Day Twenty-Two
United Express Economy Class ~ ERJ-170 ~ Newark, NJ to Raleigh/Durham, NC ~ 1235p – 218p

After having written of all the luxury aloft aboard the likes of Cathay and JAL, I’m finding it difficult to muster the inspiration to write anything remotely entertaining about an hour and a half flight aboard a regional jet on which I received a glass of ginger ale. That said, the flight served its purpose – quick and affordable transport between Newark and Raleigh – and the service was friendly and efficient.

In Raleigh I picked up a rental car and set off down the highway to Rock Hill, South Carolina. There I had a nice visit with my old eighth grade history teacher and his wife. We’ve managed to keep in touch over the forty some odd years since I was his student and it was nice to catch up in person again after a hiatus of twenty-six years.

Afterward I drove the 170 miles back to Raleigh to commence the final portion of this trip back home to Alaska. It was truly comforting to know that tomorrow I’d be sat in the First Class cabin of a pair of ex-Virgin America A320s while winging it cross country to San Francisco and beyond to Seattle and Ketchikan.


Day Twenty-Four
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ A320-200 ~ Raleigh/Durham, NC to San Francisco, CA ~ 805a – 1113a
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ A320-200 ~ San Francisco, CA to Seattle, WA ~ 1245p – 248p
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ 737-900 ~ Seattle, WA to Ketchikan, AK ~ 745p – 1021p

I awoke to a beautiful misty spring morning as only North Carolina can deliver. Shower, coffee and a complimentary USA Today preceded my shuttle to the airport. Having printed my boarding pass before leaving the hotel, I strolled through the TSA Pre✓ lane and made my way to American’s Admiral Club for a little pre-flight lounging.

Alaska’s gates are located at the end of the D Concourse - as far as one can possibly walk from the Admirals Club. This seems to have been the story of my life on this trip and others of late. Oh well… consider the exercise benefits!

I’ve flown out of RDU about a dozen times over the past couple of years, always aboard Alaska 737s. It was a bit strange then to see the red and white Virgin America A320 adorned with the appellation “Air VH1” waiting at the end of the jetway. On the other hand, it was with considerable anticipation that I strolled down the jetway while looking forward to my comfortable accommodations in seat 2A, one of only 8 white leather recliners installed in the A320’s forward cabin.

Alaska recently consummated its takeover of Virgin America but it will be a while before the cabin interiors and certain aspects of the catering are brought into line with Alaska’s standards. Although Alaska’s stated intent is to combine the best of both airlines’ products into a single new and improved service, most Virgin America loyalists are already in mourning over the loss of what was probably the finest inflight catering in America along with, in the coming months, the loss of arguably the finest First Class recliners in the sky.

For the time being however, those recliners are still installed fleet wide on all ex-Virgin America Airbuses and so it was that I arrived to find my attractive white leather recliner adorned with a large packaged pillow and duvet set. These were of much better quality than the usual airline pillows and blankets but since at this point in the flight I had no need for them I stashed them in the spacious overhead bin. Rather surprisingly there are no storage closets aboard Virgin’s Airbuses (Maybe Virgin’s traditional passengers are too hip to wear a sports jacket or blazer ) so I carefully folded my blazer and placed it in the overhead with my bag and the pillow set. Seatmate had already arrived and greeted me with a friendly hello before returning to two folders worth of work that would ultimately keep him busy throughout the flight.

Earlier this winter I had my first experience with Virgin America’s First Class while flying aboard an A320 between Washington National and San Francisco. At that time I was really looking forward to checking out the much vaunted First Class recliners with their 55” pitch and exceptional recline; however upon sitting in the seat for the first time I remember my disappointment at how uncomfortably hard it was.



Virgin America’s First Class seat
Photo courtesy of Virgin America


We’ve all seen the pictures. These seats look fantastic and the legroom is of course outstanding, but they are otherwise rock hard! Seriously, there was nothing at all soft or welcoming about them. Now it’s no secret that I’ve got a chronically sore back, but let me tell you – I’ve sat in a lot of First Class seats in my life and this one was one of the least comfortable. Sure, the extra recline and leg rest are impressive, but knowing what I do now, I honestly prefer the First Class comfort found aboard Alaska’s newly reconfigured 737-800 and -900 aircraft.

For the time being, the crews aboard ex-Virgin flights are themselves ex-Virgin employees. As such, so also are certain aspects of the onboard catering and the overall inflight service. Coffee and orange were offered, followed shortly thereafter by the distribution of menu cards for this morning’s 2,390 mile, five hour and ten minute flight across the continent to San Francisco. Let’s have a look at that menu, shall we?


