[GedMonster]

In June of 2007 my family and I had occasion to travel roundtrip from Boston to Seattle and back. For some reason we decided to try Alaska over JetBlue, the other carrier which offers nonstop service from Boston to Seattle (maybe that nonstop route was not available at the time-I can't remember). The entire experience was one big nightmare from start to finish, and I think Alaska Airlines deserves to have its dastardly ways exposed to the public.

Thank goodness that the flight to Seattle got us there in one piece. Not everybody was so lucky. At the check-in counter we observed that the flight had been totally oversold. 5 members of a tour group of about 10 or so had been arbitrarily left off the flight, and the airline staff was of no help to them, saying, "Well, you'll just have to meet up in Seattle." We never did find out what happened to them. Additionally, we began to see the true nature of Alaska's business qualities. The airline allowed a small dog to board the cabin and sit in a seat--mind you, while actual people had just been denied service. The dog defecated everywhere during the flight. When we asked a flight attendant in horror if anything would be done about this, the bitch just shrugged, smiled, and said, "Well, they paid for him (the dog)."

The return trip three or four days later made for the most traumatic experience I have ever had with an airline of any kind. Everything was going as normal until the check-in attendant handed us our boarding passes. Incredibly, we noticed that the four of us had been placed on "standby." I announced incredulously, "STANDBY?" The little snake behind the desk just shrugged and remarked, "That's what it says, isn't it?" Somehow we found our way to the customer service desk, where we encountered a creature like no other. She was an Asian female whose cold, glaring eyes instantly told us that more trouble lay around the corner. After she explained, "Overserring of frights is common probrem" (sorry about the accent and the slightly racist attitude--just want to make you feel like you were there...and yes, that's how she actually talked!), we demanded that she look up what other carriers had service to Boston that evening. After "typing something in," she declared, "Sorry, but no fright avairabre tonight." Resigned that there was nothing we could do but wait and hope that we would be put onto that flight or another one departing later. After waiting in dismay for about an hour, one of us who had a laptop decided to check and see if there REALLY were no other ways out of Seattle that night. What we found were astonishing. One or two other major carriers--I believe American and Northwest, but I might be mistaken--had available flights going to Boston! Problem was, they were located on other concourses halfway across the airport, and both left about 25 minutes from then. But, of course, we realized that one hour ago, when there would have been time to board one of those, we had been blatantly LIED TO by a so-called "customer service agent." As if a supreme being himself were present at Seattle-Tacoma airport, a lady at the gate called our names and gruffly presented us with four tickets to Boston on the next flight, which left at around 11 PM. Finally, the ordeal was over.

Upon returning to Boston, we decided collectively that it simply wasn't worth it to file a lawsuit against the airline (on the grounds that they violated Public Health Ordinances) for the shenanigans on the first flight. But what if an ill or immuno-compromised person had unknowingly sat in traces of excrement? Needless to say, a major problem could have arisen--and I doubt that the airline would have cared one bit. The company is clearly driven by a "profit at all costs" philosophy, and the unfeeling nature in which the staff conducts itself has clearly permeated all levels of the airline. Indeed, they seem to be unable to distinguish person from animal in ANY way whatsoever! Clearly, no would-be passenger is free from the ruthless way in which Alaska Airlines conducts its business. I urge all who are reading: DO NOT PATRONIZE ALASKA AIRLINES! This may happen to you! And even if it doesn't, you will be supporting a company which hasn't the slightest clue as to how to operate in any civilized manner. For the sake of all of humanity, please: FIND ANOTHER AIRLINE!