PDB improvements coming on mid/transcon flights
 

Starting 6/16 Alaska will be improving the PDB offering in F class on mid con and trans con flights. It won't be a full service, but much improved. In the morning, choices will be juice, water, coffee, Sun Liquor bloody mary or screwdriver. Afternoon/evening choices will be water, red wine or a Northwest microbrew. Hopefully this change will be well received. Please be patient as the Flight Attendants get used to this new offering. It's been a while since Alaska has offered much of PDB service in First Class and there will be a learning curve. Also, there may be instances where they are unable to offer the service due to time constraints because of a late arrival/quick turn or lack of catering. I'm confident that everyone will do their best to make this work.

Absolutely no excuse why they can't offer anything in inventory absent a time constraint or local laws regarding liquor pre-departure. It's a minimal service standard and if other carriers can do it, these guys can too.

Point taken, but this is a nice step forward for those that fly Alaska. ;)

Just flew SEA-PHX and PHX-SEA in First on USAirways. Full offerings for PDB's. Going to board SEA-JNU in Delta First in a bit, will report on what they offer.

I am OK with a bit more than water & get why Alaska may not want to open the entire liquor cart at 6am for some of us :)

Wow, that's great news! Does SEA-ANC qualify as a mid-con?

Honestly, I don't know, but I don't think so. In terms of general service levels, no, it does not. Whether they will count this flight as such for PDB, I don't know.

PDB doesn't matter a whole lot to me, especially since I don't drink, but I don't understand how they came up with the idea to restrict it to certain flights based on flight length....you would think it would be just the opposite. On flights with a shorter in-flight time where there is normally LESS time to serve beverages, you would think it would make more sense to offer PDB service.

Either way, it's good to see AS trying catch up with what just about every other carrier has been doing for years. Given the relatively early boarding times I've seen with AS flights, you would think they would have been first to offer PDB...except for delayed flights, they certainly have the most time for it.

As a side note, after watching the crumbling of the UA Mileage Plus program, I don't care if I never see another PDB or in-flight cookie or warm towel in F.....I am MORE than happy to have made the switch from UA to AS this year....I love this airline and it will continue to my #1 choice.

Oh, bummer. I respectfully retract my previous enthusiasm.

Agreed. Liquor in the mornign but not in the afternoon/evening seems strange as well.

There is zero excuse for not having full PDB on every flight (except delayed ones). Hell we were fully boarded with :25 to go at SJC on Friday (and like usual didn't push back a minute early and pushed back :02 late).

I guess I'm a little surprised. Honestly, I can see everyone's point about a full PDB service on all flights but the fact is that until today, the only thing that was offered on any flight (except for flights to/from Hawaii) was a cup of water (or coffee in the morning sometimes). This is a step forward, a foot in the door if you will. It wouldn't surprise me to see a full PDB service at some point, but this is where they've decided to start. I guess I thought people would respond a little more enthusiastically. I think I over estimated. Maybe I should have just let it be and let everyone discover this change on their own. It probably would have been a pleasant surprise.

Problem with that statement is that some of us remember when AS had full PDB in the past. Then it was gone, replaced by bottled water. Then that was gone, replaced by a cup of water. So giving back a portion of what we once had (and not even giving it on every flight) leaves little to get too excited about.

I honestly don't get what the huge hullabaloo is about a PDB. 90% of the time I don't even take the water they offer.

Guess I'm in the minority.

I do wish AS would go back to the water bottles though.

I would look forward to that glass of wine on an afternoon flight, but I wish it were a white wine. As I usually sit in an aisle seat there is quite a bit of banging about by loading passengers and I would rather not wear splashed red wine, so will likely pass. A white is MUCH safer. Just say'n.

Ditto.

Delta Connection has a better pre-departure service than AS. Got 2 drinks on JFK - DCA before takeoff.

I was excited when I read this. Figured it was a precursor to more improvements. Guess I'm in the minority as well :(