BREAKFAST
Raleigh to San Francisco

TO START

Starbucks® Coffee & Teavana TM/MC Tea

Strawberry Lime Smoothie Shot
Blended Smoothie with strawberries, fresh squeezed lime and orange juice, banana and low-fat yogurt

Citrus Fruit & Honey Mascarpone
Fresh orange and grapefruit segments served over honey-whipped mascarpone cheese and garnished with toasted Marcona almonds and fresh mint

MAIN DISH

Beecher’s Flagship Frittata
Savory frittata filled with Beecher’s Flagship cheddar, sautéed wild mushrooms and fresh dill.
Served with crispy mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and oven roasted tomatoes.

Quinoa Oatmeal Cake
Pan-seared cake made from lightly sweetened steel-cut oats, black quinoa, and dried figs. Served with honey-infused Greek yogurt and fresh berries tossed in rose petal water and passion fruit puree.

* * * _  _ * * *

PRE-ARRIVAL SNACK

Chipotle Hummus
Served with whole wheat pita wedges and fresh vegetables



I was mildly surprised to see the inclusion of a pre-arrival snack – at least on the printed menu. Alaska Airlines has long provided a round of almonds and/or even the occasional snack basket on its trans-cons but until today I’d never seen the snack course listed separately on the menu. Alaska has recently introduced an upgraded inflight catering product complete with menu cards and a choice of entrees even on flights as short as 675 miles. Adding the snack course to the menu card is a nice touch.

Service commenced at a leisurely pace, beginning at about forty minutes after takeoff. I started off with a Screwdriver and another cup of coffee (2 creams, please) followed by the Beecher’s Flagship Frittata for my main course. I always go with the most elaborate entrée – typically the egg dish on breakfast flights – mainly because fruit and oatmeal are normally my main breakfast choices at home. Truth be told, about the only time I eat eggs is when I’m eating out – as I am now.

Despite having over five hours with which to provide a nice course by course meal service, our flight attendant instead elected to serve it all at once atop a single tray. Am I the only guy that’s bothered by stuff like this? I grew up in an era when airlines took pride in both their meal offerings and the style in which they were served. I remember nicely presented course by course services on flights as short as Dallas to Chicago (where four of us sat around a table and enjoyed luncheon served from the trolley as we flew home from a session at the American Airlines Academy) and the notion of dumping everything on a single tray during a transcon flight would have been unthinkable. These days however, there are a lot more inflight distractions such as inflight entertainment systems loaded with movies, tv shows and games or personal laptops or tablets on which to work or be entertained. Perhaps these days more passengers prefer a more expedited meal service, especially since most of today’s First Class meals are pretty much on par with those served in Coach in years past. Many years, I’m afraid.



Beecher’s Flagship Frittata


That said, this was a pretty good meal. Being a big fan of smoothies, I quickly polished mine off before ever getting a chance to photograph it as part of the overall meal service. Oh well. I’m sure you know what a smoothie looks like by now. Mainly, this was very likely the best tasting smoothie I’ve ever had aloft. I’d happily pay more in advance of the flight to ensure a larger portion (say, 4 times as large as in Jamba Juice size) than the tiny little container Alaska serves theirs in.

The frittata was nicely seasoned and exceptionally tasty with the addition of those delicious Yukon Gold potatoes. Salt and pepper were provided in Virgin’s distinctive little plastic airplane which, according to our flight attendant, may very well be the most commonly pilfered item of inflight service accoutrements in airline history. That said, she did ask me if I’d like to keep mine as a souvenir and I of course said yes. It’ll make a nice addition to my other one which I shamelessly absconded with off my first flight this past winter.

Time passed quickly as we sped west over the center of the country. Unfortunately clouds blanketed the Rocky Mountain region as we flew over central Colorado and Utah, but I nonetheless had plenty to entertain myself with newspapers, magazines and of course this trip report which – at the time of its writing aboard this flight - was still in its infancy.

It used to be that I was so excited to not only be writing a trip report but to also actually have an audience for that report that I’d find a lot of time during my travels to put in work on it. These days – after having submitted over seventy trip reports here at FlyerTalk – I find I spend more time actually engaged in my travels and their activities while saving the actual writing of the trip reports for times like on long flights or when I get home. At present I’m writing this portion three and a half months after the actual flights took place. I hope despite the passage of time that you all still find most of this reasonably relevant. If I ever get my trip report completed from three weeks of First and Business Class travel all over Australia last autumn, it’ll have been submitted over a year late. That said, given the sheer volume of trip reports – many far superior not to mention photographically convenient to anything I could type up - I doubt anybody will miss it if I never get that report submitted as trip reports covering Australian travel are a dime a dozen here on FT.

