Review of Alaska Airlines F Class by a Delta Loyalist
Jan 9, 2014, 11:08 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: West of CLE
Programs: Delta DM/3 MM; Hertz PC; National EE; Amtrak GR; Bonvoy Silver; Via Rail Préférence
Posts: 5,384
Review of Alaska Airlines F Class by a Delta Loyalist
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a business meeting on Maui in early January and wanted to fly there on the Big D DCA-ATL-LAX-OGG and back. After fooling around on delta.com and finding that there were no RT coach fares under $1,400.00, I contemplated biting the bullet and buying an F ticket.
I actually found a discounted F fare for about $2,100.00; I left the page on delta.com to check something else out, and, when I returned to that page, the $2,100.00 fare was gone and replaced by a fare north of $2,500.00.
Frustrated, I contemplated my options and realized that Alaska Airlines flies to OGG, and in fact has significantly more Maui service than Delta. I went over to alaskaair.com and found that while their coach fares were in the $1,500 range, their full fare F price was only $1,900.00. AS gets good marks from frequent flyers generally, so they won our business on this trip. To get the F price, our itinerary on the outbound was DCA-PDX-OGG, with a 15 hour layover/overnight stay in Portland; homebound it was OGG-SEA-DCA with a 10 hour layover/overnight stay in Sea-Tac.
We departed DCA in the 5 pm hour on New Year’s Day, arriving at PDX on time just before 8 pm EST; we departed PDX the next morning in the 11 am hour, reaching OGG at about 3 pm HST (5 hours behind Washington). Homebound we departed OGG in the 2 pm hour on Tuesday, January 7, reaching SEA on the stroke of 10 pm PST; and we left SEA on Wednesday 1/8 in the 8 am hour and arrived at DCA at 4 pm EST.
Here is what Alaska is like to fly on in the F cabin, and where appropriate a comparison with Delta.
ON-LINE CHECK-IN: Check-in is available on-line 24 hours prior to departure on AS, just like on DL. When my wife and I put our Delta SkyMiles account numbers in the AS system, AS recognized us as elites and indicated “DL Gold” on our boarding passes. For the DCA-PDX segment, both of us were granted TSA Pre-Check privileges. During our trip we learned that, for some reason, TSA Pre-Check only shows up on BPs printed by means of a personal computer; we were not granted TSA Pre-Check on BPs obtained at the airport.
AIRPORT BAGGAGE DROP: AS does not have a SkyCap drop-off area at DCA similar to what United and Delta have (all three use the same security entrance at DCA). Luggage drop is inside the third level of the DCA north terminal. AS does have a priority counter for First Class, MVP Gold 75k and MVP Gold. On the day of our departure from DCA, we arrived at the airport 2 hours early and were the only ones in line. We received prompt, friendly service. AS does not put priority tags on bags for elites; they stress that they have a 20 minute guarantee for all luggage for all passengers on a given flight. We did have to wheel our checked suitcases over to the TSA x-ray machine at the neighboring United counter, where AS (or perhaps more precisely its contractor Worldwide Flight Services) collected them after inspection and took them to the airplane.
TSA PRE-CHECK: As noted above, our GM status on Delta got a pre-check designation on our BPs printed at home; we whisked through TSA at DCA. At PDX the next morning, we obtained our BPs at the airport and headed for TSA Pre-check. For some reason, the female TSA inspector did not look closely at my wife’s BP, even though it did not cause the three beeps, and my wife got into the pre-check line. She did look closely at my BP after it did not cause the three beeps, and she sent me into the general security line, which meant having to take my laptop out of the bag, take my shoes off and pass through the TSA nude-o-scope. On the way home at OGG, we obtained our BPs at the counter, and the TSA BP checker sent us into the general line, but my wife persuaded another TSA worker to let us into the pre-check line as our flight was leaving in less than 45 minutes. We got smart and printed out the BPs at the hotel in Sea-Tac and had no problems with pre-check at SEA.
