Lauren H.
I have never been so disappointed with…
I have never been so disappointed with Alaska Airlines. We booked three Premium Class seats months in advance and paid approximately $450 extra specifically because we were traveling with two small children, including a lap infant. When we checked in, we discovered that Alaska had moved us from row 15 Premium Class to row 32, literally the back of the plane, without notifying us. After spending a significant amount of time on the phone trying to understand what happened, we were told there had been an aircraft change and our original seats were now considered an exit row, which we could not occupy with a lap infant. I completely understand the safety requirement. What I do NOT understand is why we weren’t moved to another Premium Class row. We had already paid for Premium seating. Instead, other passengers were seated in Premium while our family was sent to the back of the plane. We were told that Alaska only guarantees a seat, not a specific seat. But we didn’t pay an additional $450 for three specific seat numbers. We paid $450 for Premium Class. What makes this even worse is that Alaska did not automatically refund the $450 after downgrading us. We only received our money back because we noticed the seat change ourselves, called, complained, and requested the refund. Traveling with two small children is already stressful. We planned months ahead and paid significantly more specifically to make the flight more manageable. Finding out at check in that those plans meant essentially nothing was incredibly frustrating. An aircraft change may explain why we couldn’t keep our original seats. It does not explain why Alaska couldn’t protect the Premium Class product we had already purchased, why we were moved all the way to the last row, why we weren’t notified, or why our money wasn’t automatically refunded. This experience completely changed the way I view Alaska Airlines and how much trust I can put in an advance seat purchase