The hummus dip snack was the standard hummus plate which Alaska has been serving on its shorter mid-morning and afternoon flights for years. I’ve never been a big fan of it as a main offering but as an additional snack on this five hour transcon I thought it made a good impression. Sorry – it didn’t seem worthy of a photo, however.

Arrival in San Francisco was right on time. We touched down smoothly and taxied straight in to our gate without delay. Were that all flights into big spread out airports like SFO could end so expeditiously. As an added advantage, this same aircraft that flew me across country into San Francisco would also be doing the honors up to Seattle in an hour and a half. The only thing that would have made this layover any more pleasant would have been the addition of a nearby lounge. Alas, despite my lifetime membership in the United Club as well as up to date membership with the Alaska Club and Priority Pass, there were no lounges anywhere nearby.


* * * _  _ * * *


Boarding for my 12:45pm departure up to Seattle commenced at about 12:10pm. This time I was seated in row 1 – once again on the window. Despite this being a bulkhead seat, it still benefited from the 55” pitch, being separated from the boarding door by waist high wall topped with a clear plastic divider.

It’s long been Alaska’s practice to not offer pre-departure alcoholic beverages, much to the dismay of many of its frequent flyers. I’m rather ambivalent about it all. Sometimes it’s nice to have a cocktail while still on the ground but most of the time it’s not that important to me. Today however, pre-departure drinks – including alcohol - were offered. Since the aircraft was an Airbus, the crew was ex-Virgin, so I’m sure that probably had a lot to do with it. Still, it being only a little past noon, I passed on the cocktail option and instead requested a glass of ice water.

Shortly after most everyone appeared to have boarded, menu cards were passed out. This flight up to Seattle checks in at 678 miles – apparently just enough to qualify for Alaska’s newly enhanced catering – if only by three miles. I’ve flown this route many times and in years past we might have been offered either a simple salad or at most a small sandwich. Today however, I was looking forward to checking out the not one but two options to be offered as part of the new service. Let’s have a look, eh?


LUNCHEON
San Francisco to Seattle

TO START
Warm Mixed Nuts
Libations

MAIN DISH

Flank Steak Salad
Sliced flank steak, mesclun greens, green papaya, mint, fresh avocado, lime wedges, English cucumber, feta cheese and cilantro. Served with a creamy passionfruit and citrus dressing on the side.

Protein Plate
Protein plate with walnuts, hummus, hardboiled egg, Port Salut cheese, grapes, orange segments, baby carrots, strawberries and grilled pita bread.


Hmm… these are the exact same meal choices I was offered aboard my Virgin America flight on this route two months ago. It’s worth noting however that that flight departed SFO at 930pm, so back then these choices rated as a late night snack on Virgin. Today they serve as a full lunch on Alaska. That late night Virgin flight also included a pass with an impressive snack basket.

My first ever protein plate was served as part of a single choice only service between Kotzebue and Anchorage last November. I wasn‘t impressed and remember the boiled egg half as being my favorite part of the “meal”. The protein plate I saw served on Virgin two months ago was much more impressive than Alaska’s version as offered on the OTZ-ANC flight. The VX plate was practically brimming with food including mini-Pita breads, a variety of cheeses including Brie, a nicely sized portion of hummus and a bunch of grapes to mention just a few of the many items.

Returning to the present, for this flight I requested the Flank Steak Salad while seatmate ordered the protein plate. When our meals were served, it was interesting to compare the differences from what Virgin had served us two months ago. My Flank Steak Salad was comprised of most all of the same ingredients – just less of them. This was particularly true of the meat which was a cut noticeably thinner and comprised only about half the portion of what had been offered by Virgin. The same held true of the protein plate. Though it was quite a bit nicer than the skimpy collection I’d seen offered out of Kotzebue back in November, it was still about 30% less food than I’d seen offered on Virgin’s flight two months ago.

Now who knows – it could well be that those generous meal portions may have played a significant role in what ultimately contributed to Virgin’s poor returns - to the point where the airline eventually found itself looking for a buyer. Nobody likes it when the bean counters turn their attention to inflight meal service, but in the interests of running – or attempting to run - a profitable operation, meal quality and quantity are often amongst the first casualties.

