Q: I recently flew from Tucson to Seattle on Alaska Airlines. The flight had a scheduled departure time of 12:43 p.m. I checked the airline’s Web site before leaving for the airport, and it said the departure time had been changed to 12:58 p.m.
My wife dropped me off at the Tucson airport at 12:26 p.m., which put me well within the 30-minute rule for checking in. But an agent at the ticket counter told me that it was too late to check any bags. He said Alaska Airlines stops accepting checked bags 30 minutes before departure.
I told him that, based on the rescheduled departure time posted on the Alaska Airlines Web site, I had arrived at the counter in time to check my bags. He said there was nothing he could do about it. I insisted I was there in time.
He called a supervisor, and by the time he showed up it was 12:45 p.m. I explained my circumstances, and that I needed to be on the flight with my bags, but to no avail. He said my only options were to get on the flight without my luggage or to fly the next day.
The minutes ticked away and the flight departed without me. I ended up having to take a shuttle to the Phoenix airport to catch a flight from there to Seattle. It cost about $59 for ground transportation to Phoenix.
I missed my flight from Tucson to Seattle, and I think Alaska Airlines is to blame. I’d like to get reimbursed for my ground transportation and the additional cost of flying from Phoenix to Seattle. Can you help me?
— Roy Goodman, Tucson, Ariz.
A: Alaska Airlines should have allowed you and your luggage on that plane if you got to the airport on time. But did you?
To be honest, I assumed the check-in time was half an hour, too. That’s what it has traditionally been for domestic flights. But a look at the Alaska Airlines Web site would have told you otherwise. In Tucson, you need to arrive two hours prior to your scheduled departure if you’re checking luggage. Without bags, it’s one hour.
So what about that half-hour rule? The site is clear about that. “To accommodate everyone wishing to travel on your flight, you must be checked in and available to board at the designated boarding gate at least 30 minutes before posted departure,” it says. That means you’ve given the airline your luggage and made it through the security checkpoint.
In other words, you were about an hour and a half late to check in your luggage.
Why do airlines require you to be at the terminal so early? “With airplanes as full as they are these days, Alaska is working very hard to depart and arrive on time,” said spokeswoman Caroline Boren. “It’s simply not right to hold up the departure of a hundred or more other passengers who arrived at the airport on time for one passenger who did not.”
That makes sense to me. But still, I think the airline could have handled your case better. The ticket agent who turned you down, and his supervisor, should have shown you the check-in requirements rather than arguing with you. That would have definitively shown that you were late, and you could have made arrangements to either have your wife pick up your luggage or ship your belongings to Seattle.
Next time, either pack light or give yourself plenty of time to check in your luggage. (Personally, I think two hours is a little much. I mean, the flying time from Tucson to Seattle is three hours. Kind of makes you wonder if driving the 1,660 miles is more sensible.)
Alaska refunded the $59 you had to pay for ground transportation to Phoenix, but it would not pay for your new ticket to Seattle.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris,
The WHEN TO ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT section does not use mandatory contract-type language, so it could be construed as a “suggestion”.
The language in Alaska’s CONTRACT OF CARRIAGE, also available on its website, appears to conflict with the entry you listed.
It states that the baggsage must be checked at least 30 minutes prior to departure (not “scheduled” departure).
