If there was an “Aeronautical Bravery Award,” I would nominate the crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. After a door plug was blown off the plane at 16,000 feet on January 5, rapid decompression caused an emergency descent and the mask fell. A serious struggle to break through the ceiling and secure the cabin and the souls on board.
Scenarios like this are extremely rare and flight crews are trained for it.
Back on the scene in Portland, everyone started asking important questions. “How did this happen?” “Who is to blame for this?”
These are important questions and are at the center of an ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing and its subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, and, of course, Alaska Airlines.
But in the air, it all depended on the quick and careful actions of the Alaska Airlines crew to bring the Boeing 737 Max 9 safely back to Earth. Mission complete.
after that ground The Max 9 737 is sending shockwaves through airline schedules across the United States. The situation is toughest for Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only U.S. airlines operating the Max 9.
Just as the Alaska Airlines crew was responsible for the safe landing of Flight 1282, the airline is also responsible for getting travelers home after all Max 9 flights were cancelled. The Max 9 aircraft make up his 20% of Alaska Airlines’ fleet.
Additionally, Alaska Airlines now has to juggle its remaining fleet to accommodate travelers headed to the airport. Or those leaving tomorrow…or next week.
Alaska Airlines customer service phone keeps ringing. Travelers are reporting wait times of several hours. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is encouraging people to change their flights online through the airline’s app or website. alaskaairline.com.
But often there are no good options. That means travelers need to pick up the phone and get things resolved. But that doesn’t always work either.
Carol Stargurski and her husband were on vacation in Mexico visiting family.
Before leaving Guadalajara, she received an email saying her flight had been canceled but that Alaska Airlines was doing everything in its power to rebook her.
Shortly thereafter, I received another email saying my flight was not found.
“I’m a loyal customer of Alaska Airlines,” Stargurski said. “I tried calling the toll-free number from Mexico but it didn’t work. Also, local phone numbers in Mexico can only be accessed by landline.”
Stargulevski was perplexed. “Who will have a landline phone in 2024?” she asked.
Her husband, Ro Stargurski, spent four hours trying to find a flight from Guadalajara. They spent two more days there and flew to Seattle on the second. Volaris Airlines.
Upon arriving in Seattle, they unsuccessfully attempted to catch a flight back to Anchorage while at the airport. They eventually booked an Alaska Airlines flight north to Anchorage, but it was cancelled.
“We are lucky,” Carroll said. “We are retired and have family staying in Seattle. I can’t imagine trying to get through this with three small children.”
[Is it safe to hold your baby on a flight? Boeing blowout stokes fears.]
Alaska Airlines doesn’t have many cancellations to and from Anchorage, but each Max 9 carries more than 150 passengers and connects in Seattle or Portland before heading to various locations. That means there are thousands of travelers looking to make new plans even though Alaska Airlines instantly downsized by 20%.
Many flights to Hawaii use Max 9. “Piper” left a comment on Facebook saying he and his family were stuck in Hawaii for another five days. “Delays were frustrating, but safety came first. We had a wonderful time with our family in Honolulu. Irreplaceable moments and wonderful and funny memories…Alaska Airlines has been a great help to us and we look forward to working with them in the future.” I’m planning on boarding the plane with you.”
“Regina” and her husband were in Anchorage visiting family. The day before they were to return home, their flight was canceled. They received a new flight, which included one night in Seattle. So she called and ended up waiting on hold for about 6 hours.
“Then I wanted to go back to the app and realized I could reschedule for the next day,” she wrote. “They were flexible and didn’t require us to arrange hotel accommodations or meals.”
Hotel, food, and other incidental costs can add up quickly. Several travelers said Alaska Airlines representatives advised them to keep their expense receipts and forward them to customer care for reimbursement.
Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson confirmed this. “Please keep your receipts for meals and lodging,” Thompson wrote. Travelers can send these to Alaska Airlines via email at customer.care@alaskaair.com with the confirmation code.
In addition to the receipt, we recommend submitting a cover letter explaining when you were late.
While airlines rebook passengers on other airlines all the time, Thompson said if a traveler buys a ticket (as the Stargrewskis did between Guadalajara and Seattle) on Alaska Airlines He said he did not know whether the airline would issue refunds to travelers.
If contacting Alaska Airlines reservations staff is important to you, several options may save you time.
1. If customer service is on hold, use the callback feature. Every time I used this option, I received a call back sooner than originally promised.
2. If you already have a reservation, please call the re-booking number. This is not a general reservation number: 877-862-4093.
3. Send a text message to an Alaska Airlines representative using your mobile phone. Text him to 82008. Please have your confirmation number and mileage number handy.
The cancellation of Alaska Airlines Max 9 flight is reason enough to buy travel insurance. Travel insurance not only covers trip cancellations, but also medical emergencies for you and your family. Major insurance companies include: allianz and BHTP. When it comes to travel insurance, there are several online comparison tools. insurancemytrip.com and squaremouse.com
Additionally, most credit cards include travel insurance packages, such as Bank of America’s Alaska Airlines Visa Card. For example, when I damaged my rental car in Seattle, Alaska Airlines Visa insurance covered everything.
[Alaska Airlines passengers sue Boeing over 737 MAX 9 blowout]
Another valuable resource in this situation is a professional travel agent. I visited an agent earlier this week and found that they were spending a lot of time rebooking travelers on other flights. Agents can instantly search for and rebook other flights. However, there is a charge. At brick-and-mortar agencies like Alaska Travel Source, domestic flights cost $40. Most agents will also help you book mileage and awards.
Indeed, the crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 is the inspiration for “Grace Under Gunfire.” Going forward, everyone at the airline will go the extra mile to make safety a top priority. But customer service representatives will be doing some of the heavy lifting in the coming days and weeks to accommodate thousands of travelers again. Be kind, whether you meet at the airport or on the phone.