AS turkey day wknd lax-dca-lax in F
Nov 27, 2007, 5:58 pm
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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Posts: 1,992
AS turkey day wknd lax-dca-lax in F
Good fares have been hard to come by, so I gobbled up this Turkey-day weekend fare, and let AS do the cooking this holiday.
AS 6 LAX-DCA U 2A 737-700 N624AS
I took the Trak to Union Station and then the Flyaway bus to LAX. It seems these days that my train and bus rides are increasingly marred by obnoxious cell phone chatter. Seated a few rows back was a “valley girl” whose interminable conversation with her (boyfriend?) included some “details” that were extremely inappropriate for a public setting. This is not a rare occurrence either…every time I ride the train between LA and San Diego, there are multiple passengers yakking on their phones literally throughout the entire trip. I shudder at the thought that they may some day allow cell phone or VOIP use during flights. As we pulled into our final destination, Union Station, Ms. Motormouth asked the conductor if she should get off here in order to catch her connection (well duh, it’s the last stop, like totally!).
My upgrade cleared 48 hours in advance, so there was no stress at the airport. Check-in and security lines were minimal. Spots included a bevy of 744s, including JAL “Yokoso Japan” livery, Singapore cargo and pax, China Airlines, and Air New Zealand). Other spots included the American Eagle “Make a Wish” ERJ, Westjet 73G, Midwest MD-88, Frontier A318, AirTran 73G, and Skywest CRJ in native colors. I was excited to see the Starliner 75 parked at my gate, the same aircraft I flew ANC-LAX back in September. However, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be my aircraft, since we were scheduled for a -700, and it did indeed push back a few minutes later.
From the moment our inbound arrived, there was an LAPD officer keeping a vigilant eye on the boarding area. He actually strolled through the gate area a couple times, and he was still there at the time I boarded (do I really look that suspicious?). Boarding began with families traveling with small children, and that seemed to clear out almost half the boarding area. A lady asked the gate agent if she could take her coffee on board, and the agent responded, “as long as it’s in a closed container, it could be a martini for all I care.” I was shocked by how empty First Class was on this flight. 3 out of 12 seats filled, at the time the door closed. 2C and 2D were open, and there was no sign of human ballast. As of 48 hours in advance, 3 F seats were showing occupied on the seat map, which would indicate that nobody did the $100 upgrade (available within 24 hours of departure). I certainly did not hear the gate agent announce that F seats were available, although I was not in the boarding area the entire time. I would guess First was so empty because the flight seemed to be mostly filled with families traveling for Thanksgiving. However, after takeoff, the flight attendant moved two people up to First Class. She seemed to know them, although I could not determine whether or not they were employees. Prior to this, I’d never seen a flight attendant move pax up to First Class after takeoff. They were served the F dinner too, so AS had obviously loaded more than 3 meals (I also saw the flight attendants eating leftover F meals). It was truly unbelievable to see empty F seats on a transcon, and on a pretty full flight at that.
We departed on-time, and the flying time was a quick 4 hours 7 minutes. The crew was LAX based, and the “A” flight attendant, Kim, was very professional and attentive (one of the other flight attendants was also named Kim, interestingly enough). I was impressed by several things she did. First of all, she offered us preflight drinks in addition to the water bottles (most likely due to the light load, but still not something above and beyond). Second, even though catering forgot to load menus on this flight, she took the time to make a hand-written menu, which she passed around the cabin. Third, she was very good about refilling drinks, and after pouring wine, she used a cloth napkin to wipe around the rim of the wine glass to catch any drips. Anyway, here is the menu:
Lunch:
To begin:
Mixed Field Greens with Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella, served with Balsamic Vinaigrette and a large warmed slice of Pumpernickel bread
Entrees:
Braised beef tips served with red jacket mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables (cauliflower, orange and yellow carrots)
Or
Basked Alaskan salmon fillet served with mango salsa, orzo and steamed vegetables
Dessert:
Ice Cream sundae served choice of raspberry, caramel or chocolate sauce, and garnished with nuts, and a cherry on top.
The coach BOB options were a turkey sandwich with carrot sticks and a candy, or a choice of two snack boxes (NB. these snack boxes are much nicer than the boxes filled with junk food found on some airlines). The mesh curtain between F and Y was closed during the meal service.
The new china and glassware were used, as expected, and the salad dressing came in a real china bowl. It actually seems like the new entrée plates are slightly smaller than the old ones, although the entrée portions seemed about the same. The tray was covered by white linen, although there was not a separate table cloth.
