This is a tough one to call. There is indeed a sky nazi attitude developing amongst airline personnel and this makes things very difficult to evaluate. However, I think you are being a little harsh on Alaska, who, incidently have a better reputation than most for customer service.
Alaska took prudent steps. They did listen the family..and they consulted a medical expert. The medical expert did talk to your family member, the RN, and discussed the situation. The fact that they disagreed doesn't automatically suggest that Alaska or MedLink were in the wrong. (Neither does it suggest that your family member who was an RN was in the wrong, they just disagreed. Happens all the time in medicine). However, Alaska has a duty of care to their passengers and not just to your Nanny. It is legitimate for an airline to be concerned about a medical diversion, as this would seriously disrupt the plans of many of the passengers. Passengers are often very anxious to get home and cannot see any reason why they can't fly, but the effect of pressurization and lower O2 levels can have a serious effect on people who have marginal health. It is not enough for the family to say " we accept the risk" because you are also accepting the risk of diversion and/or significant discomfort to the rest of the passengers.
In this case, Alaska delayed your Nanny long enough to establish to their satisfaction that the risk was reasonable. They did their best to treat you with courtesy and professionalism and they took the trouble to consult a medical expert AND your family. And they provided accommodations. I can understand your frustration, but I think you are being overly harsh. Thank your lucky stars you were not on Delta...for them, this would have been a "revenue opportunity"...
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