AIRLINE CLUBS: As we belong to the SkyClub, we had no problems being admitted to the DCA SkyClub or to the PDX and SEA Board Rooms. There is no airline lounge at OGG to the best of my knowledge. AS Board Room members have privileges at the DCA SkyClub. The PDX Board Room does not serve hard liquor, but has a number of beer and wine choices; I’m a beer drinker and I went with a Kona Longboard Lager. The SEA Board Room had hard liquor in addition to beer and wine; they had a sign posted indicating that guests were limited to 3 complimentary drinks. The SEA club also had a premium bar menu (for example, they were charging for Crater Lake super premium Vodka). I ordered a bloody mary; I believe they were pouring Smirnoff vodka as the complimentary choice. My favorite thing in both the PDX and SEA clubs was the automated pancake making machine. You press a button, place a plate at the business end of the machine, and, within a minute or so, two hot fresh pancakes emerge from the machine.
BOARDING PROCEDURES: AS really, really tries hard to achieve quick turns of their aircraft. On the day of our first flight, the inbound airplane came from SEA, with a scheduled arrival time of about 1610, and the departure for PDX was scheduled for 1710, allowing for catering, cleaning and lav service. Boarding started with pre-boards at 1640 (there were only a couple), and then F class. I didn’t hang around to see how the rest of the boarding went, but I was under the impression that AS’s elites and DL and AA elites in Y got on next, followed by general boarding of all rows. AS’s GA’s recognized both my wife and me by our names, which was nice.
PRE-FLIGHT: One of the four FAs passed out plastic cups of water. No Delta-style PDBs on any of AS’s flights in F on this itinerary.
SEATS: We flew on Boeing 737-800 aircraft on all segments. The AS F cabin has 16 “slimline” seats (I’m not sure who the seat manufacturer is) (there are 150 Y seats). Each seat has been reported by seatguru.com to be 21” wide with 36” of pitch—from my experience this appeared to be accurate. There is an armrest between the pairs of seats of about 6” width, and there is a visible gap between the seats (which there does not tend to be on DL). There is an adjustable headrest. The seat cushions were not consistent in terms of comfort (my cushion on the DCA-PDX leg was somewhat uncomfortable, although my cushion today SEA-DCA was comfortable). The tray table is located in one of the armrests; it was at a distance making it easy for horizontally challenged passengers such as yours truly to use it either to work or to eat. There is no in seat power. There are no permanently installed AVOD screens; AS passes out to F pax complimentary “DigEplayers” that are pre-loaded with a fairly impressive amount of movies and TV shows as well as some music (these rent for $10 in coach). The seats are lettered A-C and D-F.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: AS uses 4 FAs on the 737-800. One stays permanently with the F cabin, and is from time to time assisted by one or more of the others. All of the FAs we encountered worked hard and were generally visible throughout the flight. At the start of the flight it was announced that passengers were expected to use the lavatory in their respective cabins. This seemed to be fairly well observed/enforced on our DCA-PDX and PDX-OGG segments. This was not enforced on the SEA-DCA segment, as we had a steady stream of Y pax emerging from behind the curtain when the forward lav was unoccupied. Also, the FAs on the SEA-DCA did not prevent Y pax from putting their carry-ons in the overhead bins in F, which caused some problems for the last two F pax to board.
MENUS: AS provides first-class passengers with a printed menu. DL does not do this in domestic F.
BEVERAGES: AS has better in-flight beverages than DL. I did not try the wines on any of the four segments and cannot comment on them (AS indicates that they only serve California and Pacific Northwest wines). However, AS offered Alaskan Amber on mainland flights and Kona Longboard lager on the Hawaii flights, which are better beers than Delta offers. With respect to hard liquor, Delta still has Woodford Reserve for now, but AS offers some dynamite vodka, gin and rum produced by Seattle microdistillery Sun Liquor. I really enjoyed the bloody marys prepared with the Sun Liquor vodka. Further, AS offers Courvoisier cognac, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Crater Lake hazelnut espresso vodka (50 proof), which simply blows Kahlua away. Also, on the flight to Hawaii, a Mimosa using POG (passion fruit-orange-guava) juice was offered; and, in both cabins, mai tais were served about an hour from landing (the drinks in F were served with a large pineapple cube and a maraschino cherry).
