Jan 3, 2017, 9:02 am
Last edit by: Seat 2A
How to find out what the meal service will be for a specific Alaska Air flight:
1) On the website, use the "Explore" tab and select "Flight Schedules" from the left-hand side of the drop-down menu.
2) Plug in your city-pair and your week of travel, and the site will pull up all of the Alaska Air flights for that week.
3) Find your flight number on the list. From there you can see what's offered for the meal service. There are two columns corresponding to first class and coach.
A) In first class the codes are (B-breakfast; L-lunch; D-dinner; S-snack).
B) For coach the section may be blank (meaning beverage service and for-purchase cold snack-packs). Or it may show "F" or "F,F" to indicate there are other items for purchase on longer routes like a cheese plate, or in some cases the Beecher's breakfast sandwich or one of the Tom Douglas items.
What *specifically* is offered in first class for B, L, D, or S is the source of much discussion in this thread.
Sometimes a S (snack) will seem more substantial than what's offered as L (lunch). That's where searching this thread can be of assistance.
As near as I can tell for the coach section:
Blank = snack packs only;
"F" = snack packs and cheese plates offered;
"F,F" = snack packs, cheese plate, plus one other item on offer.
Please feel free to edit if that assumption is not correct.
For anyone desiring a more structured or organized submission, here is a template (You'll need to add a / before the last bracketed B as in [/b]):
[B]Date of Flight[B]:
[B]Flight Number and Route flown[B]:
[B]Time of Departure[B]:
[B]Length of flight[B]:
[B]Class of service[B]:
[B]Pre-Departure Beverage service[B]:
[B]Meal served[B]:
[B]Meal Description[B]: .
[B]Additional Comments[B]:
1) On the website, use the "Explore" tab and select "Flight Schedules" from the left-hand side of the drop-down menu.
2) Plug in your city-pair and your week of travel, and the site will pull up all of the Alaska Air flights for that week.
3) Find your flight number on the list. From there you can see what's offered for the meal service. There are two columns corresponding to first class and coach.
A) In first class the codes are (B-breakfast; L-lunch; D-dinner; S-snack).
B) For coach the section may be blank (meaning beverage service and for-purchase cold snack-packs). Or it may show "F" or "F,F" to indicate there are other items for purchase on longer routes like a cheese plate, or in some cases the Beecher's breakfast sandwich or one of the Tom Douglas items.
What *specifically* is offered in first class for B, L, D, or S is the source of much discussion in this thread.
Sometimes a S (snack) will seem more substantial than what's offered as L (lunch). That's where searching this thread can be of assistance.
As near as I can tell for the coach section:
Blank = snack packs only;
"F" = snack packs and cheese plates offered;
"F,F" = snack packs, cheese plate, plus one other item on offer.
Please feel free to edit if that assumption is not correct.
For anyone desiring a more structured or organized submission, here is a template (You'll need to add a / before the last bracketed B as in [/b]):
[B]Date of Flight[B]:
[B]Flight Number and Route flown[B]:
[B]Time of Departure[B]:
[B]Length of flight[B]:
[B]Class of service[B]:
[B]Pre-Departure Beverage service[B]:
[B]Meal served[B]:
[B]Meal Description[B]: .
[B]Additional Comments[B]:
What Will Alaska Airlines Be Serving In First Class On Your Flight? (2017)
Feb 11, 2017, 4:17 pm
#196
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: San Francisco area
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott T
Posts: 455
Just to show how bad AS's catering is, here is what Delta serves on ANC-SEA late afternoon departure, compared to that rubbery chicken with jalapeños which AS rebrands as Chicken Banmi.
