And check your Alaska Air flights

[Sea Hag]

I've been a paranoid flight-checker for several years now, and I just found that Alaska had changed my flights back from Anchorage in September. Don't know when/if they would have notified me if I hadn't found it out myself. I was able to get acceptable substitutes, but if I hadn't been paying attention I might have ended up with arrangements I wouldn't have liked at all. Anytime I have a flight booked to anywhere for any reason, I check it once a week through the website.

[FlyerTalker]

A wise practice for all. Even more critical is to be checking your flight status on the day before, and the day of your flight. If you are at an "outlying station" for the airline, it's quite possible that aircraft operate only to/from one hub. If the flight inbound to your city was cancelled due to a mechanical or weather, guess what....the return back to the hub is also in trouble. Same for a delay if you are on the back side of a turnaround flight -- it will often rollover onto your flight as there isn't a lot of padding in the schedules (planes only make money when flying, not sitting on the ground).

 

The last two things I check on my computer before a flight are the auto traffic to the airport and my flight's status.

[ladikara]

Yes it is very important you check your flights. Mostly if you book way in advance.

 

Alaska Airlines notifies it's passengers if there are any schedule changes, IF you book through Alaska. If you book through a travel agency, it is up to the agency to notify you of any schedule changes.

 

Since I work for Alaska, I will tell you it's about 50/50 when it comes to agencies contacting their customers. (I am sure this goes for any airline out there) Some are better then others. The bad ones are the online ones. (ie: travelocity, orbitz, etc.)

 

Also the MOST MOST MOST important thing, make sure your home telephone number is in the reservation. Put alternate numbers in there, if you have them. If you book through an agency, have them place your telephone number in the record. Many time agencies put their number in there, which does not help the airline. I cannot tell you the number of times I have contacted the number in a record and it only be a travel agency. I get to speak to an overly paranoid travel agent who doesn't help the situation and keeps me on the phone longer then I need to be, while they hunt down their customers telephone numbers in their computer/files. It just helps MAJORLY when the passengers number is in there. That way if there are any schedule problems (delays/cancellations) the airline is able to contact YOU.