The salad greens were fresh, and the cheese was fairly creamy, and came in thick round slices that alternated with the tomato slices. A sprinkling of fresh basil would enhance the tomato/mozzarella flavor a bit. The bread was great, although I have to admit I’m very partial to rye bread in general. I asked for and received a second slice. No sign of the bread basket, however.
I seldom order fish for my inflight meal (just look at what trouble those Airplane pilots got into ordering fish for dinner), but I was in the mood for salmon, so I tried it. Fish tends to get dried out when reheated on airplanes, but this dish was ok, and the portion was decent (probably a bit bigger than in the past). The mango salsa was good and imparted a lot of flavor. Kim actually brought out the salsa first, and the guy across from me ate all the salsa before the fish even arrived. Since we had extra catering and I was hungry, I had the beef entrée as well. The mashed potatoes were delicious and probably the highlight of either entrée. The beef was moist, but not especially flavourful. The ice cream sundae was served in a heart shaped dish (also used for the breakfast fruit), and we were offered a choice of toppings. The other Kim helped out with the sundae service and drink refills. The sundae was great, and the texture and temperature were just right. I had the raspberry sauce, with nuts and a cherry on top). I was finished with the salad and entrée within 90 minutes of takeoff, and the sundae was brought out about 30 minutes later. There was no prearrival nuts service, but we were offered a couple of beverage services prior to and during our descent into DCA.
Oh, I almost forgot. The psalm today was 69:30 (“I will praise God’s name in song, and glorify Him with thanksgiving”). I thought it was quite clever of them to offer the correct psalm on Thanksgiving. However, the prayer cards are getting a bit old, and I would like to see them change things up a bit. I’d love to see the reaction on passengers’ faces if they handed out a card that said “praise be to Allah” or something along those lines.
On the Dige, I watched the excellent Simpsons movie, followed by a Simpsons episode (Patty and Selma kidnap Richard Dean Anderson, then grow tired of him..."we gotta get rid of this kook." Meanwhile, the Springfield powerplant is outsourced and Homer ends up plant manager in India).
Hot towels were passed out prior to arrival, and yes, the towels were cloth and not paper. We landed to the north at 8:31 and parked at gate 10 at 8:36, about 25 minutes early.
Metroed to my hotel, the Courtyard Rosslyn (nice beds, clean, no complaints). Next day, I awoke pre-dawn and rode the bus across the bridge to Georgetown, where I took a thoroughly enjoyable walk amid Federal-style architecture and turning leaves. I was very lucky in that the visibility was spectacular, and the dawn light created some lovely shadows and enhanced the yellow/amber/red hues of the leaves. From M Street, I walked up Potomac, which was entirely lined by trees with bright yellow leaves, which complemented the red brick facades nicely. I walked past the Volta Laboratory and Bureau, a national historic landmark, which was constructed in 1893 under the direction of Alexander Graham Bell to serve as a center of information for deaf and hearing impaired persons. I then strolled through Georgetown University, viewing its impressive Healy Hall tower (only 100 years old it turns out), and the old chapel.
I then walked past some more old row houses, and an impressive brick pile known as the Georgetown prep school, and eventually hit Wisconsin St, which is lined with antique shops and assorted kitsch money-snatching enterprises. I walked east to the famous Federal-style Dumbarton Oaks mansion, site of the famous 1944 conference of the same name that laid the foundation for the UN. The home was built in 1800, but several additions were made, including one by Philip Johnson. The property was lined with trees in peak fall color, as were the nearby Montrose and Dumbarton Oaks parks. I could not view the impressive gardens, but I strolled around Montrose Park, which was quite lovely. I then walked past the Tudor Place mansion, another national historic landmark, which sits on a massive wooded lot. The home was built in 1815 for a granddaughter of George Washington by William Thornton, who also was responsible for the original design of the US Capitol. The home’s collection includes numerous items that belonged to George and Martha. From there, I cut back to Wisconsin St, walked down to M Street, where I saw the gold-domed ex-Riggs bank, the Old Stone House, which is supposedly the oldest structure in DC, the City Tavern, and the Forrest-Marbury House, some old stopping grounds of George Washington. I also checked out the photogenic old C & O canal.
