Seat 2A

NOTE: For accompanying photos, click on this link
Your email address is: [email protected]
Your password is : highflyer

My season in Denali National Park ended on September 11th. I drove the 9:15am Wonder Lake run on a beautiful autumn day, crisp and clear. Twelve hours later, I turned in my keys, headset, driver’s manual and paperwork and began the arduous task of packing up and moving out of employee housing. Snow began falling late that night and by morning, the park road was closed at Toklat. How’s that for timing?

Normally, I travel this time of year. Most years, I’ve headed down to Kings Canyon or Sequoia National Park to backpack in the High Sierra, followed by a road trip or a Mileage Run around the Lower 48. Alas, this year I am due in Superior Court in late September and so am unable to undertake my usual post season peregrinations such as last year’s Great Autumn Mileage Run. And no – I’m not the defendant. Rather, I’m a potential juror. In any event, here I was stuck in Fairbanks with no plans other than just hanging out and awaiting my day or days in court. I was bored.

With six days to go before I had to report for jury duty, I began to consider my options. Leaving the state was the last thing on my mind as I sat on my cabin porch pondering a 400 mile drive down to Valdez to catch the ferry across to Homer. Then again, perhaps a trip over the Taylor Highway to Eagle before the road is closed for the winter would be in order. I had just enough mileage in my account for a trip out of state but was saving that for an October trip to Magnoliafest in northern Florida. Suddenly, I remembered the Bonus Travel Ticket which I’d earned by volunteering to be bumped off a flight between Seattle and Los Angeles back in May. Alaska’s Bonus Travel Tickets are good for travel anywhere in the Alaska Airlines system, including Mexico. My horizons were instantly and considerably broadened! I briefly considered travelling to Cancun or Ixtapa versus spending a few days in New England or maybe even heading down to Las Vegas or Phoenix for a spin around the desert. By the time I’d decided upon and confirmed Miami and the Everglades as a destination, it was 5:30pm, less than twenty hours before departure time.

As an added bonus, Alaska Airlines allows its MVP Golds to upgrade to First Class on these Bonus Travel Tickets. I was unaware of this at the time of booking so when the reservation agent mentioned that of all flights, the Seattle to Miami leg was available for an upgrade, I at first thought she meant that I could buy an upgrade. Well, imagine my surprise and delight to learn that not only was there no fee, but I would also be waitlisted for an upgrade on all of my other flights. Woo-Hoo!!

Later that night, flush in the glow of the Broncos decisive victory over the hapless Oakland Raiders, I checked the Alaska web site and discovered that I’d now been upgraded on my flights down to Seattle as well. 4,430 miles of flying between Fairbanks and Miami, all in First Class. Life is good.

So then, for you Trip Report junkies curious about Alaska’s transcon First Class service to Florida, here now is the tale of my little trip from the tundra to the tropics, First Class all the way.


23 September, 2003
FAI-ANC Alaska 92 First Class
737-4Q8 N755AS Seat 3F
109p – 211p Flight time: :48

While doing some last minute shopping in town this morning, I almost slipped and fell on a frozen puddle in the Fred Meyers parking lot. Nighttime temperatures routinely dip into the teens and twenties this time of year and I smiled at the thought that soon I’d be dealing with temperatures hotter than we Alaskans generally ever see, even in the summer.

Today was bright and sunny. I could clearly see the Alaska Range to the south and knew that it would be a fine day for viewing Denali and its surrounding mountains.

Upon checking in, I requested that my seat be changed to a window seat on the right side of the cabin. No problem. Seat 3F awaited me as I boarded the half full 737-400. As the plane pushed back from the gate, we could clearly hear a dog barking in the cargo hold below. The barking continued right on through the take off roll, ending abruptly as we climbed skyward and the pooch paused to consider this new sensation.

Flight time down to Anchorage was a lengthy forty eight minutes, cruising at 33,000 feet. As we approached the Denali Massif, the captain came on and informed us of the panorama, claiming it to be as fine a view as he’d seen in his fourteen years of flying with Alaska. Check out the photo link for pictures!

