WillTravel4Food

Add to that what seems to me 30+ minutes when the aisle is blocked for drink/food service. Even in my preferred 17C/D it seems like it takes forever to clear the aisle.

willoL

I can't agree with OP's position, but I am glad to hear that people who do prefer Premium are getting a product they prefer. I'm all for meaningful options. I'd love for the option to "buy out" a middle seat in Premium to be offered, for cash and/or for miles... for those of you who want it. Lower passenger volume on a plane makes me more comfortable and probably improves passenger comfort and health. Let people buy what they prefer.

Personally, the dedicated lavatory for F is the ultimate deciding factor for MY case. That, and less jostling overall as I reach my forward seat is very meaningful to someone with a chronic health condition (affecting mobility and my threshold for-/susceptibility to- pain.)

I don't need extra legroom, but not being elbowed by my neighbor is worth $$$. If there were a toilet at mid-cabin, two seats in Premium (mine + a Comfort seat) would suit me as well as F. That isn't what AS has on its planes, however, so Premium is worst of all worlds. As it is, on the rare occasion I sit in Y, I elect a window seat (+ comfort middle) closer to the economy facilities. I just don't want to risk limping down the aisle during turbulence. Pre-boarding--when done correctly, with plenty of time--makes the long walk safer for me than it is in flight.

I prefer a hot meal (and cloth napkin + metal utensils) over a boxed meal by an enormous margin. Making Fruit & Cheese an always-available F meal choice was perfect for when the other selections don't appeal to me.

I can't repeat enough how happy I am that Alaska never installed screens in seats alongside those enormous, obnoxious metal boxes under the seats that were needed to support the technology. I carry my own entertainment, and I want the entire space ahead of me for my carry on. (My frozen shoulder makes accessing the overhead bin difficult some days, impossible on others.) I liked the old Digiplayer option, but only for my kid who viewed those as a special treat.

I pay out of pocket for AS F enough to have been MVP for close to a decade now. I suppose that says it all. I've voted with my wallet. I'll keep doing so.

Nonstop, direct flights are the first factor in my choices most of the time, but comfort (seat WIDTH, cushioning, accessibility of facilities) in flight is also worth my cold, hard cash. Healthy, long-legged types will have different priorities. That seems pretty normal to me, and capitalism working properly should supply us both with the options we want.

eponymous_coward

It exists, "EXTRA SEAT" is a thing. A discounted version of this is going to be "LOLOLOLOLOL, haha, we're running a business, if you want two seats, buy them at the going rate like you can today".

LGACIC

I chose 17A over 1C on a redye from Hawaii last weekend - the F aisle seats are torture overnight IMO. There's hardly a difference in recline from the back, and a coach window seat at least allows you to lean against the wall.

vanillabean

I imagine a couple of Advil might come in handy during turbulence.

jiburi

By the logic of European model, extra seat cost is shared by the person on window side, and by the person on the Aisle. The model you are advocating makes the "purchaser" the full access to the middle seat by purchasing the seat outright. In reality, the other person who didn't pay the extra seat, also gets a free benefit of having the middle seat open. I would prefer the European model in this case...

Jiburi

Eastbay1K

Sounds like something a former White House resident (at least) once said while married to a non-European non-model

I'd prefer a consistently good F product, and a true Y+ product.

Finkface

Not quite sure where to put this but I just heard an interesting announcement on my AS flight. I am in F but it seemed to be directed more at coach. The FA announced that they had just concluded the first drink service and the carts were now out of the aisle. If anyone wanted anything before they came around again in two hours to please come to the rear galley and ask and to not use the call button as that was for emergencies only. First time I have ever heard that on an AS flight.

TalkingPoint

I heard the same announcement a couple times on my flights so not isolated. It serves as a reminder to me that their service flow is totally off when they announce this before all passengers in F have even received their first drink.

jrl767

probably didn’t want to end up the implied problem in a ranting FT thread

eponymous_coward

A European model for what? There is no Y+ product nor is there recliner F in Europe for the typical EU or UK airline flying narrowbodies.

Again, AS isn't going to cripple their capacity in coach by turning PC into a downgraded F cabin unless they're just going to get rid of F altogether and just do something very different. Especially since it's "hey, I should get this for free since I fly you a lot" (which is, again, not how any of this works in Europe).

And they literally bought an airline that did something very different (VX) and went "nah" so there'd have to be some very good $ for change...

perktd

Its interesting to see the different points of view expressed here. Clearly having an empty middle seat in Premium makes the experience much more tolerable and I arrange that whenever possible. However, for me I will take any First seat over any Premium seat and thank you to any of you who decline an upgrade on my flights.

sullim4

To me, this is all about the combo of hard and soft product and what the expectations are for each.

There has been a definite decline in the quality of service in the F cabin for many years now. In these parts I am a relative youngin, having taken my first AS flight in F circa 2008 after moving out to the west coast. The prayer cards were still a thing back then. I remember one flight in particular, HNL-PDX, that had one of the nicest, most attentive FAs I've ever encountered on any airline. Of course, we were all addressed by name and our jackets were hung up. PDBs orders were taken as we were sitting down. He noticed one elderly passenger having trouble with her food and offered to cut her steak. He kept the drinks flowing in the cabin and was just an extremely kind gentleman.

Those days are unfortunately long gone. Now you're lucky to get dessert catered properly. PDBs are a thing of the past. The FAs gossip about other passengers and hide in the galley with the curtain closed. One younger FA that was assigned to the F cabin this past June went ballistic on my wife for opening the galley curtain. We were 18 hours into SYD-NAN-LAX-SEA, on the last leg after hours of delays at LAX. On the FJ A350 you have to go behind a curtain to get to the J lav and my wife did that absentmindedly on an AS 737. You would have thought the world was ending.

In Y+, I know what I am getting from the FAs, assuming 'turbulence' doesn't hit on a short flight. A drink service or two, and peace/quiet for the flight. I'm perfectly fine with that. Generally I don't need a ton of service, but I also want what I paid (miles or cash) for.

On the other hand, I prefer the hard product in F over Y+ on AS 10 times out of 10. Even though I am not a 'customer of size', I appreciate the wider seat and the lack of armrest fights.

Generally my rule of thumb is - domestically, I book Y+, internationally I book J. The upgrade in hard product is worth it on the longer flight, and the service gets much closer to meeting expectations compared to domestic F.

BOB W

To me the biggest problem with PE is on the short haul flights. I have DEN-SEA-LAX coming up at the end of the month, both flights mid-day. Both flights have the same (lame) menu problem! Lack of choices. Signature Fruit & Cheese Platter

Jetsetter's Jam

Mediterranean Tapas Picnic Pack

Northwest Deli Picnic Pack

Kids’ Choice Picnic Pack

To me the F&C got old years ago and I can only eat so much Jetsetters Jam. As A 100K with lounge access in DEN & SEA I can enjoy much better choices. But there needs to be some other options!

jrl767

eminently reasonable rant for now, Bob, but you’ll almost certainly get the UG on one if not both legs of that trip and it’ll be moot