Last edited by bdhaliwa; Feb 11, 2017 at 4:18 pm Reason: add picture
Feb 11, 2017, 5:45 pm
#197
Join Date: May 2003
Location: SFO, mostly
Posts: 2,204
To be fair, that doesn't look very different in quality or quantity from a meal I had on an early evening AS flight on ANC-SEA, with the exception of DL serving ice cream and AS serving a packaged cookie and DL having real salt and pepper shakers. I agree that AS has some definite "misses" in their catering cycle (chicken salad and a piece of bread on a 3 1/2 hour flight is not OK), but they also serve meals that are well prepared and filling. It would just be nice if AS could remove the "clunkers" from their meal rotation sooner, instead of leaving them in for a full year...
Feb 11, 2017, 5:49 pm
#198
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
I agree that this departure would be better suited for a full dinner service. From your photo, Delta's 3:20pm departure offers a somewhat more filling meal that amongst most casual observers would appear to be a dinner.
But here's the thing - If only based upon the humble if occasionally mis-catered Bahn Mi sandwich, you've issued a blanket statement impugning Alaska's catering in general.
Let's be fair here.
On the Anchorage to Seattle route, depending upon the day of the week Alaska offers between 8 and 12 flights per day versus Delta's three. Amongst those twelve flights that Alaska might offer are flights serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
This month's dinner offering on the ANC/FAI to SEA route is the Garlic Beef (though I once heard it referred to as "Mustard Beef"). I've flown the route three times this month - dinner flights all. Between Anchorage and Seattle you'll find it on the 4:50p and 7:15p daily departures and the 5:55p Thursday departure.
Speaking solely per my tastes at least, when it comes to a true dinner service I'll take Alaska's Garlic Beef everyday and Tuesday over the little dish of rice topped with that mass of undefinable protoplasm proffered by Delta.
For comparison purposes, here is a picture of this month's Garlic Beef dinner being served on the ANC/FAI to SEA route.
Last edited by Seat 2A; Feb 12, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Feb 11, 2017, 10:05 pm
#199
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
The rolls and butter look oddly alike 
And the Bahn Mi I am a fan of.
And the Bahn Mi I am a fan of.
Feb 12, 2017, 10:46 am
#200
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
I haven't flown first on AS in a while, I remember the food offering last year being a strange sort of small plates menu - which was very busy but ultimately different and - IMO - delicious. What on earth happened? I've had far better food in school cafeterias than the slop they're currently serving in so-called first.
This time of year does seem to be when "trial runs" occur. Last year it was the tapas-style meals, this year it's the free chat along with free access to movies on one's own device(s). Those non-permanent offerings run through the end of March.
Last edited by AKCuisine; Feb 12, 2017 at 11:13 am
Feb 12, 2017, 11:02 am
#201
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
Date of Flight: February 11th, 2017
Flight Number and Route flown: AS 761 BWI-SEA
Time of Departure: 5:35pm
Length of flight: 6:00
Class of service: First
Pre-Departure Beverage service: Bottled water at seat
Meal served: Dinner
Meal Description: A menu card was at the seat when we boarded. The choices were Chicken with Cafe Au Lait Sauce or Parmesan Crusted Trident Cod with scalloped potatoes. The salad was the dreaded baby arugula...
Additional Comments: I drew the line a couple of flights ago. I don't do arugula. So, I passed on the salad and thus, no photo. The chicken dish was comprised of a roasted, sliced and reasonably tender chicken breast doused in the flavorful Cafe Au Lait sauce. It tasted like most any brown gravy to me but what do I know? I'm no gourmand. I just like playing one here on this thread. Anyway, I liked it. Thankfully, I also like spinach. Dessert was okay by my standards, too. A pair of small frosted cupcakes accompanied by a strawberry.
The best dessert I ever had on Alaska was a fantastic fruit tart served on a Miami to Seattle flight back in 2003. I also remember an apple pie between Boston and Seattle in 2012 that was a very close second.
But I digress. Here's the pics
Flight Number and Route flown: AS 761 BWI-SEA
Time of Departure: 5:35pm
Length of flight: 6:00
Class of service: First
Pre-Departure Beverage service: Bottled water at seat
Meal served: Dinner
Meal Description: A menu card was at the seat when we boarded. The choices were Chicken with Cafe Au Lait Sauce or Parmesan Crusted Trident Cod with scalloped potatoes. The salad was the dreaded baby arugula...