An ice cold can of MacTarnahans and a packet of Cashews got this trip off to a nice start. Before long, we were descending over the Susitna delta and lining up for our final into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The dog resumed its barking as soon as we’d landed. I headed straight for the comfort of the Boardroom to await my next flight.


23 September, 2003
ANC-SEA Alaska 102 First Class * Dinner
737-790 N611AS Seat 1A
355p– 812p Flight time: 3:01

The aircraft operating this flight began its day with an early morning departure out of Washington Dulles. After a brief stop in Seattle, it encountered strong headwinds that delayed its arrival into and our departure out of Anchorage by half an hour. Our captain was hardly concerned, assuring us that those very same headwinds would become our tailwinds, whisking us down to Seattle in a mere 2 hours and 48 minutes. An on time arrival was expected.

After reaching a cruising altitude of 41000 feet, cocktails and cashews were served followed by dinner:

DINNER

To Begin
A packet of cashew nuts to accompany the beverage of your choice

Spinach Salad
Presented with mushrooms, bacon and fresh Parmesan cheese.
Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Entrees

Asian Grilled Chicken
Accented with Black Pepper Soy Sauce and served with rice, carrots and asparagus

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Served with roasted parsley potatoes and baked zucchini

** ** **

Dessert
Caramel Cream Pie


I’ve had the stuffed tenderloin before. While theoretically not a bad entrée, I think it sounds somewhat better than it actually tastes. It’s stuffed with prunes and apples and on the two occasions that I’ve had it, the pork has come out rather dry, forcing me to chew hard and snap my head back to get it down. As such, I opted for the chicken, as did my seatmate. As described, the chicken was supposed to be accompanied by “sweet and spicy” fried rice. As delivered, the rice was boiled and nowhere near as sweet and spicy as our Flight Attendant! It was however accompanied by some tasty glazed carrots and a couple stalks of asparagus. I washed this all down with glass of so-so Merlot.

By the way, here are Alaska’s September wine offerings in First Class:

Stone Cellars by Beringer 2001 Chardonnay
Bright tropical fruit and citrus aromas lead into mouth filling flavors of apples and pears in this California Chardonnay. It has a long finish with a nice, soft creaminess.

Delicato 2001 Merlot
This is a full bodied, deep garnet wine with a hint of violet. It has a spicy, ripe plum and blackberry aroma with notes of chocolate and coffee. In the mouth, the wine shows flavors of black cherries, plum, currants and toasty oak.

R.H. Phillips 1999 Chardonnay
Lively apple pie spice notes mingle with tangerine and mango on the nose. Tropical fruit aromas and sweet oak make a smooth, rich mouth feel. This California Chardonnay has been featured seven years as a “Best Buy” by wine author Robert Parker Jr.

Hogue Cellars 2001 Merlot
This is Hogue Cellars’ second vintage of this classic Bordeaux varietal from the heart of Washington’s Columbia Valley. Aromas are of oak, toast and spice, with a sweet rich mid-palate. Flavors are of vanilla, cassis, nutmeg, cocoa, fig and marzipan.


For you hard cores curious about what was served in Economy Class, the selections were announced as follows:

Cheeseburger with Relish
or
Hot Turkey, Ham and Provolone Sandwich

Both entrees were accompanied by potato salad and a Polar Bear Kiss.

Our landing in Seattle was textbook smooth as both wheels appeared to lightly caress the runway at the same time. Smooth and even. Very nice. We spent the next five minutes wandering around the perimeter of the North Satellite before meandering through the alley along the D and C Concourses. Finally, after loitering tantalizingly near to gate C-5, we turned and headed into gate N-8. Alaska and Horizon have been parking at what has historically been United’s concourse for about a year now. I wonder if there’s a message there for United?

Although I have friends here in Seattle, they live quite a ways from the airport and, considering tomorrow’s early departure, I decided to set up camp in a quiet little corner of the airport.


