I have been a loyal customer and frequent flyer customer with Alaska Airlines for years and have always enjoyed their service - that is, until I actually had a problem...
For the first time in my life, I had an issue with my reservation, and being unemployed, the cost of changing my return flight was a major concern for me. After exhausting nearly all of my options, I turned to the airline for assistance with the hope that my long-time loyalty would earn some favor. No such luck... As it was immediately apparent that the only part of my loyalty that was valued was the money they had already pocketed.
I explained my situation and continued by telling them that while I would rather not get a refund on my return ticket (and take the cancellation hit from Alaska) to purchase a flight with another carrier as my least cost option, unless they could help me, I may have to (hoping that this would open the company up to providing me with some alternatives).
I hadn't even completed my sentence when the less-than-friendly CSR on the other end then told me that while the website may have made it SEEM as though I would be able to get the actual refund portion of my cancellation back in monetary value, that was not the case, and I would only be issued a credit with the airline.
And that was it. Alaska Airlines made it quite clear that their rules are absolute they aren't changing them for ANYBODY unless you happen to fit within the very narrow terms of their catastrophic event considerations. They did not want to know anything more about my situation, offered no helpful suggestions whatsoever, nothing. Why they even have a customer service department, I have no idea... Seems like a waste of money to me...
And its so nice to know that this is what consumer loyalty gets you. A hard line such as this - particularly when so many are facing difficult times - can't be helping them to win a whole lot of points with the public...
Anyway, I just hope that the airline appreciates that last $291 airfare of mine that went in their pocket, because unless I am faced with NO other alternative in the future (save for walking to my destination), they are the last dollars they will ever receive from me.
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