Category: Alaska Airlines

The Details

• Flight: AS1133
• Aircraft: A320
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 2A

The Preflight

The night before my flight, I got numerous alerts from Alaska Airlines that the historic storm in the PNW was wreaking havoc on flights in and out of Seattle-Tacoma International on February 13, 2021. Many forecasts had about eight inches of snow falling at SEA making it the snowiest day in 52 years. My original itinerary had me going SAN-SEA-ORD with the SEA-ORD flight AS34 departing at 10:50AM. However, this flight was pre-emptively cancelled and my new SEA-ORD flight AS26 was scheduled to depart at 5:45PM. Meanwhile my SAN-SEA flight was still showing an on time departure of 6:15AM. Naively, I decided to try my luck and hope that I would be able to get home to Chicago with Alaska Airlines.

Therefore, I got dropped off at San Diego International at 5:20AM and made my way to the First Class check-in area. The TSA PreCheck lane was open and there was no one in front of me in the line ensuring that I was airside in under two minutes.

Our A320, registration N847VA, was leased brand new from RBS Aerospace from Virgin America in December 2012. After the Alaska Airlines acquisition of VA in 2016, she was transferred to Alaska Airlines in January 2018. Due to COVID-19, Alaska Airlines has stored 30 of their 51 A320s leaving just 21 currently active and flying.

All of the ex-Virgin America A320s have been repainted in the Alaska livery which I really like. In addition, all of the old interiors have been retrofitted with the newest Alaska Airlines ones.

Boarding began promptly at 5:35AM with pre-boarding for those who need assistance and families with infants. Next, was First Class and Elite passengers.

The Flight

Alaska Airlines offers a total of 12 First Class seats aboard their A320s arranged in a 2-2 configuration between rows 1-3. In addition, there are 24 Premium and 114 economy seats in a 3-3 configuration. Each First Class seat was the new Recaro CL4710 recliner which Alaska was the launch customer for. On their Boeing B737s, Alaska Airlines features the older generation Recaro CL4400s.

Each seat was 21″ wide and offered an industry leading 41″ of pitch. I really appreciate how Alaska offers four inches more than all the other US domestic carriers in the forward cabin. Similar to American and United, Alaska has decided to focus on streaming IFE instead of seatback screens. There was a basic literature pocket in the seatback.

The legroom was very generous.

One unique feature of the first class seat when compared to Delta, United, and American is that Alaska offers a footrest which I like.

There was a dedicated bottle holder in the center console for each seat in addition to a small table top space.

Below the table top was a USB port and 110V outlet for each passenger.

The recline button was located below the bottle holder. There was also a small storage pocket.

The right armrest contained the tray table and was non-adjustable.

I appreciated how sturdy the tray table was.

An improvement over the older First class seats is that Alaska opted to install a device holder which folded up from the tray table.

Even when fully folded out the tray table was stable.

Once each passenger in First was situated, flight attendants came through and passed out chilled water bottles. We were also given sanitizing wipes.

At around 5:50AM, 20 minutes after boarding began, flight attendants made an announcement over the intercom that our flight had been delayed and that all passengers were going to have to deplane. SEA was currently under a ground stop with an indefinite end time due to the heavy snow. Gate agents updated us as we exited the aircraft that the new boarding time was at 6:50AM.

After I deplaned, I made my way to the Airspace Lounge, which I had access to thanks to my AMEX Platinum Card. Quiet a few passengers on my flight also entered the lounge.

There was an assortment of complimentary packaged snacks available from the bar area. In addition, there was a bartender staffed espresso machine and bar as well. Alcohol was available for purchase.

All passengers accessing the lounge through AMEX are given a $10 voucher for use. There was a printed menu at the bar with the food offerings.

I ordered the breakfast sandwich with bacon, Americano, and a large bottle of water.

At 6:50AM, I dutifully made my way back to the gate area to find the boarding doors still closed. Gate agents made another announcement that they would update us again at 7:50AM on a new departure time. At this time, they had no idea when our departure would be.

Our new boarding time came and went as I sat in the Airspace Lounge. By this time I started looking on United and American for alternative flights and told myself if the Alaska flight was delayed pass 10AM, I would cancel and book with another carrier. Once my own deadline passed, I made my way back to the gate area and asked the gate agent to cancel my flight. She handed me a paper slip with a number to call and assured me that I would get a refund.