24 September, 2003
SEA-MIA Alaska 19 First Class * Breakfast
737-790 N615AS Seat 1A
840a– 510p Flight time: 5:04

Upstairs on the Mezzanine, down towards United’s side of the terminal, is a quiet little restroom that gets little usage, even in the middle of the day. At 7:00am, it was totally deserted and I slipped in there for a quick wash and a change of clothing. Though a far cry from Heathrow’s Molton brown Spa, I still emerged clean and ready to check out Alaska’s First Class transcon service to Miami. First however, I stopped by the Boardroom for coffee and a bagel.

The aircraft for today’s 2,724 mile flight down to Miami was none other than N615AS, an aircraft I’d flown three times previously, including twice between Anchorage and Chicago, Alaska’s longest route. From my experience at least, this aircraft seems to be reserved for Alaska’s long distance flights. After today’s flight, I’ll have flown this 737-700 just under 10000 miles, averaging almost 2500 miles per flight. The average Alaska route length is closer to 700 miles.

At the gate lounge, many of the passengers were already dressed for the tropics, sporting a variety of colorful cotton shirts and shorts. First Class was full as always while Economy looked to be about half full. A bottle of water awaited me at my seat. However, neither juice, coffee, nor any other pre-flight drinks were offered.

You couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to fly out of Seattle! The skies were clear and blue and Mt. Rainier rose magnificently in the southeast. My seatmate lived in Miami but was born in Colorado. We reminisced about 1970s Colorado and it turned out we shared many common acquaintances around the state from that period - everywhere from Sweetwater Lake to Vail.

Climbing out of Seattle, passengers on the right side of the airplane were treated to spectacular views of the northern Cascade volcanoes. Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, Hood, Jefferson, the Three Sisters – what an awesome lineup! Had it been clearer down south, we might even have been able to see the tip of Mt. Shasta.

As soon as we’d leveled out, the breakfast choices for Economy Class passengers were announced. They were:

Ham and Cheese Omelette
or
Cheese Blintz and Scrambled Eggs

Both entrees were presented with roasted potatoes and turkey sausage.

In First Class, the service began with coffee and juices, followed by a verbal description of the entrée choices. Despite this being a transcon flight, there were neither hot towels nor menus. Not to worry however as I have taken the liberty of presenting the breakfast offerings in menu form. If you really must have a hot towel however, go and make one now, then come back and check out the menu:


BREAKFAST

To Begin
A selection of fresh mixed fruits featuring strawberries, oranges, pineapple, cantaloupe and tiny kiwi berries

Entrée Selections

Asiago Cheese Omelette
Topped with sliced mushrooms and green onions. Presented with roasted potatoes, sautéed spinach and turkey sausage

Mushroom Fritatta
Presented with roasted potatoes, sautéed spinach and turkey sausage


Our flight attendant did a nice job of explaining the entrée choices. As well, I had read generally good things about the omelette in other Trip Reports so both I and my seatmate decided to go with it.

Seatmate was very interested in all the passing scenery and I wished that I’d brought a Rand McNally road atlas along as it was an exceptionally clear day across the western half of America. Even so, I’ve driven, hitched and ridden trains all over the west and I had a pretty good idea of where we were all the way up until southeastern Wyoming. Cruising altitude was 37000 feet and we got nice views of Oregon’s Blue Mountains, the canyons of the Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers and Wyoming’s Grand Tetons and Wind River Range.

Breakfast was served just about the time we crossed into Idaho from northeastern Oregon. It began with the presentation of a blue checkerboard cloth covered tray bearing an attractive fruit plate and a scone. All that was missing was a nice portion of clotted cream. I seem to recall hearing of Danish pastries being offered on other Alaska transcon flights but none were offered today.

The omelette itself was one of the more impressive breakfast entrees I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating aloft. It was large and moist, topped with mushrooms and onions while oozing melted cheese. The potatoes were roasted rather than fried and the sautéed spinach was a delicious accompaniment. Conspicuous by their absence were a selection of appropriate breakfast breads such as croissants and/or muffins.

After breakfast, movie choices were taken and the DVD players prepared and distributed. With one exception (The Quiet American) which I’d already seen, I thought the movie selections were fine if you were brain dead or otherwise a fan of mindless mainstream American pop culture. Since I am neither, I chatted with Seatmate for a bit and then finished off my book. Planes are great places for reading, especially in First Class. You’ve got a comfortable reclining seat, a light, a window on the world and a bevy of Flight Attendants who are only too happy to ply you with a variety of foods and beverages.

