Subject: Formal Complaint – Incompetent Service and Denied Boarding on Flight 1409 (CLSVJM – Dear Alaska Airlines Customer Relations, I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my experience on Flight 1409 departing from Seattle on 6/13/26. As a physician and business owner who frequently coordinates group travel, this was one of the worst airline experiences I have encountered. Upon arrival, I was informed that my check-in boarding pass was not official, despite successfully obtaining it electronically through your website/app with no warnings or indications of issues. My electronic boarding pass was rejected, leading to cancellation/denial of boarding. The gate agent (an older woman) was unhelpful, claimed my name had been announced multiple times (which it had not—she did not even know my name correctly), and mistakenly boarded my traveling companion under my name. Additionally, an older blonde staff member nearly failed to return my passport, highlighting a clear lack of training on your check-in and boarding systems. This chaos forced me onto a later flight while my group waited in Canada, unable to check into our Airbnb or pick up rental cars (as I was the primary booker). The entire incident caused significant business disruption, stress, and additional expenses. I have flown Alaska Airlines previously but will not consider it again without resolution. I request: • Full reimbursement of any additional costs incurred. • Appropriate compensation (vouchers/miles) for the inconvenience and poor service. • Confirmation of corrective actions for Please respond within 7-10 business days. Sincerely, Dr. Chunwen Teng
Never had so many staff members be rude and disrespectful. I had a staff member sarcastically call me “girly” after making me wait 20 minutes to be seen by her. I was able to print my luggage tag and she told me I was too late to check luggage I said the system obviously disagrees. And you had me wait way too long while you asked every single passenger ahead of me about their Disney vacations. She wasted so much time to then say “girly your bag won’t make it on the plane” I’m not her girly I’m a full grown adult. She needs to learn a hell of a lot of respect
The agents were super helpful. I was traveling with my mother inlaw who needed whell chair assisstance. The help and accomodation from the checkin crew, to the boarding crew and inflight crew was excellent.
Completely full flight. Boarding was smooth, but people didn’t listen about use of overhead bins which is typical. We pre-purchased a snack which was tasty. Drinks were good and plentiful. Flight left late because previous flight was delayed.
Flying into PAE was so easy because it’s baggage claim is quick and accesible. I had a car rental and the counter is inside the baggage claim area, very convenient.
Eva Airlines attendants were wonderful. I really enjoyed the hot meals. They always greeted me with a warm smile. I'm looking forward to flying back to the USA with them again!
Flight maintenance was on so that flight didn’t go able to fly out to Seattle and Inhad to get another flight,,
3 of the 4 legs of our trip the crews were awesome! 1 leg the trip attendants were rude & dismissive, didn't even greet us when boarding even though both myself & my husband said hello directly to them when we boarded.
Well organized boarding. Cabin crew were efficient and professional. Thoroughly enjoyed the flight.
The first flight was fine, great crew, but the plane was delayed 45 minutes to go to Seattle because of they were missing a ramp. That would make sense if the plane was actually at the gate. Not if we’re still waiting for a plane. After we landed we waited 30-45 minutes on the tarmac just to get off the plane. Alaska made me miss my connecting flight, wasting my time, and my money. I should honestly be reimbursed, but hey, when does the airline ever actually take accountability? Never.
Flight was delayed, full flight and I had to change gates. Southwest flights are always late later in the day.
Flight was delayed over 3 hours. Planes were dirty. Staff indifferent. And they serve vegan pretzels as snacks.
It was great. The gate staff were very helpful in Portland when my son forgot his rolling bag and had to go back to get it just in time to make it on the plane. We really appreciate that. Great job!
Airline is not very senior friendly. Flights are late, forcing us to run to the connecting flight. Food is awful. Wish they would go back to pretzels and peanuts. During flight, pressurization isn’t quite right and all of our ears get plugged. Everything is nickel and dime, charging for boarding, seat selection and legroom. While a screen at the desk in the gate area says check your roll on bag now for free due to space limitation, the employee at the desk will not check the bag without a $100 fee. Insane.
Kayak could’ve posted the correct gate number. Almost missed my flight.