AS 5 DCA-LAX U 2A 737-700 N624AS
There was no ticket counter line and I was soon checked in and through security. I did enjoy the nice holiday decorations at DCA, which is one of my favorite airports. Not much spotting apart from the US Airways Panthers livery A319. Boarding began on-time, and the flight was pretty full (F was completely full, and Y just had a few empty middles). Again, water bottles and pillows and blankets were waiting at each seat. My seatmate arrived, and casually tossed her pillow onto the floor beneath her seat, where it remained for the rest of the trip. Note to self: never rest head on an airline pillow. The pillow does make a nice lower back rest, however. The lady behind me had a little dog in a carrier. I suspect fido was drugged, because I did not here one peep the entire trip.
Boarding was completed early and the door was closed at 9:06. We pushed back two minutes later and took off without delay at 9:16. I had a nice view of the Pentagon on takeoff, followed later by Dulles and a mottled landscape of fall colors. Later came the striated, auburn-colored land of West Virginia.
I was very pleased to see we had printed menus today (with a subtle background of Native American graphics), which were distributed after takeoff:
Good Morning and Welcome Aboard Alaska Airlines
First Class Breakfast
Fresh Seasonal Fruit Bowl
Warm Croissant, Scone or Danish
Choice of Entrees
Monterey Jack Omelette
Pork Sausage Patty
Rosemary Country Potatoes
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Or
Quiche Lorraine
With Bacon and Gruyere Cheese
Coffee, Tea or Premium Orange Juice
DH-40C (9/07)
We were served drinks prior to breakfast. The orange juice was very good, and much better than that old boxed stuff. I had several glasses, and even mixed in some Grand Marnier, which I would highly recommend. The lady behind me had a mimosa with the screwcappa bubbly. Breakfast was served in two courses, and the service was not rushed, but not overly drawn out either. The fresh fruit was honeydew, cantaloupe and a strawberry, all reasonably ripe (portion seemed about the same as before). The breakfast breads were a definite improvement, and both butter and raspberry preserves were available. I predictably had the raspberry scone, which was hot and buttery, yet not too sweet (possibly the best scone I’ve ever tasted). For the entrée, I had the omelette, which was your standard airline omelette, with well seasoned potatoes and decent salsa. I skipped the sausage. IIRC, I had a very similar, if not identical entrée choice on my DCA-SEA flight a couple years ago, so it’s not obvious to me the breakfast entrees have changed at all. The flight attendants did spend some time chatting in the galley mid-flight, but they kept their voices low enough that I could not hear what they were saying. I don’t expect non-stop service on a 5 hr 20 minute flight, so this was acceptable. We received a bowl of warm mixed nuts 1 hr 15 min prior to landing, and yes it was served in a real bowl. It was a good portion, and the nuts were whole, not overly salty, and not contaminated by peanuts. I had a glass of the "chateau thames embankment," and again, refills were offered. There were again hot towels prior to landing.
On the digeplayer, I watched the latest Harry Pothead movie, followed by the 737-200 retirement video and the AS 75th anniversary koolaid video. Flight was pretty smooth, although the pilot was constantly toggling the seatbelt sign on and off. Very few of the predicted bumps actually materialized. He also gave some nice commentary about the Grand Canyon and transplanted London Bridge and a few other sights as we neared LA. He pointed out Death Valley, but I could not figure out which one it was, since frankly all the valleys in that area of the desert looked pretty deep and foreboding.
Y service was the usual BOB, featuring a hot breakfast skillet with scrambled eggs, sausage and potatoes, as well as a choice of the two different snack boxes. Y had three beverage services (1 with the BOB, 1 right after, and 1 prior to landing). We landed on 24R at 11:40 and parked at gate 30 at 11:46, more than 15 minutes early. This aircraft would turn around and head back to DCA.
Overall, I was pleased with the quality of the AS transcon First Class service. Full marks for check-in, and punctuality (actually I have had no flight delays on AS all year). The low point is the F seating on the 737-700. This aircraft had different seats when it was delivered (same type as found on the 737-900), but for some reason, AS replaced those and standardized the F seating on the 737-700 and -800. The bulkhead row is cramped, but the legroom in rows 2 and 3 is adequate, and I did not feel confined. However, the seat back just isn’t very well padded (as mentioned, using the pillow for lower back support helps greatly). I actually prefer the seats on the MD-80s and older 737-400s. It’s nice to have the white linen tray covers and menus back. The lunch service on the outbound was okay, but not the best I’ve had on AS. The best part was the bread and the sundae. The breakfast was pretty good overall, and the choice of breakfast breads is a big improvement. The flight attendant service was excellent, and the "A" flight attendant seemed familiar with the new service items.