Thanks for the 20 minutes onboard!

I managed to book a United flight home to Chicago through Houston and I made my way to Terminal 2 East to check-in with UA. Once I landed in Houston, I checked my phone and received multiple alerts that both of my original Alaska flights had been cancelled.

The Details

• Flight: AS744
• Aircraft: B737-900ER
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 4A
• Route: Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)-San Diego International (SAN)
• Distance: 1,116miles
• Flight time: 2hrs 14min
• Departure: 7:16PM
• Arrival: 9:44PM

The Preflight

I arrived at the Alaska Airlines check-in counter at Seattle-Tacoma International about three hours before my scheduled departure time of 7:25PM today. There were two counters open and I was immediately checked-in and had my luggage tagged.

Thanks to both CLEAR and TSA Precheck, I was through security in less that five minutes without having to remove my mask as well. CLEAR was handing out individual hand sanitizer and masks to each member as well.

First, I made my way to the AMEX Centurion Lounge which I had access to thanks to my Platinum card. Capacity was restricted to just 25 guests but I had no wait to get into the lounge.

There were only four other passengers in the lounge this evening and there was an abundance of seating choices.

My last visit to the lounge was about two weeks earlier and there was to-go dining only. Today, the buffet was open and there was a lounge attendant who plated all of the food before handing me a tray. The food was delicious and hot options included chicken, mac n cheese, roasted carrots, and cheese polenta. Cold options included a salad, cold noodles, and Dolmas. The bar was open as well.

With an hour until boarding was scheduled to begin, I made my way to the North Satellite where the departure gate was located. Alaska Airlines is the only domestic carrier that gives all first class passengers access to lounges and the North Satellite Alaska Lounge was the carriers flagship one. I made my way up the stairs and into the lounge.

There was an assortment of cold food offerings next to the barista coffee station. Hot options included make-your-own pancakes and a turkey sausage soup. There was also a variety of chips and cookies available.

At 6:35PM I headed down to gate N11 where our flight was departing from. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no views of the aircraft. The load was incredibly light and the gate agents pushed back boarding by 10 minutes to give passengers more time in the gate area.

Boarding began at 6:55PM and pre-boarding (families and those who need assistance) was done first. Then it was active duty military followed by first class.

Our B737-900ER, registration N459AS, was delivered brand new to Alaska Airlines in March 2014. She is one of 40 ETOPS certified B737-900ERS in the AS fleet. Alaska Airlines otherwise has a grand total of 79 B737-900ERs.

The Flight

There were 16 Recaro CL4400 First class recliner chairs on board arranged in a 2-2 configuration between rows 1-4. In addition, Alaska offers 24 Premium and 138 economy seats arranged in a 3-3 configuration.

Each seat was 21″ wide and offered 41″ of pitch. Unlike American and United Airlines, Alaska (along with Delta) does not have a complete divider between the two cabins. I love the comfort of these seats and the padding was excellent.

Alaska Airlines offers the most pitch in their recliner seats than all other US carriers including American, Delta, and United. Like American and United, Alaska has elected to not install seatback IFE screens and instead opt to focus on inflight Wi-Fi streaming.

There was a box in the leg space which restricted the area slightly. I still had enough space to stow my backpack.

In between the seat there was a small cocktail table where a water bottle and sanitizing wipe was waiting for each passenger.

The seat recline button was located in the center console.

Another small cocktail tray was stored in the center console as well.

Below was a 110V outlet and USB port for each seat.

The right armrest was were the tray table was stored.

The bi-fold tray table was sturdy.

One thing that I think Alaska could improve on is adding mounts or stands since they only offer personal device streaming.

At 7:05PM the boarding doors were closed and at 7:22PM we pushed back.

The taxi to the runway took about eight minutes and then at 7:30PM we rotated off of runway 34R.

Once in the air, I loaded up the inflight map on my tablet to track the flight.

Due to COVID-19, Alaska Airlines has cut back their inflight service including food and beverage offerings.

The drink menu was provided to all first class passengers in the literature pocket. Like Delta Airlines, Alaska does not offering hard liquor to their passengers, but they do offer a wider range of beverages than DL (only water).

