A computer-systems malfunction that occured on Saturday has forced at least 12,000 passengers of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Airlines to spend a few nights away from home, in expensive airport hotels. This has caused disruption in work and school schedules.
According to Bobbie Egan, spokeswoman for Alaska Airlines, a plan is currently being developed to compensate the affected travelers.
“We’re going to make it right for our customers, no matter what,” she said. But the first priority, she said, is to get everyone to their destinations. With most planes flying at or near capacity, “there are some instances of people still waiting for flights out on Tuesday,” Egan explained, or even on Wednesday.
Although Alaska and Horizon have offered refunds or free re-bookings, many customers filled out complaints claiming more should have been done.
Another step towards correcting the mix-up was for the airlines to send a letter of apology to the affected families, asking passengers to submit detailed accounts of their disruptions on alaskair.com
“We don’t yet have specifics on what will be involved,” Egan said. “It will vary based on the length of the delay or cancellation and how quickly we could get them on another flight.”
Although a popular belief, the fact that airlines should compensate passengers in case of delayed or canceled flights is actually false. However, Alaska and Horizon are working on compensating methods. These compensations will most probably take the form of travel certificates and vouchers, discounts and other gratuities.
By Olivia GrilHey Folks! I'm Olivia from California, United States. I'm a blogger, travel lover, I can travel anywhere, whether it's a new place or already visited. I love meeting new people, clicking photos of every movement, and documenting my adventure. I also, write about travel, travel movies, the best places to visit, etc. Read my stories.