The secondary meal was served about an hour out of Miami and consisted of only a small plate of cheese, fruit and crackers. Comparatively, United used to offer considerably more on its morning transcon pre-arrival snacks. Anyone remember the deli spread that United used to present from the cart? Cold cuts, shrimp and cocktail sauce, salmon, mini-bagels and cream cheese, all kinds of bread… It was the best!

We passed over Tallahassee and headed down Florida’s West Coast before turning to the east and beginning our descent through large cumulo nimbus clouds. Our approach to Miami was down the corridor between Alligator Alley and US 41, the Tamiami Trail. It was a really pretty approach what with the all big clouds highlighted by the sun low in the western sky. After landing, we taxied past the usual collection of exotic Caribbean and South American jetliners and finally parked at the end of the G Concourse next to a beautiful KLM MD-11.

Baggage was delivered promptly (by Miami standards) and I headed over to the hotel board to call my Priceline booked hotel. $36.00 all inclusive at the Homestead Suites seemed like a pretty good deal and I was looking forward to a good rest before heading down south to visit friends in Everglades National Park. Imagine my surprise however when the hotel informed me that they had no airport shuttle! This despite calling themselves an “airport” hotel. The desk clerk recommended I take a taxi. Right. He obviously had me confused with a businessman or a trust fund recipient travelling on someone else’s dime. What about busses, I asked. There are none, he replied. A taxi would likely cost more than the price of the room. And where does Priceline get off selling me an “Airport” hotel that doesn’t have any shuttle?! When one adds to the cost of the room the roundtrip fare from a taxi or the Super Shuttle ($34.00), it totally defeats the purpose of using Priceline in the first place!

I went over to a rental car counter and checked out a map. Sure enough, the hotel’s location out at 8720 NW 33rd Street would have entailed an expensive taxi ride. I have never ridden in a taxi between an airport and a hotel and I wasn’t about to start now. The map indicated some pretty good sized streets out to west of the airport so I figured there had to be a bus that could get me somewhere within walking distance. I also knew that the Metro Dade busses served the airport and before long I was standing in the mercifully air conditioned waiting room checking out the schedules. With just one connection, I could get to the corner of 36th Street and 87th Avenue. From there it’d be only a three block walk to the hotel. Total cost: $1.50. The only downside was that I wouldn’t get to the corner of 36th Street and 87th Avenue until 8:04pm, almost two hours later. Fine. I had plenty to read.

The Homestead Suites offered a very nice room for the money. I didn’t say anything to the desk clerk about the lack of an airport shuttle since such things were totally beyond his scope of responsibilities. I will however write to Priceline and recommend they change this particular Homestead Suites from being listed in the Miami Airport area. Maybe list it in West Miami or somewhere. Airport Hotels should have airport shuttles, especially those listed with Priceline.


27 September, 2003
MIA-SEA Alaska 19 First Class * Dinner
737-790 N615AS Seat 1A
600p-920p Flight time: 6:04

Despite this having been a fairly rainy visit, I had a great time down in the Everglades. We even made an illegal late night beer fueled ascent of the big radio tower down at Flamingo. The view was spectacular! We could see all of Florida Bay and even the lights of Coral Gables and Miami seventy miles to the north. We also made a day trip down to Key West and on the way back stopped off for dinner at Snappers, my favorite restaurant/bar in the Keys. It’s located about seven miles south of Key largo, just north of Tavernier. Highly recommended!

By the time I’d been dropped off and checked in at MIA, it was 4:15pm. As I entered the terminal, I also noticed that above the Miami International Airport titles on the terminal was what must have been the original name of MIA – Wilcox Field. I never knew that.

Thankfully both of my flights to Seattle and on to Fairbanks had cleared the waitlist for an upgrade. I was particularly looking forward to the Miami – Seattle leg, it being a long, westbound dinner flight departing near sunset – my favorite time to fly. In all, I had 4,250 miles of flying ahead of me. I wouldn’t land in Fairbanks until 5:32am EST, eleven and a half hours later. By comparison, Virgin’s similarly timed nonstop to London flew only 180 miles farther, but arrived two hours earlier.

