Seattle disembarkation in October and flights

[eileeshb]

Normally I’m not one for running risks with my flight planning but travelling between the west coast of Ireland and Seattle at a time when flight options are reducing is making me consider a noon flight departing Seattle. 
 

my cruise finishes Oct 21st, so I’m partly concerned that there could be potential for weather delays getting back to Seattle and then secondly the potential check-in/tsa effects at the airport as I’ll be an international traveller.

 

right now the cheapest flight options involve Alaska Air which seems to have truly awful reviews, so when avoiding them the next cheapest is a noon flight from Seattle to Boston that will connect to the Irish flight. Otherwise it’s a red-eye near midnight and a 10hr wait in Boston before getting the flight back to Ireland. The other alternative is stay in Seattle overnight in the 21st and fly home on the 22nd. Btw none of the airlines that look viable are part of the port valet program, plus the FAQ for that program doesn’t include info for international travellers and I’ve only once been allowed to do curbside bag drop in over 20 visits to the USA which makes me doubt it will be available even if I did use one of the airlines participating in the program. 

 

anyone have any insights on potential delays? 

[lostone65]

34 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

Normally I’m not one for running risks with my flight planning but travelling between the west coast of Ireland and Seattle at a time when flight options are reducing is making me consider a noon flight departing Seattle. 
 

my cruise finishes Oct 21st, so I’m partly concerned that there could be potential for weather delays getting back to Seattle and then secondly the potential check-in/tsa effects at the airport as I’ll be an international traveller.

 

right now the cheapest flight options involve Alaska Air which seems to have truly awful reviews, so when avoiding them the next cheapest is a noon flight from Seattle to Boston that will connect to the Irish flight. Otherwise it’s a red-eye near midnight and a 10hr wait in Boston before getting the flight back to Ireland. The other alternative is stay in Seattle overnight in the 21st and fly home on the 22nd. Btw none of the airlines that look viable are part of the port valet program, plus the FAQ for that program doesn’t include info for international travellers and I’ve only once been allowed to do curbside bag drop in over 20 visits to the USA which makes me doubt it will be available even if I did use one of the airlines participating in the program. 

 

anyone have any insights on potential delays? 

I live an hour from the Seatac airport here in Washington state and fly exclusively Alaska Airlines(over 20 round trips on Alaska this year) and can provide some insight for you. Alaska Airlines had a horrible spring and early summer which was related to the pandemic and Alaska Airlines not looking to the future for pilot training and a few other issues that were completely Alaska Airlines fault, that said they have resolved those issues and have been pretty reliable for the last half of this year other than unavoidable weather issues.

 

October is a mild weather for this part of Washington and you shouldn't have to worry about flight cancellations from Alaska or any other airline in October, I wouldn't be afraid to fly Alaska next October.  Seatac airport security can be challenging for people who do not have TSA pre-check or Clear so you will need to plan to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance to check your bags and get through security this will provide you plenty of time to get through everything.  I believe Alaska does participate in the bags program if you choose that option.  The trip to the airport from the port takes about 20 minutes on a good day during off traffic times but coming off a cruise where 4,000 other passengers are headed to the airport you need to plan in an hour commute, possible more depending on the mode of transportation you choose.

 

I hope that helps answer some of your questions.

Edited December 31, 2022 by lostone65

[eileeshb]

1 hour ago, lostone65 said:

I live an hour from the Seatac airport here in Washington state and fly exclusively Alaska Airlines(over 20 round trips on Alaska this year) and can provide some insight for you. Alaska Airlines had a horrible spring and early summer which was related to the pandemic and Alaska Airlines not looking to the future for pilot training and a few other issues that were completely Alaska Airlines fault, that said they have resolved those issues and have been pretty reliable for the last half of this year other than unavoidable weather issues.

 

October is a mild weather for this part of Washington and you shouldn't have to worry about flight cancellations from Alaska or any other airline in October, I wouldn't be afraid to fly Alaska next October.  Seatac airport security can be challenging for people who do not have TSA pre-check or Clear so you will need to plan to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance to check your bags and get through security this will provide you plenty of time to get through everything.  I believe Alaska does participate in the bags program if you choose that option.  The trip to the airport from the port takes about 20 minutes on a good day during off traffic times but coming off a cruise where 4,000 other passengers are headed to the airport you need to plan in an hour commute, possible more depending on the mode of transportation you choose.

 

I hope that helps answer some of your questions.

That is great info. One of my American cousins is a pilot with Frontier and is being used in their current recruitment ads. I’ve never dealt with Alaska air as a connecting airline before, my only previous trip to the Pacific Northwest was with united on a work trip. 
I was concerned about the weather as I’m expecting it to be similar to the west coast of Ireland which can have heavy seas and wind blow up at any time. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

There are never weather delays with ships returning to Seattle.  Once, a Princess ship overnighted at Pier 91 due to a significant storm off the Washington coast, but other than that, the cruise ships arrive and depart on time.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[eileeshb]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

There are never weather delays with ships returning to Seattle.  Once, a Princess ship overnighted at Pier 91 due to a significant storm off the Washington coast, but other than that, the cruise ships arrive and depart on time.

thank you ! I hadn't seen any mentions on the forums but wanted to be reassured 😀

[Ferry_Watcher]

@eileeshb, may I ask why you chose such a late in the season cruise to Alaska?

[eileeshb]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@eileeshb, may I ask why you chose such a late in the season cruise to Alaska?

I work in a surf shop in Ireland so no holidays June to September and my mum booked her holiday for May this year which leaves me with October.  I usually cruise in late February but that is obviously not an option for Alaska.