $800 in free flight vouchers just shows how far you go to refuse any of the blame, when ALL of the blame sits in your seat. I shake my head at people like you who feel that they are important while everyone else can wait for you.