I was also hoping that this flight would be late – so late that I’d miss my connection in Seattle and get to fly to Alaska at a more civilized hour tomorrow. Unfortunately, no stopovers are allowed on these Bonus Travel Tickets so I was forced to continue all the way back to Fairbanks tonight. I really dislike flying in the middle of the night, unless the flight’s long enough to get some decent sleep. Alas, everything was on time and I was left in the strange position of being disappointed with on time performance. Wouldn’t that make an interesting letter to Alaska’s Consumer Affairs Department?!

My membership in Continental’s Presidents Club also gains me admittance to any Northwest WorldClub along with select Alaska Boardrooms. Unfortunately, Miami is one of the few major airports in which neither CO or NW operate a lounge. But wait! Now that Delta had joined the CO/NW alliance, perhaps I could visit their lounge. I called the Presidents Club Service Center to find out, but they were closed on the weekends. Nobody at Continental reservations or their ticket counter had any idea and the Delta ticket counter was quite busy. As such, I decided to head on down to Delta’s Crown Room at the end of the H Concourse and find out for myself.

Like American’s A Concourse at MIA, the H Concourse has had a total makeover and is now as nice as most any modern airport concourse in the nation. It was wide and spacious with high ceilings and plenty of natural light through the many large windows. Delta’s Crown Room is located down at the end of the concourse. As I strolled down there, I paused to admire N103DA, a shiny old Delta 767-200 operating an early evening flight up to Atlanta. At a time when most airlines are beginning to retire their early 767-200s, it was nice to see this aircraft still in service.

In the Crown Room, I was informed that my Presidents Club membership was valid in Delta’s Crown Rooms, but only if I were flying on Delta that day. Fair enough. I briefly pondered procuring one of those Priority Club memberships next year. They’re accepted in all the Crown Rooms and then some. As it was, the day was hot and humid in Miami and even in the air conditioned terminals it was still pretty sticky. Alaska’s flights depart from the G Concourse so I headed down there, bought an ice cold bottled water and fired off some meaningless postcards until my flight began boarding at 6:00pm.

For a Saturday night, this flight was almost entirely full. Amazingly, the aircraft operating this flight was once again N615AS! Many of the passengers sported baggage tags from one of the plethora of cruise ships that infest the southern Caribbean. First Class was full and there were perhaps a dozen empty seats in back. As we savored our delicious pre-flight bottled waters in First Class, the flight attendants admonished the coach passengers to get their gear stowed and take a seat. My seatmate was a huge Washington State fan and requested the flight attendant to ask if the flight crew might announce the scores of the Cougs and Dawgs games. When we finally did push back, I watched as an Aerolineas Argentinas A340-200 was towed to the gate. Also noted were an Iberia A319 and a Dutch Caribbean DC-9-80.

We took off straight into a beautiful Floridian sunset and climbed west and then north up Florida’s Gulf Coast. Cruising altitude was way up there and when drinks were finally served, they came not with a package of cashews but rather a small bowl of mixed nuts. Once again, there were no menus and our flight attendant didn’t even bother to describe the entrees. Tonight we have beef or shrimp. I know for a fact that Alaska provides its FAs a sheet detailing the First Class meals because many of them read right off it when describing the meal choices. Tonight’s FA was little more than a high seniority slacker. Nonetheless, I did manage to get a look at this sheet from another FA and so, here are tonight’s dinner choices in menu form:


DINNER

To Begin
A bowl of mixed nuts to accompany the beverage of your choice

Spinach Salad
Topped with mushrooms, bacon and fresh Asiago cheese.
Served with Creamy Garlic Peppercorn dressing

From The Bakery
Assorted rustic breads and butter

Entrees

Beef Filet with Pink Peppercorn Sauce
Accompanied by couscous and green beans almondine

Ginger Prawns with Teriyaki Sauce
Served with jade rice pilaf and a medley of red, green and yellow peppers

** ** **

Dessert
Fresh Fruit and Custard Tart


I love Alaska’s spinach salads and this one was excellent as always. Both I and my seatmate ordered the beef entrée and both of us were extremely pleased with it. The meat was cooked medium rare, nicely pink and juicy inside. I did notice however that the meal description the FAs are provided with indicated our steaks were to come with couscous and green beans rather than the rice and vegies we ultimately received. The fruit tart dessert was absolutely delicious and I washed it down with a coffee and Baileys.