Additional Comments: I drew the line a couple of flights ago. I don't do arugula. So, I passed on the salad and thus, no photo. The chicken dish was comprised of a roasted, sliced and reasonably tender chicken breast doused in the flavorful Cafe Au Lait sauce. It tasted like most any brown gravy to me but what do I know? I'm no gourmand. I just like playing one here on this thread. Anyway, I liked it. Thankfully, I also like spinach. Dessert was okay by my standards, too. A pair of small frosted cupcakes accompanied by a strawberry.
The best dessert I ever had on Alaska was a fantastic fruit tart served on a Miami to Seattle flight back in 2003. I also remember an apple pie between Boston and Seattle in 2012 that was a very close second.
But I digress. Here's the pics
Feb 12, 2017, 11:12 am
#202
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: ANC
Programs: AS; Hyatt; Bonvoy
Posts: 1,718
Date of Flight: 2/11/17
Flight Number and Route flown: AS #520 SEA-BUR
Time of Departure: 1:50 PM
Length of flight: Approx 2 hours
Class of service: First
Pre-Departure Beverage service: A bottle of water at the seat.
Meal served: Lunch
Meal Description: "A turkey and pastrami sandwich."
This is the same meal that's already been documented by me on the SEA-ABQ route and by 3ur0tr45h on the PDX-SNA route this month. Full details and photos on on those two posts.
Sadly, the bottom half of this sandwich was wet and leaden, as was the one I received on the SEA-ABQ route earlier in the week. Perhaps PDX (where 3ur0tr45h's catering took place) does something different than Seattle, so the ciabatta roll doesn't get so soggy?
Observing the meal trays for several other travelers in First, it appeared that only one person out of six (that I could see) actually picked the item up and tried to eat it as a sandwich. The other four and I all tried cutting it up - with varying degrees of success.
The bottom half of my ciabatta roll was so wet and tough I couldn't even cut it in half using the knife and fork, so I doubt I could have bitten through it. At the same time, the top of the roll was rock-hard. Most of the folks I could see appeared to end up eating the pressed-formed poultry-product from the center, leaving behind a mound of the uneaten ciabatta.
Catering issues aside, the cabin had terrific service provided on the route by FA Mark.
Flight Number and Route flown: AS #520 SEA-BUR
Time of Departure: 1:50 PM
Length of flight: Approx 2 hours
Class of service: First
Pre-Departure Beverage service: A bottle of water at the seat.
Meal served: Lunch
Meal Description: "A turkey and pastrami sandwich."
This is the same meal that's already been documented by me on the SEA-ABQ route and by 3ur0tr45h on the PDX-SNA route this month. Full details and photos on on those two posts.
Sadly, the bottom half of this sandwich was wet and leaden, as was the one I received on the SEA-ABQ route earlier in the week. Perhaps PDX (where 3ur0tr45h's catering took place) does something different than Seattle, so the ciabatta roll doesn't get so soggy?
Observing the meal trays for several other travelers in First, it appeared that only one person out of six (that I could see) actually picked the item up and tried to eat it as a sandwich. The other four and I all tried cutting it up - with varying degrees of success.
The bottom half of my ciabatta roll was so wet and tough I couldn't even cut it in half using the knife and fork, so I doubt I could have bitten through it. At the same time, the top of the roll was rock-hard. Most of the folks I could see appeared to end up eating the pressed-formed poultry-product from the center, leaving behind a mound of the uneaten ciabatta.
Catering issues aside, the cabin had terrific service provided on the route by FA Mark.
Feb 12, 2017, 1:09 pm
#203
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Programs: AS MVP 100K, UA PremEx-MM
Posts: 3,335
Flight/Route: AS673/DEN-SEA/Feb. 11, 2017
Aircraft/Tail/Seat: 737-900/N264AK/2D
Departure Time/Duration/Meal: 11:15 a.m./2:56/Lunch
Here's the unliked chicken salad; I thought it tasted fine but was just too small of a portion to be satisfying. The bread was focaccia style.
