In the off chance you missed my post about the $100 per way pet fee Alaska Airlines charges you can take a gander here. Wasn't that a pleasant, thought out letter to asking for a meaningful address my issue? Did my letter look like I used a "form letter" or a "bulk response"? It is a shame that a "bulk response" is what I got back! They must have missed my other post about How to Make it in Customer Service. I can tell they did because of the use of a "bulk response" - and if your going to use a "bulk response", Alaska - it should not take 12 days to copy and paste it. Just sayin'

For your enjoyment, my response from Alaska Airlines Customer Service:

August 17, 2010

Dear Mr. XXXX,

I appreciate that you took the time to contact Alaska Airlines with regard to our in cabin pet fees.

At Alaska Airlines we believe there is never an excuse for poor service and we regret your disappointment in the fee charged for your pet to travel. Many passengers are allergic to animals and for this reason we must limit the number of pets allowed in the cabin. To facilitate this control, we require advance arrangements and a confirmed reservation. This handling of the pet by our reservations agents and by other departments determines how many requests we have for pets on a particular flight. This is a direct cost. There is also a great deal of liability involved when an animal travels on board and for this we must also charge a fee. This is for the protection of you, your pet, other passengers and their property. For these reasons, there are currently some airlines that do not allow animals to travel even for a fee.

Mr. XXXX, thank you very much for writing. We look forward to welcoming you aboard an Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air flight in the near future.

Sincerely,

Lisa XXXX
Customer Care Representative

I am still a big fan of the airline but I really think that the issue could have been handled in a better way - what way? I'm not sure. I still don't know why it costs so much to fly with a pet but now I know to do my homework before I go with my new favorite airline.

Traveling with your pet soon and want to avoid the fees as much as possible? I would reccomend checking out the Airfarewatchdog pet fee site before you travel - I wish I would have. Also, keep in mind that in addition to the pet fees you are responsible for a health certificate, issued within the past 10 - 30 days (check with the airline), from your vet indicating your pet can fly.