MEALS: We flew two dinner flights (DCA-PDX and OGG-SEA), one lunch flight (PDX-OGG) and one breakfast flight (SEA-DCA).
Service included glassware and ceramic plates. When food was served, it was presented on a black plastic tray sized to fit on the tray table, covered with a blue napkin. A rolled up linen napkin contained the metal utensils.
On the DCA-PDX segment on 1/1/14 departing in the 5 pm hour, plastic ramekins with unheated mixed nuts were passed out along with the initial beverage service. The first dinner course was a salad comprising mostly of watermelon chunks and arugula. The entree was a choice of Alaska cod in a lemon sauce with Yukon gold roast potatoes and chopped broccoli or cheese ravioli. The dessert was a peach parfait.
On the PDX-OGG segment on 1/2/14 departing in the 11 am hour, catering put breakfast menus and lunch food on board. The first course was a mixed green salad with pieces of an orange colored tropical fruit, macadamia nuts and feta cheese (which was quite good). The entrees were either a chicken with curry sauce plate (which ran out before the FA reached us in row 4) or boneless kalbi beef rib pieces in a teriyaki-type sauce with white rice and an oriental vegetable (possibly bok choy). My wife thought the beef was tough but I thought it was really delicious. I cleaned my plate. The dessert was a crème with chocolate and coconut flavors served in a small ceramic cup which was really good and left you wanting more.
On the OGG-SEA segment on 1/7/14 departing in the 2 pm hour: (1) first course, olive oil poached mahi mahi on top of lettuce leaves assembled in a pinwheel pattern with bleu cheese crumbles; (2) entrees, either boneless pork chop with a gravy enhanced with Hana Bay rum and raisin flavors, with fingerling potatoes, carrots and asparagus, or a chicken breast in a pineapple sauce with a yam puree; and (3) dessert, chocolate cake with a dollop of raspberry jam on the side. Dinner was not until two hours after departure because of considerable clear air turbulence.
On the SEA-DCA segment on 1/8/14 departing in the 8 am hour, the F breakfast offerings were: (1) first course, fresh fruit plate with pineapple, grapes and orange slices; (2) main course, choice of bacon and swiss chard quiche pie accompanied by asparagus spears and a stewed cherry tomato, or british beef hash. I ate the quiche, which turned out to be quite delicious. The FA served us ceramic ramekins of warm mixed nuts about an hour from landing.
SNACKS: On AS, the mixed nuts and small packages of party mix. Delta’s snack basket is much better than AS; also, Delta F offers you as many snacks as you want; AS only offered one serving of nuts and one pack of party mix and didn’t solicit requests for seconds. AS could improve here.
HOT TOWELS: Towels were distributed shortly before landing on AS (DL passes these out early in the flight). These were of varying wetness and temperatures. This is another area where AS could improve.
OVERALL VERDICT ON ON-BOARD SERVICE: Food and beverages were better on AS than on domestic Delta F. Delta has the edge over AS when it comes to pre-departure beverage service and also Delta’s FAs seem to be much better at providing refills on drinks than their AS counterparts. Delta has better snacks than AS, which are useful in the last couple of hours of a long flight.
BAGGAGE CLAIM: Our bags arrived in good shape and within the 20 minute guarantee, which the AS website represents as follows: If your baggage is not at baggage claim within 20 minutes of your plane parking at the gate, you're entitled to a $25 Discount Code for use on a future Alaska Airlines flight or 2,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ Bonus Miles.
The only glitch was experienced at PDX, where we were first directed to Carousel #3 (AS exclusively controls carousels 1-3), but then announcements indicated that the bags would appear on Carousel #10, which was then corrected to Carousel #6.
