Aaron01

Perhaps OP was unaware headrests were adjustable

+1 Just 1 less person on the upgrade queue

I honestly don't see how it matters whether your drink is delivered on a cart, tray or silver platter. It doesn't affect how the drink tastes.

pdxasflyer

On this point, beckoa, I'd have to disagree, primarily from the perspective that each person could fire off their idea of a preferred or favorite breakfast and we'd have enough ideas for AS to last a year. To that point, I like Starbucks' yogurt parfaits and have seen bowl-presented versions of the same that could easily work. Why, I've brought those onboard plenty of flights where I've sat in back. I would be a fan of those as replacements because the meal presented on my flight was, by comparison, vastly inferior.

I also disagree with the assessment of the veggies and the warm egg quiche thing - the dish didn't work. The only place those poor asparagus spears should have been presented was to a compost bin. If they can't get that dish right, replace it with something that does receive high marks. Indeed, that pastry is good and with fruit would have been enough. Next time, I'll politely turn down that quiche, that's for sure, and may rely on my own devices on breakfast flights where I'm in F. If there's that warm pastry, I'll consider it breakfast dessert.

pdxasflyer

+2. A warm pasty would not be hard to get consistently right. Although, I thought that about egg dishes until yesterday.

Point well taken, and you're right it doesn't matter at all. It was merely an observation that made the experience just a little bit better; a nice touch, if you will. If you went to a really nice restaurant and they served you a great red or white wine in a juice glass from a cart, how would that experience be for you? Not pushing an argument, just perspective.

CDKing

The former CO/ current UA breakfast doesn't seem to have changed in a few years. At least its not the same meal every month on most AS flights. Mimosas are a plus as well.

whimike

The food I have had on AS has been great. Then again, my only longer-haul flights on AS have been to Hawaii. I recall a particularly good mahi mahi that I had coming back from Honolulu.

eponymous_coward

My take, having flown UA, DL, AA and AS standard-issue F (not the p.s./AFS/BizElite premium flavors out of JFK) in recent years, is none of 'em hold a candle to VX's hard product (and I enjoy VX's soft product in food and drink, though others pan it), and debating which of them is better is an angels on the head of a pin argument- they all get smoked by VX. F outside of the premium F products is a bigger seat and slightly more leg/shoulder room, plus drinks and usually reasonably edible, formerly blast-chilled food you could get better on the ground at any number of diners or places with modest gourmet pretensions.

It's also hard to get worked up over something that I didn't actually pay for- an F seat.

meej

While I rarely fly in paid F, the last time I did (ANC-ORD-ANC) it was somewhat sub par and the fact I had paid a sizeable amount of $$ made it even more dissapointing. Food was mediocre but I really don't get too worked up about that. I think there is room for improvement in the food choices but would prefer more consistency or a lighter shelf stable "option" (read: snack basket type stuff) for those who might be averse to the plated option offered. What really lacked was the service - not to the point of complaining that FAs weren't doing their job, but enough to feel less "firsty."

In general I've been pleased with F service on longer flights ANC-LAX/ORD/Hawaii but there has been a increase in inconsistency with the level of service in F. Sometimes I feel special and well taken care of, and sometimes I feel like I'm in an exit row with a wider seat, a free drink or two, and some mediocre grub. Still appreciate the opportunity to even get F upgrades but I think I earned it and it seems like I recall having more consistently awesome service on F flights a few years ago.

My biggest dissapointment remains the lack of PDB. Such a nice touch and I have appreciated it very much on the flights to Hawaii and the few occasions I've been upgraded on DL. When I can get two mimosas pre-departure on a tiny regional ORD-DTW, I have a hard time understanding how AS can't serve a limited menu of PDBs on a 737.

Still love you AS, but I will agree with some posts here that the F service could use a little improvement.

Aaron01

I understand but an aircraft is a bit different than a restaurant. But just so you're aware, plenty of other airlines serve from the cart in Y, like CX, SQ, EK etc... even on the shorter regional hops. So it's not like cart service in Y is something only relegated to scum airlines.

Would you care about cart service if the product you were receiving from the cart was more substantial? I tend to think more quantifiable aspects like that are more important than unquantifiable abstracts like how the snazzy mood lighting on VX makes me feel...