Food choices included a fruit & cheese plate or a harvest smoked turkey sandwich. Alaska Airlines is currently the only carrier in the US to offer pre-ordering services on all their flight. The pre-order window opens two weeks and closes 20 hours prior to departure.

Service began with a beverage service and I opted for a terrible cabernet sauvignon.

Since I had tried the turkey sandwich already on my previous Alaska flight, I went with the fruit & cheese plate which I had had before the pandemic.

Contents included grapes, apple slices, two slices of Beecher’s flagship cheddar, two slices of sharp cheddar, Brie, crackers, and a chocolate. This was excellent and a much better option than the turkey sandwich in my opinion. The fruit was fresh and crunchy and the cheese remained flavorful despite the dulled taste buds.

We remained at a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet for duration of the flight and did not have the best views of California given extensive clouds over most of the state.

With 30 minutes until landing, flight attendants came through the cabin to distributed warm chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious as always. Interestingly unlike my previous Alaska flights, there was no snack basket offered to passengers today. No additional water bottles were distributed as well.

I also checked out the forward lavatory which was fairly basic.

We began our final approach into runway 27 with the classic views of downtown San Diego.

We touched down at 9:44PM local time and had a quick taxi to the gate. I was surprised to discover that we actually arrived at gate 49 which is in Terminal 2 West because Alaska usually departs from Terminal 2 East.

Thanks for the ride!

This was a perfectly fine flight with Alaska Airlines. They remain my favorite domestic carrier during the COVID-19 pandemic with excellent service, good food, and a selection of drinks. The recliner seats offer the most pitch out of any US carrier and are very comfortable.

The Details

• Flight: AS1133
• Aircraft: B737-900ER
• Class: Domestic First
• Seat: 4A
• Route: San Diego International (SAN)-Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
• Distance: 1,105 miles
• Duration: 2hr 31min
• Departure: 6:06AM
• Arrival: 9:01AM

The Preflight

I arrived at San Diego International Airport at exactly 5AM for my 6:15AM flight up to Seattle. Alaska Airlines and American Airlines both operate out of Terminal 2 East, the old part of Terminal 2 at SAN.

The Alaska check-in area was devoid of passengers while the American check-in area had quite a few. Unfortunately, due to the early hour, the TSA PreCheck lane was not open and I had to wait about 10 minutes to clear security.

I was really sad to realize that my favorite lounge at SAN, the Airspace Lounge, did not open until 6AM. Dejected, I made my way to the gate area and passed by the Alaska “Salmon Thirty Salmon II” livery B737-800.

Our B737-900ER, registration N253AK, was delivered brand new to Alaska Airlines in August 2016. She is one of 79 total B737-900ERs in the AS fleet. Alaska has two distinct B737-900ER sub-fleets, one of which is ETOPS certified and one of which is not. This B737-900ER was not one of the ETOPS ones.

Boarding began on time at 5:35AM. This flight was about 30% fill and the first class cabin was only 50% full.

The Flight

Alaska Airlines has a standardized seating configuration for their entire fleet of B737-900ERs. Each aircraft has 16 first, 24 premium/extra-legroom economy, and 138 economy seats. The 16 first class seats are arranged in a 2-2- configuration in rows 1-4. I found the seats to be very comfortable and well padded.

One thing that I do not like about the cabin is that the separation between the economy cabin is just a small plastic divider.

Each seat had a generous 41″ of pitch and was 21″ wide. Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines does not offer IFE screens on their aircraft. Behind the seatback was a literature pocket.

Despite the large box under the seat, I found the legroom to be very generous and I had more than enough room to stretch out my legs.

There was a medium-sized area perfect for storing a small carryon.

In between the two seats was a small tabletop. Below it was the recline button.

A small cocktail tray popped out from the center console as well.

Below the tray table was the in seat power. Each seat had an individual USB port and 110V outlet.

The right side armrest was non-adjustable.

The bi-fold tray table was stored in the right side armrest. I appreciated how it had a drink holder.

When fully folded out, the tray table was very large. One negative was that there was no dedicated tablet holder.

Upon taking my seat, a flight attendant passed through the cabin handing out bottles of water and sanitizing wipes.