CONCLUSION: I’d definitely go on AS to Hawaii again; they have a number of routing options out of DCA via LAX, PDX or SEA, and they had fair F pricing and enjoyable food and beverage. The only issue was the 737-800 aircraft, which really bounced around on the OGG-SEA segment (we ran through clear air turbulence for at least 3 hours of the 5:20 flight duration). DL pilots really try different altitudes and tricks of the trade to produce a smooth ride. So far as I could tell the AS flyers stuck to the same altitude
I actually found a discounted F fare for about $2,100.00; I left the page on delta.com to check something else out, and, when I returned to that page, the $2,100.00 fare was gone and replaced by a fare north of $2,500.00.
Frustrated, I contemplated my options and realized that Alaska Airlines flies to OGG, and in fact has significantly more Maui service than Delta. I went over to alaskaair.com and found that while their coach fares were in the $1,500 range, their full fare F price was only $1,900.00. AS gets good marks from frequent flyers generally, so they won our business on this trip. To get the F price, our itinerary on the outbound was DCA-PDX-OGG, with a 15 hour layover/overnight stay in Portland; homebound it was OGG-SEA-DCA with a 10 hour layover/overnight stay in Sea-Tac.
We departed DCA in the 5 pm hour on New Year’s Day, arriving at PDX on time just before 8 pm EST; we departed PDX the next morning in the 11 am hour, reaching OGG at about 3 pm HST (5 hours behind Washington). Homebound we departed OGG in the 2 pm hour on Tuesday, January 7, reaching SEA on the stroke of 10 pm PST; and we left SEA on Wednesday 1/8 in the 8 am hour and arrived at DCA at 4 pm EST.
Here is what Alaska is like to fly on in the F cabin, and where appropriate a comparison with Delta.
ON-LINE CHECK-IN: Check-in is available on-line 24 hours prior to departure on AS, just like on DL. When my wife and I put our Delta SkyMiles account numbers in the AS system, AS recognized us as elites and indicated “DL Gold” on our boarding passes. For the DCA-PDX segment, both of us were granted TSA Pre-Check privileges. During our trip we learned that, for some reason, TSA Pre-Check only shows up on BPs printed by means of a personal computer; we were not granted TSA Pre-Check on BPs obtained at the airport.
AIRPORT BAGGAGE DROP: AS does not have a SkyCap drop-off area at DCA similar to what United and Delta have (all three use the same security entrance at DCA). Luggage drop is inside the third level of the DCA north terminal. AS does have a priority counter for First Class, MVP Gold 75k and MVP Gold. On the day of our departure from DCA, we arrived at the airport 2 hours early and were the only ones in line. We received prompt, friendly service. AS does not put priority tags on bags for elites; they stress that they have a 20 minute guarantee for all luggage for all passengers on a given flight. We did have to wheel our checked suitcases over to the TSA x-ray machine at the neighboring United counter, where AS (or perhaps more precisely its contractor Worldwide Flight Services) collected them after inspection and took them to the airplane.
TSA PRE-CHECK: As noted above, our GM status on Delta got a pre-check designation on our BPs printed at home; we whisked through TSA at DCA. At PDX the next morning, we obtained our BPs at the airport and headed for TSA Pre-check. For some reason, the female TSA inspector did not look closely at my wife’s BP, even though it did not cause the three beeps, and my wife got into the pre-check line. She did look closely at my BP after it did not cause the three beeps, and she sent me into the general security line, which meant having to take my laptop out of the bag, take my shoes off and pass through the TSA nude-o-scope. On the way home at OGG, we obtained our BPs at the counter, and the TSA BP checker sent us into the general line, but my wife persuaded another TSA worker to let us into the pre-check line as our flight was leaving in less than 45 minutes. We got smart and printed out the BPs at the hotel in Sea-Tac and had no problems with pre-check at SEA.
