After a great week, it was time for our trip home. AS only flies a redeye ANC-ORD, so we ended up leaving FAI in the late afternoon. Driving back to the airport was no problem, and after circling around a bit we were able to find a parking place for our car. The rental lot was pretty full, so I'm guessing quite a few other people were leaving as well. Check-in at the F counter was a breeze, and we had our bags checked and got through security in no time. The FAI terminal has apparently recently undergone a renovation, and it's quite nice.

FAI-ANC, AS190, 2D and 2F
On this trip, we boarded quickly and enjoyed our PDB water. I ordered another Alaskan Amber for our short trip, and after an uneventful taxi and takeoff, we were quickly on our way. When I booked the tickets, I had scouted FT for advice on which side of the plane Denali would be on, and I'm glad I did. On this flight, we had a beautiful view of the mountain out the right side of the plane, and it was a gorgeous clear day. I took far too many pictures of the view, and will only post a few here, but what an incredible sight! Absolutely gorgeous!

The inflight offering:


Denali:







What a cool way to end our Alaskan adventure! Upon arrival at ANC, we had a 5 hour layover before our connection to ORD, so we made our way to the Board Room to relax. I enjoyed the beautiful sunset while my wife worked, and we both enjoyed the split pea soup. They have an interesting array of adult beverages for purchase, including salmon-flavored and rhubarb-flavored vodka. They've got some complimentary alcohol too, but we stuck to the soda machine. I can't imagine the salmon vodka is good, but who knows? I was too chicken to try it.

Sunset in ANC:



ANC-ORD, AS 138, 2D and 2F
Flying the redeye is not ideal for us, but since it's the only ANC-ORD flight offered, we decided to take it. After another quick boarding process (good job AS ground staff), we were in the air in no time. On their redeyes, AS typically offers a fruit and cheese plate after takeoff, and a pastry before landing, and this was no exception. I didn't get a pic of the cheese plate because I was hungry and I scarfed it. But I did get a picture of the pastry on our descent. I spent a lot of the flight sleeping, though I did catch most of "Wreck it Ralph" on the Dig-E-Player. We were in ORD before I knew it, and it was time to get out of my long underwear and boots, and back into "normal" lower-48 clothes.




ORD-DCA, AA, 2D and 2F
After a few hours napping in the airport, we finally got on our final flight home. This particular flight was on an American Eagle regional jet that had been outfitted with three rows of first class seats. I've never before experienced F on a regional jet, and overall, it wasn't bad. Not as nice as on a 738, however. The biggest difference I noticed, though, is in the friendliness of the staff. The AS crews were all fantastic--friendly, smiling, always ready to top off your glass (even if it was just OJ or water). This AA crew, however, was simply very businesslike--not unfriendly, but not very friendly either. My wife, who is an AA FF even commented on the difference between the crews, and now finally believes me when I say that AS has a superior in-flight experience. The lunch on this flight was a pretty decent salad with pita chips and cookies. Not bad for two weary travelers. The flight was uneventful, and we were quickly in DCA. After a short ride home, we were back in Fairfax, ready to plan our next bucket list adventure.