Boarding was complete by 6AM and we pushed back nine minutes early at 6:06AM. San Diego International Airport is under a noise curfew and flights are not permitted to takeoff until 6:30AM. We were held in the number one position on runway 27 for about 20 minutes until the clock reached the half hour.

As we departed San Diego, the cabin was treated to a beautiful red sunrise.

I opened up the Alaska inflight entertainment offerings on my tablet and loaded the inflight map.

Due to COVID-19, Alaska Airlines has cutback their on board offerings. Drinks including beer and wine are available on all flights in first class.

A drink menu was provided in the seatback literature pocket.

Food choices included either a fruit and cheese plate or ham & brie breakfast wrap. Alaska is currently allowing passengers to pre-order their food beforehand starting at two weeks up until 20 hours prior to departure.

I went with the ham & brie breakfast wrap and a black coffee.

The breakfast wrap was very tasty and filled with protein. Sides included some grapes and apple slices.

There was a beautiful red glow along the California coast as we flew north.

After the breakfast service, flight attendants came through the cabin with warmed chocolate chip cookies.

The cookie was superb. Perfectly gooey and sweet.

As we passed over Oregon, the clouds thickened and had a few bumps of turbulence. The weather would remain poor for the remainder of the flight.

With 90 minutes until landing in Seattle, flight attendants came through with a snack basket. Options included Popcorners, beef jerk, Kind bars, Biscoff, chocolate, and cookies. They also handed out additional water bottles.

The rest of the journey from Oregon to Seattle was covered with clouds.

I checked out the forward lavatory which was basic.

On approach into SEA we passed over Boeing Field (aka King County International Airport). There were a lot of parked B737 MAXs.

The approach to 16L was rainy and cloudy.

We touched down at 9:01AM local time in Seattle and had a quick six minute taxi to the gate. We arrived at Concourse B which is ironically where most of the Delta Airlines flights operate out of. Thanks for the ride!

I loved this early morning flight with Alaska Airlines. The food was the best I’ve had during the COVID-19 pandemic, the seat very comfortable, and the flight attendants extremely attentive. Compared to American Airlines or United Airlines, Alaska Airlines offers a far more superior product.

The Details

• Flight: AS1122
• Aircraft: A320
• Class: Main Cabin
• Seat: 29E and 29F
• Route: Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)-Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
• Distance: 1,713 miles
• Duration: 4hr 13min
• Departure: 12:52PM
• Arrival: 5:57PM

The Preflight

This flight was the return on an itinerary I booked with my Alaska Airlines companion pass. My SO and I had spent a weekend being tourists in Seattle despite the rain and were making our way home to Chicago.

We arrived at SEA 10:20AM roughly two hours before our scheduled boarding time at 11:40AM. Thanks to my AMEX Platinum charge card, we had access to the excellent AMEX Centurion Lounge at SEA. There were amazing views of the taxiway and quiet a few widebodies passed by during our time in the lounge

Our aircraft was a 13.5 year old A320, registration N626VA, originally delivered to Virgin America in 2006. In Nov 2018, N626VA was formally transferred over to Alaska Airlines as part of their purchase of Virgin America.

The Flight

Alaska Airlines recently completed retrofitting all of the ex-Virgin America A320s in their fleet to feature Alaskan’s newest seats which was introduced in Feb 2019. There are a total of 12 first, 25 Premium, and 114 economy seats on each A320.

The new slimline seats are similar to the Recaro BL3530 seats with 31-32″ of pitch. Each seat is 17.7″ wide and has the new memory foam seat padding.

Alaska’s refreshed A320 cabin also featured ambient blue mood lighting.

Since the new slim line seats had a thinner back, there was more room for my knees. There was enough leg room for me to stretch my legs out comfortably.

Each seat featured a 110V power outlet under the tray table.

One unfortunate causality of the Alaska retrofit of the A320s was the seatback screens. Alaska opted to remove all seatback screens and install a tablet holder at each seat instead. Next to the tablet holder was a nicely placed USB port

Below the tablet holder was a generic tray table. I appreciated how they opted for two cup holders instead of just one.

Boarding began on time at 11:40AM and was uneventful. Since we had purchased saver fares (basic economy), we boarded last in Group E. Luckily, there was still overhead bin space.