AIRLINE CLUBS: As we belong to the SkyClub, we had no problems being admitted to the DCA SkyClub or to the PDX and SEA Board Rooms. There is no airline lounge at OGG to the best of my knowledge. AS Board Room members have privileges at the DCA SkyClub. The PDX Board Room does not serve hard liquor, but has a number of beer and wine choices; I’m a beer drinker and I went with a Kona Longboard Lager. The SEA Board Room had hard liquor in addition to beer and wine; they had a sign posted indicating that guests were limited to 3 complimentary drinks. The SEA club also had a premium bar menu (for example, they were charging for Crater Lake super premium Vodka). I ordered a bloody mary; I believe they were pouring Smirnoff vodka as the complimentary choice. My favorite thing in both the PDX and SEA clubs was the automated pancake making machine. You press a button, place a plate at the business end of the machine, and, within a minute or so, two hot fresh pancakes emerge from the machine.
BOARDING PROCEDURES: AS really, really tries hard to achieve quick turns of their aircraft. On the day of our first flight, the inbound airplane came from SEA, with a scheduled arrival time of about 1610, and the departure for PDX was scheduled for 1710, allowing for catering, cleaning and lav service. Boarding started with pre-boards at 1640 (there were only a couple), and then F class. I didn’t hang around to see how the rest of the boarding went, but I was under the impression that AS’s elites and DL and AA elites in Y got on next, followed by general boarding of all rows. AS’s GA’s recognized both my wife and me by our names, which was nice.
PRE-FLIGHT: One of the four FAs passed out plastic cups of water. No Delta-style PDBs on any of AS’s flights in F on this itinerary.
SEATS: We flew on Boeing 737-800 aircraft on all segments. The AS F cabin has 16 “slimline” seats (I’m not sure who the seat manufacturer is) (there are 150 Y seats). Each seat has been reported by seatguru.com to be 21” wide with 36” of pitch—from my experience this appeared to be accurate. There is an armrest between the pairs of seats of about 6” width, and there is a visible gap between the seats (which there does not tend to be on DL). There is an adjustable headrest. The seat cushions were not consistent in terms of comfort (my cushion on the DCA-PDX leg was somewhat uncomfortable, although my cushion today SEA-DCA was comfortable). The tray table is located in one of the armrests; it was at a distance making it easy for horizontally challenged passengers such as yours truly to use it either to work or to eat. There is no in seat power. There are no permanently installed AVOD screens; AS passes out to F pax complimentary “DigEplayers” that are pre-loaded with a fairly impressive amount of movies and TV shows as well as some music (these rent for $10 in coach). The seats are lettered A-C and D-F.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: AS uses 4 FAs on the 737-800. One stays permanently with the F cabin, and is from time to time assisted by one or more of the others. All of the FAs we encountered worked hard and were generally visible throughout the flight. At the start of the flight it was announced that passengers were expected to use the lavatory in their respective cabins. This seemed to be fairly well observed/enforced on our DCA-PDX and PDX-OGG segments. This was not enforced on the SEA-DCA segment, as we had a steady stream of Y pax emerging from behind the curtain when the forward lav was unoccupied. Also, the FAs on the SEA-DCA did not prevent Y pax from putting their carry-ons in the overhead bins in F, which caused some problems for the last two F pax to board.
MENUS: AS provides first-class passengers with a printed menu. DL does not do this in domestic F.
BEVERAGES: AS has better in-flight beverages than DL. I did not try the wines on any of the four segments and cannot comment on them (AS indicates that they only serve California and Pacific Northwest wines). However, AS offered Alaskan Amber on mainland flights and Kona Longboard lager on the Hawaii flights, which are better beers than Delta offers. With respect to hard liquor, Delta still has Woodford Reserve for now, but AS offers some dynamite vodka, gin and rum produced by Seattle microdistillery Sun Liquor. I really enjoyed the bloody marys prepared with the Sun Liquor vodka. Further, AS offers Courvoisier cognac, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Crater Lake hazelnut espresso vodka (50 proof), which simply blows Kahlua away. Also, on the flight to Hawaii, a Mimosa using POG (passion fruit-orange-guava) juice was offered; and, in both cabins, mai tais were served about an hour from landing (the drinks in F were served with a large pineapple cube and a maraschino cherry).
