DuckFlyer

I just filled out the Alaska Listens survey on the above topics.

Flew PDX-STL RT on the E175 and was thrilled by the trip. Love the new planes... very roomy, clean, lots of legroom (was in 1A but coach looked good too), bags fit in the overhead bin, smooth flight, and overall great experience. There were two negatives though.

1) Apple devices do not work with the E175 inflight power chargers. There is a black spring that pushes the charger out so that it doesn't work. Laptop charger worked fine. Other F passengers had same issue so it appears to be a unit problem and the FA/captain were going to address with maintenance.

2) Had to train the STL ticket agent (probably not AS badged) on MVP Gold benefits. Co-worker traveling with me so I asked agent if there was an U space available. When she said yes I asked her if she could please upgrade my friend. After handing him the upgraded BP she asked for a credit card for $176 for the upgrade. I had to explain companion upgrades to her for Gold. She took my word for it but was very puzzled. Passengers should not have to train airport staff on airline procedures.

Overall, very pleased with the ability to have thin non-stop routes from PDX with the E175. Great job AS!

Hartmann

Currently sitting on an E175 to PDX and agree, the 110v plug spring is a problem.

I'm not sure there is anything maintenance can do about it, I've had issues on every single AS E175 I've been on, which I think is every airframe they currently have. It's not just Apple chargers but others as well.


As far as outstation training, I definitely think some follow-up training would be a good idea. Just last week I was upgraded inside of the 24-hour window but at the airport (MKE) the agents could not figure out how to actually process it. I was stuck at check-in for about 10-15 minutes while they sorted it out.

Maybe someone else can answer this but I had my first E175 Y experience on Tuesday and it seems like the overhead bins are smaller in the back. My suitcase fits straight in on the right side of the plane in F but in Y I have to lay it sideways (on the right side). Is the left side overhead more spacious in Y?

tedder

You can actually use a 2-prong "figure eight" cord on your Apple charger. That keeps it from hanging so much weight off the 110 outlet.

Quattro

Was your co-worker on the same reservation? I thought they got rid of the ability to upgrade a "companion" on a separate reservation years ago.

DuckFlyer

Different res but this has not stopped me in the past. I was able to upgrade him on the outbound flight as well by calling the gold desk 30 hours before flight.

metallo

Thanks for this report! I virtually always fly AA (and now US as well since the merger), but since I frequently fly to the west coast from STL, I'm interested in the AS nonstops to SEA and PDX. I just flew the STL-SEA flight and was fairly pleased with the F product, which was certainly on par with AA/US, if not better in a few respects.

I was aware of the STL-PDX route addition this summer, but I haven't flown it personally, and this is the first report I've seen. Is it true though that there's no F meal on a flight of this length?

BTW, when I checked in for my flight to SEA, there was only one AS agent at the counter, and he appeared to be a contract worker. He didn't seem very familiar with the system and had some difficulty just printing a boarding pass, so I'm not surprised to hear about problems with something more complicated like a companion upgrade.

DuckFlyer

They did serve a meal both ways! Typical AS F product and it was pretty good.

metallo

Thanks for reporting back... good to know, because both the AS and AA websites are wrong then. AS says no meal, while AA lists the codeshare as a refreshment only flight.