TRAVELERS’ CHECK: Flier looks for candor by airline
Posted: April 11, 2011 at 3:45 a.m.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Jim Watson can handle the truth, but Allegiant Air wouldn’t give it to him.
The Bella Vista man’s story is as straightforward as it gets, and Allegiant was sure to get caught in the big fib it told Watson.
Allegiant always gets The Guru’s high praise for its low fares but today it earns his dirtiest sneer for lying to Watson. Here’s the deal:
Watson and his wife, Bonnie, on Feb. 15 booked flights from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. They were set to leave last Saturday, returning to Arkansas this Saturday.
They paid a great price - $360 - for two tickets and one checked bag.
However, Allegiant notified Watson in a Feb. 26 email about a change, showing off adept spelling.
Dear Valued Customer;
We regret to inform you that Allegiant Air will TEMPORARILY discontinue flight service for a runway upgrade between Northwest Arkasas, AR and Phoenix-Mesa, AZ starting March 29th, 2011 thru May 4th, 2011. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
The airline offered three choices: Watson could reschedule the trip to occur before March 29 or after May 4, fly to another Allegiant city, or get a refund.
Watson, instead, asked for Allegiant to buy two seats on another airline from XNA to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport on April 9, returning April 16.
Allegiant refused.
So Watson took the refund and booked his trip on United Airlines, paying $938 for two tickets. He also complained to the U.S.
Department of Transportation and the Better Business Bureau of Nevada.
Allegiant mishandled this deal from the get-go, fibbing to Watson with its “runway upgrade” claim.
It took two calls to two airports to disprove, and Allegiant spokesman Jordan McGee acknowledged there was no upgrade.
“We’re looking into exactly why it said runway upgrade,” McGee said. “We seasonally discontinue routes where we don’t see a lot of demand.”
The seasonal change also zapped Phoenix-Mesa flights from Redmond-Bend, Ore., and Medford, Ore.
Bern Case, the Medford airport’s director, defended the decision.
“If you fly and lose money, pretty soon that airline is gone,” Case said. “I think they offered some good alternatives to passengers.”
The Guru disagrees. Allegiant should have flown the route at a loss, and it should eliminate the route in the long term if it doesn’t start performing better.
And, if it knows there’s no demand in April this year, it shouldn’t offer those April flights at all next year unless it’s willing to fly at a loss.
Robert J. Smith, aka The Guru, writes on traffic issues in Northwest Arkansas on Fridays. He can be reached at nwaonline.com/guru or guru@arkansasonline.com
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 04/11/2011
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