http://www.alaskaair.com/www2/company/tariff/domestic/tariff_domestic_section5.asp
“Checked and Carry-On Baggage: The suitability of baggage, as to weight, size, and character, to be carried in the passenger compartment of the aircraft will be determined solely by AS. As will check baggage, acceptable under AS’s rules, which is tendered by a passenger, upon presentation of a valid ticket for transportation on AS, or over the lines of AS and one or more other carriers, subject to the following:
Baggage must be checked at AS’s airport at least 30 minutes in advance of flight departure time. Note: The time limits provided by AS in this rule are minimum time requirements. Due to federal security screening measures in place at airports, passenger processing time may differ from airport to airport. AS provides information regarding various airport requirements on its website (www.alaskaair.com) but it is the passenger’s responsibility to ascertain the departure airport’s time requirements for security screening so that they comply with AS minimum time limits. “
Chris: I respectfully disagree with your analysis. It plainly states that you have to have your bags checked 30 minutes before the posted time of departure. To say that the poster was 1 1/2 hrs late is just not true. The airlines have three main passenger deadlines. The first deadline is the SUGGESTED time to be at the airport which ranges from ridiculously early to absurd. Thats because they assume you will be waiting in line for some time. The second deadline is the time that you MUST BE checked in. That’s the 30-40 minute rule depending on whether you have luggage or not. The third deadline relates to their ability to release your seat w/o compensation, if you have not boarded and that’s usually around 10-15 minutes. What some airlines do is try to use the originally posted departure time to determine the check-in time deadline, instead of the revised departure time, which seems wrong to me.
You know what? Good for Alaska. I realize that their contract of carriage may state that the baggage must be checked 30 minutes before departure, but it’s just common sense (which is sorely lacking in our population) that 30 minutes is not enough time. Not only does the baggage need to be loaded, but it also needs to be sorted and inspected by TSA. And with airlines now generally not allowing boarding after 10 minutes prior to departure, that leaves the customer 20 minutes to stand in line, check in, get through security, and walk to the gate. Even on a good day at a small airport, that’s pushing it–and I’m sure Tucson isn’t a tiny airport.
I would never dream of arriving at the airport 30 minutes before departure. I might not come two hours before, but I certainly allow at least an hour. That’s just a “duh.”
“My wife dropped me off at the Tucson airport at 12:26 p.m., which put me well within the 30-minute rule for checking in. ”
Since when is arriving at an airport curb 32 minutes prior to departure “well within the 30 minute rule” (let alone a sane course of action?) That’s not standing in front of a ticket agent; that’s setting foot on airport property. It also assumes that the revised departure time was correct – he arrived 17 minutes before departure if it wasn’t. I’m with Chris in Alaska – good for the airline. If Mr. Goodman actually made note of the exact minute he stepped onto the airport curb, he already knew he was pushing his luck. He gambled and lost, plain and simple. Accept the more than generous land travel refund and stop complaining about the injustice of air travel – welcome to the real world, post 9/11.
The point is that Mr. Goodman arrived at the ticket counter consistent with Alaska’s rules, i.e. more than 30 minutes before the REVISED departure time. As such, he was entitled to have his bags checked and board the plane. Plain and simple. If that is insufficient time for Alaska then they need to revise the check-in time. American generally uses 40 minutes.
I have to laugh at this story. When I was working at the Honolulu International Airport in a cocktail lounge, a passenger wanted to dilly dally on his way to catch his flight. We were all looking out the window at the airplane, telling the guy that he needed to hurry on up and be on board at least 20-30 minutes prior to his flight’s scheduled departure. Did he believe us? Nope. He kept telling us how important he was, and how the plane would wait for him while he finished his drink. When he finally decided to get up and catch his flight, we were all smirking knowing that he’d be back in to see us. And sure enough, he came right back into the bar and wound up hanging out for another 3-4 hours waiting for the next plane. It just goes to show you how cocky some people are thinking that the world revolves around them. Regarding Chrisophers’ story–no matter how early you check in with your luggage, you still need to be on board your airplane within the time limitations prior to your flight’s scheduled departure. =)
I don’t think Alaska Airlines was to blame at all. If the passenger chooses to be late for the flight and ends up missing it; it is the passenger’s fault and not the airline. I think anyone familiar with air travel would reasonably know that 20 minutes, to go from the curb to the gate, is not enough time for anyone; regardless of whether they have bags to check-in or not. Mr. Goodman, and all passengers, need to arrive at the airport at least one hour or an hour and a half before departure for a domestic flight. This would allow time to check-in bags, get through security, and finding the gate. I think it was very generous for Alaska Airlines to reimburse the ground transportation of $59. Alaska Airlines was under no obligation to pay for that. I hope Mr. Goodman allows for extra time to catch a flight.