AS 6 LAX-DCA U 2A 737-700 N624AS
I took the Trak to Union Station and then the Flyaway bus to LAX. It seems these days that my train and bus rides are increasingly marred by obnoxious cell phone chatter. Seated a few rows back was a “valley girl” whose interminable conversation with her (boyfriend?) included some “details” that were extremely inappropriate for a public setting. This is not a rare occurrence either…every time I ride the train between LA and San Diego, there are multiple passengers yakking on their phones literally throughout the entire trip. I shudder at the thought that they may some day allow cell phone or VOIP use during flights. As we pulled into our final destination, Union Station, Ms. Motormouth asked the conductor if she should get off here in order to catch her connection (well duh, it’s the last stop, like totally!).
My upgrade cleared 48 hours in advance, so there was no stress at the airport. Check-in and security lines were minimal. Spots included a bevy of 744s, including JAL “Yokoso Japan” livery, Singapore cargo and pax, China Airlines, and Air New Zealand). Other spots included the American Eagle “Make a Wish” ERJ, Westjet 73G, Midwest MD-88, Frontier A318, AirTran 73G, and Skywest CRJ in native colors. I was excited to see the Starliner 75 parked at my gate, the same aircraft I flew ANC-LAX back in September. However, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be my aircraft, since we were scheduled for a -700, and it did indeed push back a few minutes later.
From the moment our inbound arrived, there was an LAPD officer keeping a vigilant eye on the boarding area. He actually strolled through the gate area a couple times, and he was still there at the time I boarded (do I really look that suspicious?). Boarding began with families traveling with small children, and that seemed to clear out almost half the boarding area. A lady asked the gate agent if she could take her coffee on board, and the agent responded, “as long as it’s in a closed container, it could be a martini for all I care.” I was shocked by how empty First Class was on this flight. 3 out of 12 seats filled, at the time the door closed. 2C and 2D were open, and there was no sign of human ballast. As of 48 hours in advance, 3 F seats were showing occupied on the seat map, which would indicate that nobody did the $100 upgrade (available within 24 hours of departure). I certainly did not hear the gate agent announce that F seats were available, although I was not in the boarding area the entire time. I would guess First was so empty because the flight seemed to be mostly filled with families traveling for Thanksgiving. However, after takeoff, the flight attendant moved two people up to First Class. She seemed to know them, although I could not determine whether or not they were employees. Prior to this, I’d never seen a flight attendant move pax up to First Class after takeoff. They were served the F dinner too, so AS had obviously loaded more than 3 meals (I also saw the flight attendants eating leftover F meals). It was truly unbelievable to see empty F seats on a transcon, and on a pretty full flight at that.
We departed on-time, and the flying time was a quick 4 hours 7 minutes. The crew was LAX based, and the “A” flight attendant, Kim, was very professional and attentive (one of the other flight attendants was also named Kim, interestingly enough). I was impressed by several things she did. First of all, she offered us preflight drinks in addition to the water bottles (most likely due to the light load, but still not something above and beyond). Second, even though catering forgot to load menus on this flight, she took the time to make a hand-written menu, which she passed around the cabin. Third, she was very good about refilling drinks, and after pouring wine, she used a cloth napkin to wipe around the rim of the wine glass to catch any drips. Anyway, here is the menu:
Lunch:
To begin:
Mixed Field Greens with Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella, served with Balsamic Vinaigrette and a large warmed slice of Pumpernickel bread
Entrees:
Braised beef tips served with red jacket mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables (cauliflower, orange and yellow carrots)
Or
Basked Alaskan salmon fillet served with mango salsa, orzo and steamed vegetables
Dessert:
Ice Cream sundae served choice of raspberry, caramel or chocolate sauce, and garnished with nuts, and a cherry on top.
The coach BOB options were a turkey sandwich with carrot sticks and a candy, or a choice of two snack boxes (NB. these snack boxes are much nicer than the boxes filled with junk food found on some airlines). The mesh curtain between F and Y was closed during the meal service.
The new china and glassware were used, as expected, and the salad dressing came in a real china bowl. It actually seems like the new entrée plates are slightly smaller than the old ones, although the entrée portions seemed about the same. The tray was covered by white linen, although there was not a separate table cloth.