Slow boarding, limited food and drink portions. Bad delays and turbulence
there were two flight attendants that were up front...that were the best! They get KUDOs for making my trip only fantastic. Tell them Jeff said that!
OKay. I sat in the back of the plane and it was really loud between babies and little kids, and adults who.like to talk a lot and loudly most of the flight.
Flight coming out of Buffalo was delayed, so we had to be rescheduled on another flight from Baltimore to Phoenix which means we had a long layover and got home 3.5 hours late. Shuttle to parking stopped at 10pm, so we had to pay for an Uber to the parking lot and got charged an extra day of parking since it was after midnight. Not the best experience. Long day!
Was fine, delayed and feels like southwest is always late
Checkin was good, fllight ws good. Onlly complaint is lack of foot on 6 hour flight from Seattle to Boston. Snacks were flimsy - chips and cookies. could have offered something more substantial for such a long flight. I know you can buy food in airport but for the price you pay for a ticket, they should step up for the passengers.
The only thing I would say is we tried to get on a standby earlier flight, but with our fair we couldn’t. That seems senseless to leave with open seats..
Flight was delayed, we could have been notified earlier and in a consistent manner. App was not refreshing for another passenger to get the latest flight status. We could have stayed and waited at the hotel instead of waiting at the airport had we known the flight was going to delayed for more than 5 hours. The toilet is too tight, and needs to be cleaned more frequently (every hour). The entertainment screen froze, the touch screen not responding to touch. We were upgraded to comfort, it is more comfortable than regular economy seats.
My tray was broken so i had no place to work or eat except my lap. Flight attendant said I would get an email with some credit or miles, it was a complete waste of time as I could only function at about 20% of normal. I have not received anything yet.
I was told that they needed to check my bag at the gate and to pick it up at the gate in Richmond. No big deal. I know they can't control the weather, but we flew around RIC for 45 minutes to avoid the storm and were 25 minutes late leaving as well. Once we landed, we were told to go to baggage claim to pick up our luggage. I went to bathroom, paid for parking, and went to the assigned baggage claim location. United flight people came down with us as well. They got their luggage immediately. Next, South West people came down about 10 minutes later. They got their luggage next. We finally got our luggage around 30 minutes in waiting. Was not a wonderful experience. No reflection on Delta, but the ground crew was lousy at best.
It was fine. 55 minute flight. No snacks or beverage service offered. Boarding went smoothly and my walker was waiting for me on the jet way.
As previously noted, this flight was great: departure was timely, the crew was friendly and attentive, and wifi connectivity was seamless. In particular, I appreciated that the flight attendant just told me to stow the laptop right before takeoff/landing, and trusted me to do so (which I did!).
My flight was cencaled due with the bad weather on Sunday the crew was poorly mistaken my luggage supposed depart with my flight instead I didn’t have my luggage for almost 3 days the website is poorly respond to my complain until I have someone to do it my connection smooth their not even respon or email me even the have my luggage
8 hours late and the plane smelled like urine, that smell in the morning when your child wet the bed in the night.
Everything was good except wifi and a leaking drink chiller. The floor was all wet and my bag was soaked. Did not notice until debarking. Have not heard back from Delta. Even though this was leg one of an international flight in first class, they denied access to their Sky Club - very disappointing!
Boarding and crew were great, but seats are terribly uncomfortable. No food or entertainment options.
Everything went very smoothly! Thanks for a great first experience flying with small children!
Crew members great. Everything else a 0! Got on plane at 530am. Got de boarded for mechanical issue. Supposed to leave by 830 am. Zero communication from gate agents. Then supposed to leave by 230pm. Then delayed till 330pm. Still zero communication with gate agents. All they would say is if you have an issue call the 1800 number. You call and sit on hold minimum 45 minutes for zero answer. Finally board at 345pm didn’t take off till after 4pm! Sat in airport for 11 hours with 4 adults and 3 kids. Finally offered a $100 (we are sorry) voucher for next trip. Missed whole day in Florida had to change reservations in Florida! Absolute joke of an airline! And I usually really like sun country.
