This is one of those stories where the details make it worse, not better. Being told the connection is fine, landing on time, and then literally being unable to deplane because Alaska assigned the same gate to both flights is just wild. Especially when there were empty gates available.
Stranding families, kids, and elderly parents at 11pm at LAX because of a preventable gate decision feels like a complete operational failure. And the fact that your sister was already on the Costa Rica flight watching it unfold makes it even more painful.
The part that really sticks out is that this wasn’t weather, not ATC, not mechanical. This was scheduling and gate management. And yet you’re still chasing refunds and only getting auto replies. That’s not the Alaska a lot of us associate with “doing the right thing.”
I don’t think this is the norm, but I do think Alaska has been slipping in these edge cases, especially with irregular ops. When things go sideways, they don’t seem nearly as empowered or proactive as they used to be.
You didn’t just get unlucky. You got failed at multiple levels.
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