The salad greens were fresh, and the cheese was fairly creamy, and came in thick round slices that alternated with the tomato slices. A sprinkling of fresh basil would enhance the tomato/mozzarella flavor a bit. The bread was great, although I have to admit I’m very partial to rye bread in general. I asked for and received a second slice. No sign of the bread basket, however.
I seldom order fish for my inflight meal (just look at what trouble those Airplane pilots got into ordering fish for dinner), but I was in the mood for salmon, so I tried it. Fish tends to get dried out when reheated on airplanes, but this dish was ok, and the portion was decent (probably a bit bigger than in the past). The mango salsa was good and imparted a lot of flavor. Kim actually brought out the salsa first, and the guy across from me ate all the salsa before the fish even arrived. Since we had extra catering and I was hungry, I had the beef entrée as well. The mashed potatoes were delicious and probably the highlight of either entrée. The beef was moist, but not especially flavourful. The ice cream sundae was served in a heart shaped dish (also used for the breakfast fruit), and we were offered a choice of toppings. The other Kim helped out with the sundae service and drink refills. The sundae was great, and the texture and temperature were just right. I had the raspberry sauce, with nuts and a cherry on top). I was finished with the salad and entrée within 90 minutes of takeoff, and the sundae was brought out about 30 minutes later. There was no prearrival nuts service, but we were offered a couple of beverage services prior to and during our descent into DCA.
Oh, I almost forgot. The psalm today was 69:30 (“I will praise God’s name in song, and glorify Him with thanksgiving”). I thought it was quite clever of them to offer the correct psalm on Thanksgiving. However, the prayer cards are getting a bit old, and I would like to see them change things up a bit. I’d love to see the reaction on passengers’ faces if they handed out a card that said “praise be to Allah” or something along those lines.
On the Dige, I watched the excellent Simpsons movie, followed by a Simpsons episode (Patty and Selma kidnap Richard Dean Anderson, then grow tired of him..."we gotta get rid of this kook." Meanwhile, the Springfield powerplant is outsourced and Homer ends up plant manager in India).
Hot towels were passed out prior to arrival, and yes, the towels were cloth and not paper. We landed to the north at 8:31 and parked at gate 10 at 8:36, about 25 minutes early.
Metroed to my hotel, the Courtyard Rosslyn (nice beds, clean, no complaints). Next day, I awoke pre-dawn and rode the bus across the bridge to Georgetown, where I took a thoroughly enjoyable walk amid Federal-style architecture and turning leaves. I was very lucky in that the visibility was spectacular, and the dawn light created some lovely shadows and enhanced the yellow/amber/red hues of the leaves. From M Street, I walked up Potomac, which was entirely lined by trees with bright yellow leaves, which complemented the red brick facades nicely. I walked past the Volta Laboratory and Bureau, a national historic landmark, which was constructed in 1893 under the direction of Alexander Graham Bell to serve as a center of information for deaf and hearing impaired persons. I then strolled through Georgetown University, viewing its impressive Healy Hall tower (only 100 years old it turns out), and the old chapel.
I then walked past some more old row houses, and an impressive brick pile known as the Georgetown prep school, and eventually hit Wisconsin St, which is lined with antique shops and assorted kitsch money-snatching enterprises. I walked east to the famous Federal-style Dumbarton Oaks mansion, site of the famous 1944 conference of the same name that laid the foundation for the UN. The home was built in 1800, but several additions were made, including one by Philip Johnson. The property was lined with trees in peak fall color, as were the nearby Montrose and Dumbarton Oaks parks. I could not view the impressive gardens, but I strolled around Montrose Park, which was quite lovely. I then walked past the Tudor Place mansion, another national historic landmark, which sits on a massive wooded lot. The home was built in 1815 for a granddaughter of George Washington by William Thornton, who also was responsible for the original design of the US Capitol. The home’s collection includes numerous items that belonged to George and Martha. From there, I cut back to Wisconsin St, walked down to M Street, where I saw the gold-domed ex-Riggs bank, the Old Stone House, which is supposedly the oldest structure in DC, the City Tavern, and the Forrest-Marbury House, some old stopping grounds of George Washington. I also checked out the photogenic old C & O canal.