One difference in Alaska’s transcon lunch and dinner service versus its West Coast and Alaska service is that rather than a single bread roll being placed on the tray, passengers are offered a choice of different breads. From my past experiences with Alaska’s transcon dinner service, this bread would be presented in a basket right after the entrée was delivered. Tonight however two slices were placed on our trays. Our FA never did offer any wine with the meal. As well, my seatmate had to ask her not once, not twice, but three times before she actually passed on his request to the flightdeck to be informed of the UW and WSU scores.

Overall, both seatmate and I agreed that tonight’s dinner presentation was more like being at a barbeque in a trailer park rather than flying in trans-continental First Class aboard an airline with a good reputation for inflight service. What a shame that this listless old bird masquerading as an Alaska Airlines FA should sully the well deserved reputation for service that Alaska Airlines has garnered through the dedicated efforts of its more caring employees. Hopefully she’ll retire soon. Unfortunately, it was equally in her character that as passengers disembarked in Seattle, she was turned away from everyone while working on something in the galley. She offered no good byes and thanks for flying Alaska Airlines unless someone said something to her, and then she didn’t even turn around to respond or establish eye contact.

Two hours into the flight, we met the Mississippi River just north of Memphis. While DVD players were distributed, I watched out my window as an eastbound 737 passed only three or four thousand feet beneath us. It trailed a big fluffy contrail which looked pretty cool in the twilight sky. As we continued westward to the north of Little Rock, I followed the course of the Arkansas River until the gathering darkness ended my natural cinema for the night.

After six hours and four minutes of flying time, we touched down in Seattle on a beautiful Autumn evening. Despite the late hour, the temperature was announced as 70 degrees and I again wished I could spend a day in the Emerald City, especially as my Oakland A’s are in town and I’ve never been in Safeco Field. Instead, I trudged on over to gate C-12 where my 737-400 and perhaps forty passengers awaited our late night departure to Fairbanks.


27 September, 2003
SEA-FAI Alaska 111 First Class * Snack
737-490 N783AS Seat 1A
1040p-132a Flight time: 3:26

Amazingly, in this time of continuing budget cuts, Alaska still offers a snack to its First Class passengers on this late night flight. Our flight attendant wasted no time in getting drinks and snacks served as most of the passengers appeared to be pretty tired. On my one trip to the lav, I noticed all the reading lights were off up front and everyone appeared to be sleeping. I joined them after finishing off my snack of pita bread and some pretty good humus.

We landed about fifteen minutes early in Fairbanks. The late night air was refreshingly crisp and cool. Although I sure enjoy the occasional visit to the warm green tropics of south Florida, as always the nicest thing about leaving Alaska remains having a round trip ticket. It’s good to be home.

CMK10

Oh Elton you should have come down to Phoenix! There would have been a dorm room floor all to your own! A great report as always and too bad about the flight attendant on the way back, these things happen sometimes I guess I must agree with you about westbound sunset dinner flights, I got to experience that in August while flying an American MD-80 STL-PHX. I was quite happy to have picked seat 4F allowing me to watch as we chased the setting sun only to lose over New Mexico.

------------------
DC-10's Forever!
Congratulations to the Talkboard winners and thank you to those who voted for me.

hsubbu

Seat2A

Another great report. Just when I was wondering where is Seat2A with his unique style

Two anecdotes particularly fascinate me

a. your persistence on taking public transit whenever possible even if it takes longer. Amazing how most cities in US can make taking public transit to and from airport as inconvenient as possible.

b. the lovely feeling of spotting another airplane at 35000 feet. It happened to me earlier this February when on a DTW-SFO afternoon flight , I thought I recognised an United going in the opposite direction.