As a passenger I’ve been fortunate to have logged a couple thousand flights during the seventies and eighties when many U.S. airlines actually promoted their catering as part of their marketing efforts. Because the Civil Aeronautics Board regulated fares and many flights to smaller markets were subsidized by the government, making money while offering fine dining aloft was a viable proposition back then. I remember when TWA used to advertise steak on all of its meal flights out of Denver – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and it was good meat, too. We’re talking actual sirloin as opposed to the comparatively bland tenderloin now proffered by most airlines. When I worked at the original Frontier Airlines, we were known for top flight catering that included such entrees as Beef Wellington, Flank Steak and Wild Rice or Steak and Langostino. And we’re talking Coach meals here! Those were great days, my friends…

My last flight of the day came after a five hour layover in Seattle. Work related chores required me to rent a car in Seattle for approximately three and a half hours, but it was all time well and profitably spent. Rather surprisingly, I managed to rent that full size car for just $26.00 for the day.

Back at the airport, I had just enough time for a quick visit to the N Concourse Alaska Lounge where hot soup and cold beer were available. I had a bowl of the Italian Wedding soup - a delicious combination of Acini de pepe pasta, vegetables and meatballs. A pint of delicious Manny’s Pale Ale accompanied it admirably.

On board the newly configured 737-900, I settled into seat 2D, kicked off my shoes and reveled in the 41” pitch. Where Alaska’s First Class was once amongst the most cramped in the country, the addition of five more inches of legroom mean that it is now considerably more spacious - with enough room for me to comfortably cross my legs.

Seatmate nodded a sleepy greeting. She had flown in from Norway earlier that afternoon and was dealing with significant jetlag. Back in Oslo it was approaching 4:00am. She reclined her seat shortly after takeoff and slept blissfully through the rest of the flight.

As for me, it was only 11:45pm back at my point of origin. I too had had a pretty long day of flying, having logged 3070 miles since departing North Carolina earlier this morning. Add to that two and a half hours of driving around Seattle and, all things considered, I was feeling pretty good.

Flight time to Ketchikan was announced at one hour and forty-eight minutes.

It should be noted here that I could have easily caught a flight directly into Fairbanks from Seattle. However, I’ve got a bit of time to spare before returning to work and since the Alaska Marine Highway system is still offering affordable off-peak fares, I decided to spend a bit extra and take the ferry between Ketchikan and Juneau. From Juneau I’ll use a 7,500 mile Alaska Airlines saver award to return home to Fairbanks.

A double Woodford on the rocks got this flight off to a nice start. Alaska started offering Woodford Reserve a couple of years ago, most likely in response to increased competition from Delta where this fine bourbon has long been a staple in its First Class cabin. Over the past couple of years I’ve also enjoyed Woodford Reserve while flying up front on the likes of Emirates, British Airways and Japan Airlines.

Dinner this evening was a pleasant surprise – a tray of Lemon Grass Chicken complete with a side salad. Even our flight attendant was surprised as this flight usually rates not much better than a salad. No menu card was provided and we briefly discussed the possibility that there may have been a catering mistake. These are changing times for Alaska’s inflight catering however, so perhaps meals like this are part of the new plan even for shorter flights. The mileage calculator at webflyer.com indicates that the distance between Seattle and Ketchikan is 676 miles – just over the 675 mile threshold for the new enhanced catering initiative. Whatever the reason, I was thankful for the culinary upgrade as the chicken was moist, tender and delicious especially with the addition of the flavorful side sauce. The salad even came with a small bottle of zesty oil and balsamic vinegar – quite an upgrade over the decidedly inferior “Naturally Fresh” brand previously used.



A hitherto unheard of side salad on the SEA-KTN flight. ^


Lemongrass Chicken Dinner


We descended into Ketchikan through low clouds and light rain. This was hardly unexpected. Ketchikan receives over 150” of rain annually with an average of just 100 sunny days per year. People here don’t tan, they rust! Here, check out this great postcard depicting the dangers of exposure to sunlight in southeastern Alaska. The only effective recourse against being exposed to too much sunshine is to quickly run inside and take a cold shower.

Ketchikan’s airport is located on Gravina Island, just west of Ketchikan on the other side of the Tongass Narrows. Passengers must take a seven-minute ferry ride across the channel to get from the airport into town. Ferries leave every half hour. Local taxi companies are well attuned to flight arrival times and so there was no shortage of available cabs to take me to my hotel for the night – the Ketchikan Super 8.