Eastbay1K

The snazzy mood lighting feeling is quantifiable. But who wants to perform endorphin testing onboard.

jackal

Sorry, I am a cold cereal fan and generally don't like most hot breakfast foods as they tend to be far too salty, and I dislike eggs in most forms other than soft-boiled. To illustrate my preference: in the dozen or so times I've been on a UA breakfast flight in the last year, I've always chosen the cold cereal option instead of the hot option. Why can't Alaska at least make it an option so you can still choose your hot item and I can choose my cereal? How is that a devaluation?

Some may think your point doesn't matter, but I've gone through several online review sites, and they're all filled with people making your exact point. Alaska is losing repeat business from the HVC segment because of their inferior product.

Aaron01

I find the Glenlivet does the job of elevating endorphines just fine ^

sltlyamusd

I actually think AS is one of the better airlines in terms of actually offering food in F. Pretty much every 2 hour+ flight departing between 6 am and 8 pm has some type of food offering in F. It may not be an opulent feast, but at least they give you something to tide you over. I can't imagine UA would offer me a hot sandwich on a 2 hour flight in the middle of the afternoon.

I think the main problem is they are trying to "trick out" the food too much, especially on longer flights, and this results in food items that are very hard for catering to execute. Especially at breakfast...I very much believe in the KISS philosophy...keep it simple stupid. Don't try to create some amazing culinary fusion that turns out to be inedible sandpaper.

But, AS F meets my needs with friendly service, drinks, a bigger seat, and usually something to eat. I wouldn't pay extra for it, but I get upgraded often enough on shorter flights that it ensures my loyalty. And I agree with the other poster...domestic F isn't that great on any carrier, apart from VX. And VX still isn't a viable business.

beckoa

I'd rather skip right to lunch myself. But the Biscuits & Gravy had good flavor last year. I'm fine if AS has a shelf-stable option that can be used for future flights. I just don't want to be stuck eating cold cereal. Hence I could see it become a devaluation. Just keep the quiche shroom free and I'll be happy

Tide_from_PAE

I'm not a fan of most breakfast foods and would be perfectly happy with AS serving a cheese pizza for breakfast. While I like mushrooms, a large amount of people don't. DL often serves a mushroom dish as one of the main courses on longer flights, but doesn't seem to load many of them compared to whatever the other option happens to be. While not the best for passengers' waistlines, AS could serve the same type of cinnamon rolls or muffins sold in the Costco bakery instead of the current breakfasts and a lot of people would be happy.

I enjoy flying in F when upgrades are available. The seats are more comfortable than in Y, there is a wider selection of free food and beverages, and there is no chance (on AS and many other airlines) of getting a middle seat. On AS, I like the seats on the older 739s and first few 738s. As I prefer aisle seats, there is usually one or more people between me and the wall.

I do think that AS could have a PDB and provide pillows and blankets. It could also have a snack basket in addition to the meal service on flights, but that would likely mean the end of meals on non-transcon flights.

As for the name of the airline, I like the name Alaska Alaska Airlines and the Eskimo logo even more. Sure it causes confusion for some people, but the same could be said about flying Northwest Orient or Delta on routes not involving any of those regions. Being SEA-based, seeing the friendly Eskimo at any airport reminds me that if I stayed on that plane long enough, I'd get back to SEA.

FWIW, I'm surprised that the Eskimo is not featured on the AS Visa, though maybe it'd look too similar to the MVP/G/75K cards.

eponymous_coward

Can you demonstrate where this is showing up in their bottom line, outside of anecdotes on review sites?

I'd like to point out here that again, VX has 8 F seats with something like 55" pitch, IFE, WiFi, power on EVERY flight, so unquestionably if you get on any of their planes (not just the ones flying to JFK or a longhaul bird from the legacies), you get the best F hard product out there, every time you fly them... and all that's yielded is cash burn.

I'll also point out that some of the easiest upgrades in UA's system are the West Coast->Hawaii flights- so apparently wherever HVCs are, they aren't flying SFO-HNL on UA paid F. So that would seem to indicate very limited return for AS spending a lot of cash on upgrading their cabins on the largest market they've expanded in the last 5 years.

OK, sure, a PDB that probably costs a buck in mixer and booze would be a cheap grace note, but what exactly are we expecting here?