MEALS: We flew two dinner flights (DCA-PDX and OGG-SEA), one lunch flight (PDX-OGG) and one breakfast flight (SEA-DCA).
Service included glassware and ceramic plates. When food was served, it was presented on a black plastic tray sized to fit on the tray table, covered with a blue napkin. A rolled up linen napkin contained the metal utensils.
On the DCA-PDX segment on 1/1/14 departing in the 5 pm hour, plastic ramekins with unheated mixed nuts were passed out along with the initial beverage service. The first dinner course was a salad comprising mostly of watermelon chunks and arugula. The entree was a choice of Alaska cod in a lemon sauce with Yukon gold roast potatoes and chopped broccoli or cheese ravioli. The dessert was a peach parfait.
On the PDX-OGG segment on 1/2/14 departing in the 11 am hour, catering put breakfast menus and lunch food on board. The first course was a mixed green salad with pieces of an orange colored tropical fruit, macadamia nuts and feta cheese (which was quite good). The entrees were either a chicken with curry sauce plate (which ran out before the FA reached us in row 4) or boneless kalbi beef rib pieces in a teriyaki-type sauce with white rice and an oriental vegetable (possibly bok choy). My wife thought the beef was tough but I thought it was really delicious. I cleaned my plate. The dessert was a crème with chocolate and coconut flavors served in a small ceramic cup which was really good and left you wanting more.
On the OGG-SEA segment on 1/7/14 departing in the 2 pm hour: (1) first course, olive oil poached mahi mahi on top of lettuce leaves assembled in a pinwheel pattern with bleu cheese crumbles; (2) entrees, either boneless pork chop with a gravy enhanced with Hana Bay rum and raisin flavors, with fingerling potatoes, carrots and asparagus, or a chicken breast in a pineapple sauce with a yam puree; and (3) dessert, chocolate cake with a dollop of raspberry jam on the side. Dinner was not until two hours after departure because of considerable clear air turbulence.
On the SEA-DCA segment on 1/8/14 departing in the 8 am hour, the F breakfast offerings were: (1) first course, fresh fruit plate with pineapple, grapes and orange slices; (2) main course, choice of bacon and swiss chard quiche pie accompanied by asparagus spears and a stewed cherry tomato, or british beef hash. I ate the quiche, which turned out to be quite delicious. The FA served us ceramic ramekins of warm mixed nuts about an hour from landing.
SNACKS: On AS, the mixed nuts and small packages of party mix. Delta’s snack basket is much better than AS; also, Delta F offers you as many snacks as you want; AS only offered one serving of nuts and one pack of party mix and didn’t solicit requests for seconds. AS could improve here.
HOT TOWELS: Towels were distributed shortly before landing on AS (DL passes these out early in the flight). These were of varying wetness and temperatures. This is another area where AS could improve.
OVERALL VERDICT ON ON-BOARD SERVICE: Food and beverages were better on AS than on domestic Delta F. Delta has the edge over AS when it comes to pre-departure beverage service and also Delta’s FAs seem to be much better at providing refills on drinks than their AS counterparts. Delta has better snacks than AS, which are useful in the last couple of hours of a long flight.
BAGGAGE CLAIM: Our bags arrived in good shape and within the 20 minute guarantee, which the AS website represents as follows: If your baggage is not at baggage claim within 20 minutes of your plane parking at the gate, you're entitled to a $25 Discount Code for use on a future Alaska Airlines flight or 2,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ Bonus Miles.
The only glitch was experienced at PDX, where we were first directed to Carousel #3 (AS exclusively controls carousels 1-3), but then announcements indicated that the bags would appear on Carousel #10, which was then corrected to Carousel #6.