Served with a big tumbler of Trevari sparkling wine and a Cougar Mountain oatmeal raisin cinnamon cookie.
Aircraft/Tail/Seat: 737-900/N264AK/2D
Departure Time/Duration/Meal: 11:15 a.m./2:56/Lunch
Here's the unliked chicken salad; I thought it tasted fine but was just too small of a portion to be satisfying. The bread was focaccia style.
Served with a big tumbler of Trevari sparkling wine and a Cougar Mountain oatmeal raisin cinnamon cookie.
Last edited by Kurt; Feb 12, 2017 at 6:15 pm
Feb 12, 2017, 1:13 pm
#204
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Programs: AS MVP 100K, UA PremEx-MM
Posts: 3,335
Flight/Route: AS674/SEA-DEN/Feb. 12, 2017
Aircraft/Tail/Seat: 737-900/N472AS/3C
Departure Time/Duration/Meal: 6:40 a.m./2:31/Breakfast
Waffle with scrambled eggs and chicken sausage. Served with "breakfast syrup" and a fruit bowl (red grapes, cantaloupe and a strawberry).
The waffle was delicious, slightly chewy and sweet. The crew was excellent; very busy the whole flight and on top of things.
Aircraft/Tail/Seat: 737-900/N472AS/3C
Departure Time/Duration/Meal: 6:40 a.m./2:31/Breakfast
Waffle with scrambled eggs and chicken sausage. Served with "breakfast syrup" and a fruit bowl (red grapes, cantaloupe and a strawberry).
The waffle was delicious, slightly chewy and sweet. The crew was excellent; very busy the whole flight and on top of things.
Last edited by Kurt; Feb 12, 2017 at 6:15 pm
Feb 12, 2017, 1:25 pm
#205
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: PDX
Programs: AS 75K, BW Plat, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 10,725
Thanks for the report Seat 2A, I'm also not a big fan of arugula....the chicken with the mashed potatoes and gravy looks tasty....with the exception of the spinach which I suppose you could request that it be left off the plate (FAs do plate the hot meals themselves, correct?). What was the veggie offering on the cod dish?
Your desert looks like the same small cupcake desert that folks complained about a few months ago, but this time they added a 2nd cupcake so maybe that helped
This is an interesting menu report because I assumed the transcon lunch/dinner rotation this month was the cod & ravioli option with the brownie for desert since it was already reportedly served on a Feb. transcon upthread. I guess they have two options running this month.
Your desert looks like the same small cupcake desert that folks complained about a few months ago, but this time they added a 2nd cupcake so maybe that helped
This is an interesting menu report because I assumed the transcon lunch/dinner rotation this month was the cod & ravioli option with the brownie for desert since it was already reportedly served on a Feb. transcon upthread. I guess they have two options running this month.
Feb 12, 2017, 5:28 pm
#206
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Thanks for the report Seat 2A, I'm also not a big fan of arugula....the chicken with the mashed potatoes and gravy looks tasty....with the exception of the spinach which I suppose you could request that it be left off the plate (FAs do plate the hot meals themselves, correct?). What was the veggie offering on the cod dish?
Your desert looks like the same small cupcake desert that folks complained about a few months ago, but this time they added a 2nd cupcake so maybe that helped
Your desert looks like the same small cupcake desert that folks complained about a few months ago, but this time they added a 2nd cupcake so maybe that helped
Feb 14, 2017, 9:21 am
#207
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Seattle WA, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, AS Lounge
Posts: 3,478
Date of Flight: 2/11/17
Flight # and Route: AS 787 MSY-SEA
Departure Time : 6:55 pm
Length of flight : About 4.5 hours (tailwind)
Class of Service: F
Pre-Departure Beverage: Bottle of water at seat
Meal Served: Dinner
Sorry, no pictures.