Booked through Kayak for $236. They canceled the flight unknown to me; retaining $100 for canceling it. Found out when I went to check in. Rebooked the same flight for $400. Incredibly disappointed. The Sun Country part was as to be expected. Crowded, no food, no arm room but got me where I wanted to go.
3 seperate extremely rude unhelpful staff. Delayed flight. Lost my bag
Sat between 2 big men. I was uncomfortable. Flight was delayed twice. About 2 hours altogether.
It was a good experience. I do wish the seats were roomier. Also, I did not like being charged for my carry on bag
Exceptional take off and landing in snow and wind…thank you to the well skilled pilots!
I liked entertainment system being downloaded on my iPad. The selections were limited but I appreciated being able to use my own screen. The flight was just fine. My only issue was both terminals being far from the main airport. Especially stoning at LAX near midnight and having to wait for a bus to take us to baggage pickup. Very inconvenient.
Just fine but comfort is always an issue since the seats are so close
There weren't enough employees at check in took awhile to get bags checked. There wasn't a wheel chair for me, I was sent to someone who turns out to work for a different airline, if My flight hadn't been delayed I probably would have missed my flight as it was, by the time I arrived at my gate, they started boarding in about 15 minutes. I don't know who took me to my gate, definitely was not the normal people who take passengers to the gate. I'm guessing she may have been in a management position. I wish I knew her name, she went beyond to help me. With that said everyone was kind, and were doing the best they could. So, I choose to say it was an Adventure, stressful start, but good. In the end went well. The situation was not only difficult for passengers but the employee's.
The staff at the check in counter was so rude. Made you feel Incompetent
Frontier scheduled a 40 minute connection in DEN. What they failed to mention was that they “close the doors” 20 mins prior to departure, which means you only have 20 mins. Not enough time. Possibly against DOT regulations. Filing complaint.
Flight was scheduled at 9:40pm. Got delayed to 10 am, the next day. crazy
The bag check, flight check-in, and onboard experience convinced my wife and me that we will actively go out of our way to avoid flying Frontier Airlines in the future. At bag check, we were informed that check-in could only be completed via the Frontier mobile app. Unfortunately, the app was extremely frustrating—sending us through repetitive, confusing loops that repeatedly forced us to decline add-on services with nearly every click. While most airline apps upsell, this one felt intentionally exhausting. As the process dragged on, we became genuinely concerned that my phone battery would die before check-in could be completed. We approached the bag check staff—who were standing together talking—and explained both our frustration and our predicament. They laughed. Later, my wife described the interaction as “gaslighting,” which felt accurate. We were then informed it would cost $25 per person simply to have our boarding passes printed. From that point forward, the tone of the experience was consistently hostile. The bag check employees were condescending and combative, behaving more like bullies than customer service staff. Unfortunately, that same attitude continued onboard. One flight attendant argued with me when I attempted to stow my backpack in the overhead bin. I explained that we had each paid $75 to check our bags specifically so we would not need to use carry-on space and could have adequate legroom. She demanded to see my ticket, pointed out that it said “no carry-on”—which I acknowledged—and I reiterated that this was precisely why we paid to check our bags. Her response was, “I don’t make the rules.” She then walked away, but not before asking if I “truly wanted to fly back to Chicago today?”—an unnecessary and unmistakable threat. It is also worth noting that despite booking our tickets together in the same transaction, we were not seated together. Upon our return to Chicago—where we could once again sit together—we compared onboard experiences. We both remarked on how unhappy the flight attendants appeared and how each of us was separately asked whether we would like to purchase a beverage. We declined. At no point was water mentioned as an option, leaving us with the clear impression that even water came at a cost—or that complimentary water, if available at all, was deliberately left unmentioned. Overall, the experience was shocking and deeply disappointing, but it was also a profound learning experience—one we will not forget and will not repeat. -Steve
Plane was hot and miserable and the crew was rude!
12 hour delay required getting on and off plane 3 times - would have at least liked to have been offered a snack or drink
They didn’t offer a water, even after I asked
They switched our terminal 3 times and we were delayed for four plus hours!!!
It was an early flight and most people napped/slept and the crew let us which was nice.