My wife and I fly between San Diego and Sacramento on Alaska Airlines several times a year, but recently the reliability has been terrible. Out of our last five flights, three had major issues.
One trip was delayed because the incoming aircraft arrived late and then sat on the tarmac for nearly another hour waiting for a gate. Another flight was held up because the airline was missing cabin crew members.
This week’s experience was by far the worst. Our flight was already delayed about 45 minutes, and boarding had just started when the gate agent suddenly announced there were no pilots available. At first I assumed they were nearby or coming from another gate, but apparently they were still in Las Vegas, over an hour away by flight.
What’s frustrating is that the airline must have known well before boarding that the pilots were not even in the same city. Instead of cancelling earlier or finding replacements, passengers were left waiting at the gate with little communication. Eventually the pilots arrived, everyone boarded, and then the flight was cancelled anyway because it missed the airport curfew.
The constant delays and poor handling of the situation have really damaged our confidence in Alaska. We’re now considering switching to other airlines for this route.
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