Thumbs Up for Alaska Airlines

April 9, 2016 posted by Vicki in Dot Dot Dot

It has always been my mother’s dream to go on an Alaskan cruise for as long I can remember. My sister, mom and I live in the Philippines and our three older siblings  and their families live all over the US, so scheduling time together is a big issue.

 After our father passed away in September 2015, my mother said she wanted the whole family to have one big reunion and we have decided to lay down real plans for this cruise. By January 2016 we decided to explore Seattle a few days before our cruise sets sail. Hotel rooms were getting filled up due to festivals and conferences during the time we planned to be in Seattle so we made our bookings to secure our rooms. Likewise I booked Enzo and I on an Alaska Airlines flight from San Francisco to Seattle round trip for $95 each way, plus taxes.

 Today, I was online checking my bookings, when I decided to check how much airfare was on the Alaska Airlines site. Lo and behold, the fare dropped down to $65 on most flights – including my return to San Francisco. I immediately called the toll-free number listed on the website and the reservations agent did notice the price drop. She immediately confirmed my email then sent me the refund in fare as a gift certificate to be used on future travel.

Refund from fare change

 As a frequent traveler, both domestic and international, I have had real crappy service. One airline in particular, Cebu Pacific, is known for this! I took  this airline from Manila to Legaspi for a wedding. There was a lot of cloud cover and they announced on the PA system that they were going to fly back to Manila and that we could go to the reservations desk to rebook our tickets for the next day. This was outrageous, especially since the bride and groom were with us on the flight! The bride had family on Philippine Airlines, same destination, same problem. They attempted to fly and when they couldn’t, flew back to Manila. They refueled and tried their luck to land again in Legaspi and made it. We however, decided not to fly Cebu Pacific and instead take a 10-hour van ride to Legaspi.

 Another time, there was an Iglesias Ni Cristo rally in the city that caused blockage of main roads like EDSA. I was going to Siargao and had to take Cebu Pacific again (no choice, they were the only airline to fly to Siargao via Cebu). When I managed to get to the airport, I was eight minutes late to check in their 45-minute maximum check-in time. They had given my seat away despite airline passengers still waiting to board the aircraft! When I asked to get booked on the next flight to Cebu to catch the Siargao flight, they said I would miss the flight because my plane would land at 11:30AM and the flight to Siargao was supposed to leave at 11:15AM. I ended up booking the same flight for the next day and slept over my friend’s house to miss the traffic. Guess what? Their flight from Cebu was delayed for – get this – four hours! I could have made it!

 With horror stories like these, finding out my price change for the same flight on Alaska Airlines was upsetting. I didn’t expect to get anything in return. Thankfully, Alaska Airlines has a Customer Service Commitment of offering the lowest fare online as well as allowing you to cancel or change your booking within the first 24 hours of booking without charging you fees. They promise to refund your ticket quickly and have transparency in fees should you need to change your booking after 60 days before your flight.

 “All tickets may be refunded in full to the original form of payment within the first 24 hours after their initial purchase. While not every ticket is refundable, we are committed to refunding all eligible tickets within 20 business days for cash purchases and 7 business days for credit card purchases. Note: It may take 7-14 business days for your credit card company to post your refund to your account. Credit card refunds are made payable to the purchaser’s original form of payment. If you purchased your electronic ticket on alaskaair.com, you may request your refund online, as long as the ticket is wholly unused. For refunds on all other refundable electronic tickets, please contact Reservations for assistance.”

 Though I do check travel booking sites like Momondo, Expedia and Agoda, I cross check with the airline or hotel site. In most cases, they will offer you the best rate and most flexibility you might not find on the discounted travel booking sites.

 Thank you Alaska Airlines – you’ve earned a customer for life!

May all your gypsetting dreams come true and then some,

Vicki