I hope you will find time to travel more and also post more trip reports on this site

Happy travels.

hsubbu

BackOfTheBus

Wow! Just an amazing trip report, I must say. You certainly have a very beautiful and masterful way of expressing yourself in writing as well.

My dad and I have TPA-ANC (or something FL-AK) in our trip plans but we have no definite plans as of yet. Maybe we should use our 50k BA miles for 2 Alaska tickets from MCO. Do you think coach service is OK when compared to, say, AA or NW?

tom911

I've probably done 100 priceline nights since they started up, and try to restrict myself to 3 stars in airport zones just for that reason. Every time I've had a winning 3 star bid, they've had an airport shuttle if I won in the airport zone.

This last weekend I was in Pittsburg, and the hotel was 6 miles from the airport. They picked me up and dropped me off, and I was the only passenger both times. I was at a Four Points Sheraton 3*.

The only time I bid a 2 star in an airport zone, I got a La Quinta in Jacksonville, and ended up getting a rental car back in the days they had 50% off weekend rate coupons (so I paid something less than $20). Figured it wouldn't be any worst than cab fare in both directions.

Hopefully my luck with 3 stars in airport zones will hold. I'm assuming Homestead was 2 or 2.5 stars?

Enjoyed the trip report

PsychoFreakGoalie

great report. Only one small question. You mention a photo link, but I seem to be not seeing it. I'm interested in seeing the panorama that your first pilot enjoyed so much.

Seat 2A

Thanks everyone for reading this TR and for your comments so far. A couple of comments of my own here...

Sorry about that. I encountered a bit of difficulty on my ancient laptop and so will hopefully have some photos of the mountain and the meals posted within the week.

For Coach Class travel, when you consider American's extra legroom, IFE and laptop powerports, they offer far and away the best coach product up to Alaska. However, AA serves Alaska only seasonally.

On Alaska's coach, you'll get a marginally better meal. No IFE, but better legroom than NW.

You assume correctly. It's worth noting that there is another Homestead Suites that is MUCH closer to the airport

EIPremier

AA and AS each have their respective strengths. AA offers more legroom and powerports in select rows, while AS tends to offer slightly better meals and at least in theory, will offer better in-flight entertainment as of October (on-demand movies, TV and music). AA just has the traditional drop-down movie screens. However, AA's offerings are free of charge, while AS will charge coach pax $10.


[This message has been edited by EIPremier (edited 10-01-2003).]

Seat 2A

Will this new IFE also be available to Coach passengers?

InIndiana

Seat 2A: You write the most amazing and fantastic trip reports -- I've really enjoyed every single one of them more than i can really adequately express.

I hope jury duty hasn't been too oppressive and that you're able to get on the road again, somewhat soon.

EIPremier

For First the players will be complimentary while in coach they are supposed to sell for $8-10 ($8 if reserved at the time of booking). They currently plan to load enough players for 1/3 of the passengers. I'm sure these sorts of details will get tweaked over time.

This should debut some time this month. http://www.alaskasworld.com/NEWS/200...E_announce.asp

Buddha

Just read this and am amazed to find I was on one of your flights. I was on the MIA-SEA leg in 3A/C with my gal. Assume you were in 1A or C from the descriptions provided. I have to completely agree with you on the FA. While polite and cordial I would categorize her as “reactive” at best and far from proactive. I don’t get to make many trans cons and fewer yet in first so this was a disappointment. Really enjoyed your review and appreciate the time it took to compile.

Ian

alexwuk

Thank you for another excellent trip report Elton.

Do let me know if you want to pursue your idea of putting these online.

Regards,
Alex

Carfield

Thanks for a great report!

I love AS!

Couple interesting observations -- wow, they no longer serve meals on tray on the ANC-SEA flights -- now down to hot sandwiches... sad.. especially the ANC-SEA markets are not necessarily a cheap market.

I actually like the prawns with teriyaki sauce entree better than beef.

Yes, most AS salads are great -- my favorite is the mesclun green salad with the pears...

Thanks for the report! Look forward to your next installments.

Carfield

timid_trnchcoat

Great report!