We had a major issue with the service about our dog kennel which was being transported in hold. We started in Seattle. I had called the Alaska Air 800-number to find out where to go to drop off dog in carrier. She gave us the wrong information which cost us about 45 minutes in two lines. We did get to our destination (Phoenix) and the dog was there in fine shape.

Then on our return, we did as the ticket agent asked. He inspected the kennel. He gave us our paperwork and said we were good. We went with my in-laws to an in-terminal restaurant for lunch. When it was time to board, we went to our gate. There we were met with a rude and hysterical agent who yelled at us for not answering a page. She accused us of ignoring the page (it was not audible in the restaurant -- we heard nothing). She sent us back to the ticket counter. A baggage handler decided that the kennel was too small even though it was rated for a dog much bigger. She forced us to buy a new one from Alaska at an inflated cost. The ticket people were rude and belligerent. They could not answer why: 1) the kennel was big enough four days ago, 2) why it was accepted in the first place. Our dog is a 58 pound husky who sleeps in the kennel at night. It was also a carrier for our longer retriever who was a show dog. As a result of this over-zealous baggage person, we missed our flight. The second flight was delayed two hours. As a result we got home five hours later than planned. It was traumatic for us, my nine year old and the dog. We had given the dog a tranquilizer for the trip. It was mostly worn off by the time we finally took off, but our vet recommended that we not give the dog another one.

All in all, it was a miserable experience with Alaska Airline. We have been loyal to the airline even when it was a struggle (e.g., in recent labor dispute with Sea-Tac baggage handlers) but will no longer prefer Alaska or use our Alaska Air credit card.