Originally Posted by clarrkkent

Just curious what the observation is for anyone flying right now.

I’m currently on route PDX-PHX. 16 seat FC. Only half the forward cabin is full, despite 3 more on the waitlist for upgrades. I was 1 of the 4 (with 9 seats open) and cleared about 2 hours from departure. I figured the other 3 would clear too. Both expertflyer seat map and alaska seat map are aligned, showing 8 empty seats.

I thought maybe they are attempting social distancing but it just seems odd considering they have no problem cramming coach passengers together despite planes only being 1/3 (or less) full.

Any other reasons those 3 wouldn’t clear?

Originally Posted by LeonS

Yesterday I flew a took domestic flight in First Class on Alaska that was one of the worst service experiences I've ever had in a first class cabin (or even in MC).

(Before I get grilled for flying: yes, I did have to fly and I do not feel the need to justify why here)

Most of the plane was empty. The First Class cabin had 5 Alaska employees traveling in uniform as passengers on rows 1, 2 and 4. There were also 2 regular paying passengers including myself sitting on row 3. A female flight attendant (I'll call her "A") served the First Cabin. Another female flight attendant with no visible name badge helped at times. They both skipped the 2 paying passengers multiple times while very actively catering the 5 Alaska employees traveling as passengers.

The Alaska employees received two rounds of drink offerings (including pre-takeoff water bottle that I was not offered) and two rounds of snacks before A or the other member of the crew even came to me for the first time, mid-flight, to ask if I wanted "something else" to drink. Even on that round, A served first all the Alaska employees -even those behind me on row 4- before she served the two paying passengers on row 3. It all felt so weird, like if I was flying for free and didn't deserve anything while the Alaska employees traveling in uniform were getting multiple rounds.

I understand that these are difficult, stressful times for Alaska employees, and can also understand how Alaska employees might want to give some extra treats to fellow colleagues to reinforce the sense of camaraderie in these odd times. But skipping multiple times the only 2 paying passengers in the First Class cabin while treating the Alaska employees traveling as passengers to several rounds of drinks and snacks in such an overt way felt really unnecessary. It was really weird to see them serve rows 1, 2, skip 3, and serve row 4 (as well as one more Alaska employee on the first row of Premium). The service of this flight did not feel First Class or MVP Gold in the slightest; instead I felt like an underserving passenger even though I was on a paying ticket.

I am fond of Alaska Airline and feel for their employees in these times of uncertainty. But the service on this last Alaska can only be described as ugly. Giving the 2 paying passengers the same service that A and her unbadged colleage gave the Alaska employees in the First Class cabin would have taken them just handful of minutes of their times, if that. I honestly struggle to understand why she created that situation. A also spent some of the flight sitting on 1D, which reinforced the feeling that for her there were no paying passengers on her flight.


Cherry on the top: the 2 Alaska employees sitting on seats 2C and 2F (while 2D was empty) were yelling at each other over the aisle to actively hold a conversation for the first hour of the flight, at which point one of them saw the light and finally moved to 2D for the remaining 30 mins of the flight. It made for a very loud flight in what was otherwise a very empty cabin.

Very weird flight, matching the very weird times I suppose. But also a very unnecessary awful experience in the First Class cabin to travel with a crew that pretends that there are no paying passengers onboard.