AS 5 DCA-LAX U 2A 737-700 N624AS
There was no ticket counter line and I was soon checked in and through security. I did enjoy the nice holiday decorations at DCA, which is one of my favorite airports. Not much spotting apart from the US Airways Panthers livery A319. Boarding began on-time, and the flight was pretty full (F was completely full, and Y just had a few empty middles). Again, water bottles and pillows and blankets were waiting at each seat. My seatmate arrived, and casually tossed her pillow onto the floor beneath her seat, where it remained for the rest of the trip. Note to self: never rest head on an airline pillow. The pillow does make a nice lower back rest, however. The lady behind me had a little dog in a carrier. I suspect fido was drugged, because I did not here one peep the entire trip.
Boarding was completed early and the door was closed at 9:06. We pushed back two minutes later and took off without delay at 9:16. I had a nice view of the Pentagon on takeoff, followed later by Dulles and a mottled landscape of fall colors. Later came the striated, auburn-colored land of West Virginia.
I was very pleased to see we had printed menus today (with a subtle background of Native American graphics), which were distributed after takeoff:
Good Morning and Welcome Aboard Alaska Airlines
First Class Breakfast
Fresh Seasonal Fruit Bowl
Warm Croissant, Scone or Danish
Choice of Entrees
Monterey Jack Omelette
Pork Sausage Patty
Rosemary Country Potatoes
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Or
Quiche Lorraine
With Bacon and Gruyere Cheese
Coffee, Tea or Premium Orange Juice
DH-40C (9/07)
We were served drinks prior to breakfast. The orange juice was very good, and much better than that old boxed stuff. I had several glasses, and even mixed in some Grand Marnier, which I would highly recommend. The lady behind me had a mimosa with the screwcappa bubbly. Breakfast was served in two courses, and the service was not rushed, but not overly drawn out either. The fresh fruit was honeydew, cantaloupe and a strawberry, all reasonably ripe (portion seemed about the same as before). The breakfast breads were a definite improvement, and both butter and raspberry preserves were available. I predictably had the raspberry scone, which was hot and buttery, yet not too sweet (possibly the best scone I’ve ever tasted). For the entrée, I had the omelette, which was your standard airline omelette, with well seasoned potatoes and decent salsa. I skipped the sausage. IIRC, I had a very similar, if not identical entrée choice on my DCA-SEA flight a couple years ago, so it’s not obvious to me the breakfast entrees have changed at all. The flight attendants did spend some time chatting in the galley mid-flight, but they kept their voices low enough that I could not hear what they were saying. I don’t expect non-stop service on a 5 hr 20 minute flight, so this was acceptable. We received a bowl of warm mixed nuts 1 hr 15 min prior to landing, and yes it was served in a real bowl. It was a good portion, and the nuts were whole, not overly salty, and not contaminated by peanuts. I had a glass of the "chateau thames embankment," and again, refills were offered. There were again hot towels prior to landing.
On the digeplayer, I watched the latest Harry Pothead movie, followed by the 737-200 retirement video and the AS 75th anniversary koolaid video. Flight was pretty smooth, although the pilot was constantly toggling the seatbelt sign on and off. Very few of the predicted bumps actually materialized. He also gave some nice commentary about the Grand Canyon and transplanted London Bridge and a few other sights as we neared LA. He pointed out Death Valley, but I could not figure out which one it was, since frankly all the valleys in that area of the desert looked pretty deep and foreboding.
Y service was the usual BOB, featuring a hot breakfast skillet with scrambled eggs, sausage and potatoes, as well as a choice of the two different snack boxes. Y had three beverage services (1 with the BOB, 1 right after, and 1 prior to landing). We landed on 24R at 11:40 and parked at gate 30 at 11:46, more than 15 minutes early. This aircraft would turn around and head back to DCA.
Overall, I was pleased with the quality of the AS transcon First Class service. Full marks for check-in, and punctuality (actually I have had no flight delays on AS all year). The low point is the F seating on the 737-700. This aircraft had different seats when it was delivered (same type as found on the 737-900), but for some reason, AS replaced those and standardized the F seating on the 737-700 and -800. The bulkhead row is cramped, but the legroom in rows 2 and 3 is adequate, and I did not feel confined. However, the seat back just isn’t very well padded (as mentioned, using the pillow for lower back support helps greatly). I actually prefer the seats on the MD-80s and older 737-400s. It’s nice to have the white linen tray covers and menus back. The lunch service on the outbound was okay, but not the best I’ve had on AS. The best part was the bread and the sundae. The breakfast was pretty good overall, and the choice of breakfast breads is a big improvement. The flight attendant service was excellent, and the "A" flight attendant seemed familiar with the new service items.
Last edited by EIPremier; Dec 8, 2007 at 10:44 pm