CONCLUSION: I’d definitely go on AS to Hawaii again; they have a number of routing options out of DCA via LAX, PDX or SEA, and they had fair F pricing and enjoyable food and beverage. The only issue was the 737-800 aircraft, which really bounced around on the OGG-SEA segment (we ran through clear air turbulence for at least 3 hours of the 5:20 flight duration). DL pilots really try different altitudes and tricks of the trade to produce a smooth ride. So far as I could tell the AS flyers stuck to the same altitude
Last edited by ND76; Jan 9, 2014 at 11:23 am
Jan 9, 2014, 11:49 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
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Posts: 21,375
DCA-SEA, AS3 on 2 Jan (scheduled lv 640pm ar 945pm; closed the door approx 650pm and spent about 40 min getting de-iced; blocked in approx 1010pm)
I checked us in using the iPhone app and saw TSA PreCheck on my BP ... I'm a collector so I went to the kiosk to get paper BPs and it was on the printed one as well (apparently the original check-in method may govern)
boarding process as ND76 described: pre-boards, F cabin, AS and partner elites, general
I couldn't ever remember DL-style PDB service on AS, so we had a couple glasses of wine at Vino Volo before going through security ... dinner service was the same as ND76 described although the nuts were warm; my wife had the pasta and red wine, I had the cod and white wine ... we were both quite satisfied with the salads, entrees, and desserts; our wine refills were frequent and generous, so there is clearly a "YMMV" component in play here
this was my first TCON experience with AS F service (I've used miles for my wife's SEA <-> DCA tix on a few occasions, and I've scored about a dozen UGs on SEA/PDX <-> LAX/SNA/SAN/OAK) ... will seriously consider repeating
I checked us in using the iPhone app and saw TSA PreCheck on my BP ... I'm a collector so I went to the kiosk to get paper BPs and it was on the printed one as well (apparently the original check-in method may govern)
boarding process as ND76 described: pre-boards, F cabin, AS and partner elites, general
I couldn't ever remember DL-style PDB service on AS, so we had a couple glasses of wine at Vino Volo before going through security ... dinner service was the same as ND76 described although the nuts were warm; my wife had the pasta and red wine, I had the cod and white wine ... we were both quite satisfied with the salads, entrees, and desserts; our wine refills were frequent and generous, so there is clearly a "YMMV" component in play here
this was my first TCON experience with AS F service (I've used miles for my wife's SEA <-> DCA tix on a few occasions, and I've scored about a dozen UGs on SEA/PDX <-> LAX/SNA/SAN/OAK) ... will seriously consider repeating
Jan 9, 2014, 7:50 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL Diamond 2MM, Marriott Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 23
Review of Alaska Airlines F Class by a Delta Loyalist
Great review.
I have to agree that the AS product from the Bay Area is far superior.
PDB of POG mimosas on AS.
AS meals had variety and not all crammed on one tray
Our experience has been AS flight attendants are much more efficient.
Best part was 40,000 Per Person less to fly FC OAK to HNL vs a one stop in LAX on DL!
I have to agree that the AS product from the Bay Area is far superior.
PDB of POG mimosas on AS.
AS meals had variety and not all crammed on one tray
Our experience has been AS flight attendants are much more efficient.
Best part was 40,000 Per Person less to fly FC OAK to HNL vs a one stop in LAX on DL!
Jan 9, 2014, 7:58 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Treasure Coast, FL
Programs: DL Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, HH Diamond, Avis Preferred Plus, National Executive
Posts: 4,578
As an FYI the Sky Club in PDX does not serve hard liquor either.
It is an Oregon Liquor Control thing.
Also I believe that is Sobieski Vodka in the SEA Board Room. Looks just like a Smirnoff bottle. The attendants in both SEA and PDX are always great.
As someone who flies AS predominantly with some DL mixed in your review seems pretty accurate. I have never though the food was all that great though.
It is an Oregon Liquor Control thing.
Also I believe that is Sobieski Vodka in the SEA Board Room. Looks just like a Smirnoff bottle. The attendants in both SEA and PDX are always great.
As someone who flies AS predominantly with some DL mixed in your review seems pretty accurate. I have never though the food was all that great though.