Salad: Smashed red bliss potato pea salad
Entrée: Cavatappi pasta with puttanesca sauce
Dessert: Cupcake Royale chocolate babycake
The salad was OK. The entrée description said it included sautéed zucchini and fresh ricotta but I don't recall either -- maybe a catering error? In any case the small portion of pasta was quite tasty but not filling enough to be an entrée -- more like a side dish. Between that and the one bite mini-cupcake we were still hungry after the meal. Fortunately the snack basket came around soon thereafter to help fill us up. The alternate entrée was Red wine braised chicken w/horseradish mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.
The service was excellent.
Flight # and Route: AS 787 MSY-SEA
Departure Time : 6:55 pm
Length of flight : About 4.5 hours (tailwind)
Class of Service: F
Pre-Departure Beverage: Bottle of water at seat
Meal Served: Dinner
Sorry, no pictures.
Salad: Smashed red bliss potato pea salad
Entrée: Cavatappi pasta with puttanesca sauce
Dessert: Cupcake Royale chocolate babycake
The salad was OK. The entrée description said it included sautéed zucchini and fresh ricotta but I don't recall either -- maybe a catering error? In any case the small portion of pasta was quite tasty but not filling enough to be an entrée -- more like a side dish. Between that and the one bite mini-cupcake we were still hungry after the meal. Fortunately the snack basket came around soon thereafter to help fill us up. The alternate entrée was Red wine braised chicken w/horseradish mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts.
The service was excellent.
Feb 14, 2017, 10:26 am
#208
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
Date of Flight: 2/11/17
Flight # and Route: AS 863 PDX-OGG
Departure Time : 6:30 pm
Length of flight : About 5.75 hours
Class of Service: F
Pre-Departure Beverage: Bottle of water at seat
Meal Served: Dinner
My first voyage to Hawaii and the meal was a disappointment - the ham and cheese ciabatta (the other choice was cod). I was hopinf for something with a bit of island flair but it was not to be had. No pictures taken as this meal has been well-chronicled by others already.
Flight # and Route: AS 863 PDX-OGG
Departure Time : 6:30 pm
Length of flight : About 5.75 hours
Class of Service: F
Pre-Departure Beverage: Bottle of water at seat
Meal Served: Dinner
My first voyage to Hawaii and the meal was a disappointment - the ham and cheese ciabatta (the other choice was cod). I was hopinf for something with a bit of island flair but it was not to be had. No pictures taken as this meal has been well-chronicled by others already.
Feb 14, 2017, 10:49 am
#209
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: PDX
Programs: AS 75K, BW Plat, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 10,725
Date of Flight: 2/11/17
Flight # and Route: AS 863 PDX-OGG
Departure Time : 6:30 pm
Length of flight : About 5.75 hours
Class of Service: F
Pre-Departure Beverage: Bottle of water at seat
Meal Served: Dinner
My first voyage to Hawaii and the meal was a disappointment - the ham and cheese ciabatta (the other choice was cod). I was hopinf for something with a bit of island flair but it was not to be had. No pictures taken as this meal has been well-chronicled by others already.
Flight # and Route: AS 863 PDX-OGG
Departure Time : 6:30 pm
Length of flight : About 5.75 hours
Class of Service: F
Pre-Departure Beverage: Bottle of water at seat
Meal Served: Dinner
My first voyage to Hawaii and the meal was a disappointment - the ham and cheese ciabatta (the other choice was cod). I was hopinf for something with a bit of island flair but it was not to be had. No pictures taken as this meal has been well-chronicled by others already.
Feb 14, 2017, 10:52 am
#210
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: JNU
Programs: HH D, AS MM/MVPG for life/AL, Awesome Wipes VIP Club, NEXUS, Hertz 5-Star Gold
Posts: 2,893
The ham and cheese ciabatta is a new one I think...haven't seen it posted yet....sounds yummy, but an odd choice for a long-haul Hawaii dinner flight. Be glad that you had a "normal" meal...the "island" flair basically means you would have something "normal" with pineapple added