Kenmore Air - Lake Union — Attraction in Seattle

Update: It's interesting to see the response below from the company. I was told when I called the customer service line that Kenmore's entire computer system was down and this is the reason they could not arrange my travel on the Clipper as they usually do in circumstances such as these when they cannot fly. I was also told that they get a group rate that is cheaper on the Clipper by the first customer service person, and then the manager (in a terse tone) kept asking whether I wanted a refund on the flight instead of admitting that if I did it this way I would be paying more to the Clipper than if I waited until their system was back up and they arrange this and reimburse me the difference. This manager was not very understanding that I would want to not pay more than I should otherwise had their computer system been operating. In the response it appears that they are blaming the cancellation of the flight on US Customs when in the terminal they blamed it on Canadian customs not letting their plane take off. They are sure to say that it was a Microsoft issue too. If you read other negative reviews here and on TripAdvisor you'll see that when it comes to cancellations, Kenmore's customer service does not take responsibility and compensate their customers accordingly. It seems that Kenmore should take this up with Microsoft rather than point a series of different fingers in an attempt to point to "circumstances outside of their control" and get off the hook with their customers.

I regularly travel between Victoria and Seattle as my husband and I live in these respective cities. Twice we've had appalling service with Kenmore Air. Today I was scheduled on the 9am flight from Victoria to Seattle. I checked in at 8am before their 8:15am cutoff. At this time their computer system was down. We got updates that they were working on the problem. At 9am we were told the flight was cancelled. They recommended getting the Clipper, the passenger ferry at 11:30am, if we needed to be sure to be in Seattle that day as they did not know when the problem would be fixed. I called them and asked for compensation for the appointment at 1pm that has a late cancellation fee that I would miss and therefore be out $160 USD (not to speak of my time on the phone with them, walking over to the Clipper, my having to call the Clipper myself, waiting for the Clipper, and then the 2hr40min ferry ride) and the first person I spoke to said it was "beyond their control". I then spoke to the manager who also kept saying that this tech issue was "beyond their control" and asking me if I wanted a refund on my ticket. In my opinion, which technology company you choose to hire to make your software and maintain it is within a company's control. Technology companies have insurance policies when their software fails. Why is Kenmore passing on this responsibility to their clients? This manager said she would check with upper management and call me back. I will update this review if the service is more reasonable and fair that I've received so far. I find it ironic that Kenmore is based out of Seattle, a tech city, and they still do not acknowledge that when there is an error to their technology, that is encompassed in the operations of their company and not "outside of their control". I recommend just booking on the Clipper and being sure you'll get there on the time you plan, I've always had amazing customer service with...

My family has been flying Kenmore Air for the last 20 years to Roche Harbor and the rest of the San Juan Islands. The pilots and employees have always been kind and easy to work with. It has always been an exciting / relaxing treat to fly through the beautiful San Juan Islands with this company.

In February of this year, my wife and I booked our families flights for the 4th of July Holiday into Roche Harbor (departing the Kenmore location on July 3rd). This flight was booked 5 months in advance, and involved family flying to Seattle from Southern California to make this flight. The day of the flight we had poor weather. We stood outside for 2 hours during a weather delay before my brother went inside to check on the delay. The response from the employee at the front was "Oh thank you for reminding me - your flight has been cancelled."... I completely, totally understand (and appreciate) a private company making the safe choice for their customers, losing the money from the cancelled flights, and choosing to make that call due to the weather.

However, my reason for the one-star rating is this: There was zero follow-up, zero willingness to help accommodate for another flight, zero remorse to any customers (one employee told one family "can't you just go next year?"). No vouchers offered, no apologies, no phone call, no email. I am rarely someone that complains and tries to go-with-the-flow as I understand most companies mean well and respect their customers. However, this is simply terrible customer service. If you book a flight with Kenmore Air, make sure you have alternative means to get to your destination. You will not be accommodated if something goes wrong in any way with your...

BE VERY CAREFUL - we booked a flight from Orcas Island to Lake Union, Seattle earlier this month for an unaccompanied minor. Without explanation or fore-warning, Kenmore changed the destination to Lake Washington, Kenmore.

This is a different city, a different body of water, and a 30-minute drive out to Kenmore and a 30-minute drive back to Seattle (essentially ruining the reason for the 60 minute flight).

We took her to the Kenmore site at Deer Harbor, filled out an unaccompanied minor form, and talked with the pilot. The minor's parent planned to be present when she landed. At no point did anyone tell us she would not be landing at the destination we paid for - she was informed during the flight that it had changed.

Kenmore first claimed they sent us an email. We have all the emails, including updates, but not this one. They then claimed they called and left us a voice mail about the change. We have no such call or message.

Imagine an airline allowing you to buy a ticket to one destination and then taking your minor child to a completely different location with no explanation and no warning. It is completely unacceptable.

Another passenger confirmed that she too had bought a ticket to Lake Union in Seattle and was only informed during the flight that she would be landing 20 miles away. Kenmore took our money and lied to us, and had no regard for the safety of a minor...