Route flown - AS # 171 PHX-ANC
Class of service - First
Length of flight - ~ 6 hours
Time of Departure - 6:30 PM
Meal served - Dinner

PDB - Menus & Alaska Glacial water bottles were at each seat when we boarded. We were offered another beverage, so I had a Sprite Zero.

But ...but ... but ... the "dinner" was the exact same menu as the "lunch" that I was served when I flew down from Anchorage.

This flight may have had an identical menu to the previous ANC-PHX trip, but the pace and organization of service was definitely not similar.


About 35 minutes into flight the lead FA began taking drink and meal orders. There was no turbulence or other obvious reason why it took longer than usual for service to begin. At 45 minutes, give or take, we had pretzels delivered - but still no drinks. Around 55 minutes in, drinks are finally delivered to folks in the first few rows. (No digeplayers yet ... but that's another topic).

Almost 90 minutes into flight, there's still no sign of dinner. Hmmm. Maybe he can't manage the service solo, as he apparently went to get help from one of the coach FAs. At about 1 3/4 hours salad delivery commences courtesy of the coach FA.


The starter of farro salad had purple cabbage, some bok choy, bits of cucumber, toasty rice noodles, edamame, and was coated with far too much oily dressing

Farro salad:




Now it's about 2 hours into flight, but I haven't seen anyone get any hot food yet. The lead FA has the female FA picking up salad plates.

Finally. Entrees begin to arrive, with the female FA from coach still doing all of the food distribution while the lead FA is in the galley (ostensibly) plating.


Again I received the Trident smoked wild Alaskan salmon mac and cheese. This time I did see some flakes of smoked salmon with the chewy, dry, under-sauced pasta. The broccoli? It was cooked to complete mush, disintegrating when I tried to scoop it onto the fork.

Smoked salmon mac and cheese with mushed broccoli:




For what it's worth, the blackened chicken with polenta and creamed spinach that my seatmate ordered didn't look very good either.

Blackened chicken, polenta and creamed spinach:




A few minutes after entree was served, the lead FA finally surfaced & started bringing dessert. While people still had entree plates. And were still trying to eat the entrees ... Several of us asked to wait just a little bit before having dessert.


Again, the dessert was the delicious, rich Chuckanut huckleberry cheesecake. Delightful - even more so after such a so-so meal.

Chuckanut huckleberry cheesecake:




No explanation was ever given as to why it took two FAs twice the amount of time to do a meal service on PHX-ANC, than was required by a single FA who did it all solo in half the amount of time on an ANC-PHX flight.

Maybe there was a problem with the galley or heating units? Maybe something else was going on? But no one ever said anything, no apology was given, it just seemed like two people who were out of their element while trying to distribute meals.