We spent quiet some time taxiing to the runway but it was a great opportunity to do some plane spotting.

Once in the air, we had some beautiful views of Mt. Rainier just as the sun was setting.

Flight attendants came through the cabin once the seat belt sign was turned off with cups of water first. After making one pass, they came by with a beverage service. I love the onboard coffee that Alaska serves.

One thing my SO and I did in Seattle was visit Beecher’s Handmade cheese at Pike’s Place (typical tourists =)…). We both loved the grilled cheese and Mac n Cheese and funny enough, Alaskan serves Beecher’s cheese from the buy on board menu. I used my Alaska Airlines visa credit card for 20% off the fruit and cheese plate.

The cheese was delicious and the fruit was fresh. It was fairly loaded and there was enough for both my SO and I to snack on.

The flight was smooth for the remainder of the way to Chicago.

We landed 20 minutes ahead of schedule at O’Hare and taxied for another 20 minutes.

I really enjoyed flying on Alaska Airlines in their main cabin. Like the previous flight the seat was comfortable, the coffee strong, and the cheese plate delicious.

The Details

• Flight: AS1011
• Aircraft: A320
• Class: Main Cabin
• Seat: 30D and 30E
• Route: Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)-Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
• Distance: 1,713 miles
• Duration: 4hrs 48min
• Departure: 9:06AM
• Arrival:11:24AM

The Preflight

Using my Bank of America Alaska Airlines credit card companion pass, I booked this trip for my SO and I for a weekend getaway.

Alaska Airlines departs from Terminal 3 at O’Hare which is American Airlines’ main terminal. The two carriers still share some reciprocal lounge access despite scaling back their partnership over the years. My SO and I were able to access the Concourse G Admirals Club with our AS boarding passes.

We had some great views of the taxiway with the early morning American departure bank.

With 10 minutes to go until boarding at 7:25AM, we made our way to gate G6. Our A320, registration N847VA, was delivered to Virgin America back in 2011. She was formally transferred to Alaska Airlines in Nov 2018 after the merger.

Boarding began promptly. However, during the boarding process apparently the jet bridge struck the fuselage of the plane and maintenance was called to clear our flight. We were delayed for about 30 minutes at the gate.

Alaska Airlines was running a promotion with Starbucks the weekend of our flight. Anyone with a Starbucks cup was given priority boarding after Group B. My SO loves the Christmas cups and we got our cups before the flight. We were the only ones on this flight to use this perk… Happy Holidays!

The Flight

Since the acquisition of Virgin America in 2016, Alaska Airlines has been retrofitting all of the ex-Virgin America Airbus aircraft to better harmonize the fleet. The old Virgin America A320s had 8 First, 12 Premium, and 129 economy seats while the retrofitted A320s have 12 First, 24 Premium, and 114 economy seats.

All retrofitted Alaska Airlines A320s also feature the new slimline seats designed by Recaro. Seats offer 31-32″ of pitch and 17″ of width. The seat itself was comfortable enough, just right for a sub-5-hour flight.

Alaska decided to rip out all of the seat-back entertainment screens Virgin America used to have in economy and install tablet holders instead. There was a USB port for charging the personal devices.

At knee level just below the tray table was a 110V AC power outlet . It was nice to have two separate areas for charging electronics.

My Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e fit snugly into the tablet holder. Even with some moderate turbulence the tablet felt secure.

Flight attendants began service 15 minutes after takeoff by offering cups of water.

They then came through with the beverage service and I had a strong cup of black coffee with my Biscoff cookie. I find that the coffee aboard AS is much better than other legacy US carriers, both strong and flavorful.

The flight attendants came through the cabin twice more later in the flight offering water both times.

I managed to finish all of Avengers: Endgame from Alaska’s inflight entertainment streaming service through GoGo. There was actually a decent amount of newer movies and TV shows available.

We made up some time in the air and landed only 15 minutes late. There was short 10 minute taxi to the gate. Of course the weather was overcast and rainy the entire weekend we were in Seattle…

Overall, this was a perfectly economical flight from ORD-SEA for a quick weekend trip. My seat was comfortable, our flight wasn’t too delayed, and the coffee was strong.