Summary Alaska Airlines is criticized for losing 2,000 pounds of fish after diverting a flight due to weather. Passengers received vouchers for hotels, meals, and transportation, but a group of friends never received their fish that was checked. The airline has since offered $100 for compensation, but the fish was reportedly worth thousands of dollars.
A group of travelers are criticizing Seattle-based Alaska Airlines for losing 2,000 pounds of fish after their flight was diverted. The group, which was returning from a fishing trip, ultimately made it to their final destination, but the fish they caught, which was reportedly enough “for the year,” did not. They found themselves waiting for hours, hoping the fish would show up.
Instead, Alaska said it would offer the group vouchers for hotels, meals, and transportation. “It’s always a big deal” Vic Scaravilli and a few of his friends traveled to Alaska for a fishing trip, according to Seattle local CBS affiliate KIRO 7 News . The group was returning from their trip earlier this month on ASA64 from Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) .
Joe Emerson shares more of what was going on inside his head on the fateful flight as he calls for better mental health resources for pilots. Scaravilli spoke to KIRO 7 News about how the trip is “a big deal” since it occurs every year. “It’s our yearly trip.
We always look forward to this. It’s always a big deal. And we really enjoy doing it.
And we go there also to get the fish, so we have fish for the year.” Flight details According to data from FlightAware , the flight occurred on August 17th and was operated by a Boeing 737-800 . It had a scheduled departure from gate C1 at 17:48 (AKST) but did not push back until 18:14.
By 18:26, it was airborne and had turned southwest to intercept its flight path. The aircraft continued without issue for the next hour, reaching a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. At approximately 20:32 PST, the plane began its descent.
It had just passed Port Townsend about 15 minutes later and leveled off at 10,000 feet. Rather than continuing toward SEA, the aircraft turned east, heading toward Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, Washington. It then turned north and appeared to enter a short holding pattern before lining up for a final approach at PAE on runway 16R.
The aircraft landed safely at 21:22 and arrived at the gate 10 minutes later. According to KIRO 7 News, the flight diverted to PAE due to severe weather in the area. However, the flight was canceled since the aircraft sat on the tarmac for too long.
“We waited for hours and nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing,” Scaravilli said. Alaska reportedly informed passengers that it would provide a voucher for hotels, meals, and transportation back to Seattle. However, Scaravilli claimed that they “never received any vouchers.
” “It’s still on the plane” The group finally deplaned and headed to baggage claim, but the frozen fish they had checked in the cargo hold was nowhere to be found. They ultimately all chipped in for a ride-share back to SEA since they had a connecting flight. Alaska had reportedly informed them that the fish would be on the next flight out, but that did not appear to be exactly true.
On Monday – two days after their flight – a representative from the airline told the group that the fish was still on the diverted aircraft at PAE. “She said, ‘hey, it’s still on the plane, and the plane’s still here and in Everett.’ And I thought, you gotta be kidding me,” said Scaravilli’s friend, Shawn Snoozy.
The group said the mishap spoiled their trip, just as their fish likely was at that point. Is compensation required? Alaska reportedly gave the group $100 for the delay. However, Scaravilli said the fish was worth thousands of dollars and that the vouchers provided were a “slap in the face.
” Simple Flying contacted Alaska for comment on the matter, but was unable to receive an immediate response. It is unclear if the group ever got their fish back or if it was discarded. According to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) , airlines must compensate passengers if their bags are damaged, delayed, or lost.
Any bag damage must occur while the bag is under the airline’s control. Liability can be excluded for specific categories of items inside bags, such as fragile items, electronics, cash, perishable items, or other valuables. The Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines merger still awaits some regulatory approvals.
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