Jan 9, 2014, 8:37 pm
#9
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA
Posts: 2,066
On the way home at OGG, we obtained our BPs at the counter, and the TSA BP checker sent us into the general line, but my wife persuaded another TSA worker to let us into the pre-check line as our flight was leaving in less than 45 minutes.
Dinner was not until two hours after departure because of considerable clear air turbulence.
Dinner was not until two hours after departure because of considerable clear air turbulence.
Jan 9, 2014, 11:44 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: West of CLE
Programs: Delta DM/3 MM; Hertz PC; National EE; Amtrak GR; Bonvoy Silver; Via Rail Préférence
Posts: 5,384
I attended the final day of the PGA tournament at Kapalua; that was my 59th birthday present. What an amazing, amazing looking golf course; I don't think I could shoot 200 from the back tees, particularly with the wind the way it was. I walked alongside the Johnson boys who were playing together for the first nine holes (every joint in my body ached, and I sat in the bleachers at 18 for the rest of the day)--Zach played great (he was 7 under the last day) and deserved to win. There were a bunch of people from Iowa that sat near me and were cheering him on.
Jan 10, 2014, 3:38 am
#11
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
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Solid review ^
Hawaii sure can get bumpy in the winter- remember a NW flight several years ago on a 753 that seemingly didn't stop shaking. On these routes there may be no clear air.
As for power- first reports of this are trickling in... In the next year it should be installed on 73H and 739 A/C (in every seat too ^)
Solid review ^
Hawaii sure can get bumpy in the winter- remember a NW flight several years ago on a 753 that seemingly didn't stop shaking. On these routes there may be no clear air.
As for power- first reports of this are trickling in... In the next year it should be installed on 73H and 739 A/C (in every seat too ^)
Jan 10, 2014, 3:51 am
#12
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Atlanta GA
Programs: DL FO, HH Ag
Posts: 57
I have flown F on Alaska a couple of times out of SEA and SJC. They are an awesome airline - one of the best domestic carriers in the US, IMO. The most amazing thing to me is the level of service they are able to provide, given the conditions they routinely fly in (not referring to flights from west coast to HI obviously!).
I have an AS rewards card through BofA and would fly them more, but sadly they have very limited service out of ATL (daily flights to SEA and PDX only).
-JimG
I have an AS rewards card through BofA and would fly them more, but sadly they have very limited service out of ATL (daily flights to SEA and PDX only).
-JimG
Jan 10, 2014, 6:43 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: DL DM/Marriott Plat
Posts: 318
I flew SJC-HNL-PDX on AS in F a couple week ago, and the only thing I would improve would be the seat itself. I thought the recline felt more limited than other domestic F and power ports would have been really nice. Aside from that, the service was wonderful (I loved the "Hawaiian Mai Tais" - guava and sparkling wine), the pilots were friendly, I really like the simplicity of the AS mobile app, and their handling of my checked bag was top notch. Glad to hear others found AS to be a good airline and I will certainly look at flying them to Hawaii again.
Jan 10, 2014, 9:10 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Delta PM, Delta Reserve, Amex Plat, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold ;)
Posts: 1,776
Great review.
In my experience AS has better F meals than DL by far. It's not even close.
Also, just to point out, at DCA you have to wheel your luggage to the TSA for ALL airlines. This isn't just an AS thing. If you're on DL, use the DL checkin one level down next to the Metro and they take the bags right there.
In my experience AS has better F meals than DL by far. It's not even close.
Also, just to point out, at DCA you have to wheel your luggage to the TSA for ALL airlines. This isn't just an AS thing. If you're on DL, use the DL checkin one level down next to the Metro and they take the bags right there.
Jan 10, 2014, 10:06 am
#15
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: MA
Programs: DL DM/2MM Marriott Platinum, HH Diamond,
Posts: 8,907
I have AS in FC several times out of BOS as they have nonstops to SEA, PDX and now SAN. One issue I have is that the Digi-players take up a lot of real estate on the tray table making it difficult to watch a movie and work on a laptop at the same time.