For the final segment of my quick review trip to Germany, I flew Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 first class from Seattle to Miami. I was thrilled when the airline launched this route in mid-2022, as it’s a flight between my current home and my former home (and my gosh, the cities are as different as…
Continue reading: Review: Alaska Airlines 737-900ER First Class (SEA-MIA)
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Where you were over Idaho is Sun Valley. There is a road, and Ketchum is a nice town. It is the playground of the very wealthy 😉
I flew this product round trip NYC - SEA a few weeks ago and my general experience was pretty in line with yours (including only the fruit and cheese plate being available on one leg).
But I would not have rated it anything like 4.5*? To me, a seat that barely reclines and very basic food options are a hard pass on a flight of this length (even with good pitch, friendly service etc.). By comparison, the BA flight that you (rightly) panned earlier this year is only slightly longer, and I would take that over this any day of the week. I appreciate the pricing is something like 4x different, is value the main driver that leads to the strong rating here?
(Just curious - appreciate the review as always).
@ T_ -- I appreciate the feedback. The rating is supposed to be in comparison to other US airlines operating similar routes, so I'm comparing this to the typical domestic first class experience you'd otherwise find in the United States, like on American and United. Yes, a transcontinental flight and transatlantic flight are almost the same length, but there's not a single market where Alaska Airlines and British Airways compete.
US routes 20 (east-west) and 93 (north-south) are the major roads through that part of Idaho. I'm planning a road trip with my son this summer to do US20 from Chicago to the Pacific (already did Boston to just west of O'Hare with him: it'll be my longest (and his, obviously!) "clinch" as my roadgeek side calls it). I'll have a reason to sign up for Best Western and Choice's programs: while 20 basically parallels I-90 east of Rockford, Illinois (so has frequent Hilton and Marriott properties (mostly Hampton and Fairfield)), west of Rockford those chains are few and far between.
You flew over the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho. That’s the home of Sun Valley and Ketchum. It’s a beautiful area and full of celebrity homes, most famously- Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.
Ahh nothing like views of El Palmetto and arriving at E gates (thankfully not the horrible satellite) to welcome you back to Miami 😉
And regarding the price paid, first class pricing is wacky these days. AA is charging near that price or more for most east coast hops from Miami, and double that to get to California
Hey Ben thanks for the review.
I am really surprised you gave this flight such a high rating. I think the catering situation is appalling. For an airline to have a pre order service which only offers three options and then for the one 'proper' egg breakfast meal to be already unavailable at the pre-order stage is nothing short of shocking. The WHOLE point of pre-order is to (almost) guarantee your choice of meal. OK, if this was some from some random outstation port in rural Alaska with very limited catering facilities, maybe. But from their home hub?
And then to have NO option apart from a cheese plate onboard a 5hr5min flight?
Personally, i'd be seriously bummed.
I completely agree. Flying Alaska is such a treat and it’s a real difference in service experience. I enjoy it immensely when I have the chance to fly them
Having flown both the 737-900ER and the Max 9 just a few months ago, I honestly felt the 737-900ER was the more comfortable of the two. However, I felt that the seats needed more recline in both cases.
I just flew Alaska F from Washington DCA to LAX. Overall agree with you on most of this. But I did get the preorder option I wanted. It was good.
Normally I do think Alaska crew are a step above. Not on this flight. The crew was nowhere to be seen at boarding. They were mechanical throughout the flight, never thanked us for being there, never proactively asked if we wanted additional drinks, and just went through the motions. Barely.
Later people told me that AS LAX-based crews are known to not be too great. I guess I had that. Oh well.
Just look for some scenic byways in ID and you’ll have plenty of beautiful roads
Alaska Airlines had always been my go to favorite airline. Since Tilden left, and they threw their lot with American, the wonderful passenger focused attitude that made Alaska special has faded and faded and faded until now it is barely detectable.
It was that attitude that made one willing to overlook things like lack of lie flat seats on Long Haul flights that competitors were already offering. It was that attitude that made Alaska worth flying. But now, when I've flown Alaska and six out of eight flights had no Wi-Fi and entertainment whatsoever on Cross Continental flights, and the price of travel is through the roof. And Luggage delays and other problems continue to bedevil this Airline along with others, that shiny customer service, and passenger first attitude is nowhere to be found anymore.
I am happy to see that you were served in proper glassware and mugs. My recent Alaska first class flight from Austin to San Jose was operated by Horizon Air using an overall quite nice Embraer ERJ 175.
However all beverages including alcohol were served in rather small paper cups - this didn’t feel first class at all and took away from the experience.
Nothing like that view of the Rotonda "wheel" in the Punta Gorda area to let you know you'll soon be on the ground...
Ben, I didn't see this mentioned, but it appears that AS's first class seats have better or at least more cushion/padding than the newer first class seats we see on the other major carriers. Was this your experience? Was the seat notably more comfortable from a padding/cushion/support perspective vs flying AA's first product on this route?
I'm an MVP 75k (former 100k) and this pretty accurately reflects my experience. I have occasionally seen pre-order meals grayed out buy it's more rare than not. How far in advance did you try to preorder, Ben? Usually I notice it when I'm upgraded and assume it has something to do with the short window. Could also be a supply issue either with the supplier unable to meet demand or the cost of eggs raising the price so much that Alaska only purchases so many; being on the west coast we've got a very large number of morning flights. I agree though that at a minimum there should be enough real entrees catered that the fruit and cheese, as good as it is, shouldn't be the only option.
I look forward to eventually moving back East to be closer to family but I'll definitely miss flying Alaska.
I really appreciate the updated cabin layout on the Alaska a321neos and the max 9s, except for the seat padding. For me it’s worth the trade off (to have the newer plane cabin vs more comfy seats), but I can understand enjoying the older design more.
All said, my favorite Alaska ride is the a321neos in F when traveling with someone.
This reflects my experience as well, I like Alaska(I miss Virgin though). I recently flew SFO-SEA in F on a Skywest ERJ if you get one of the single seats on the port side it's really nice. The service was very good, the FA did the announcements in: English, Spanish, French & Portuguese. He came around before take off to take our drink orders, I dozed off when he served them and actually pulled out the little drink tray, put my drink down then gently woke me up. I'm doing SFO-BOS soon and we will see how that long flight will be.
This is Alaska's service. I have been flying them for years in First - due to convenience, not service - and their food service has always been average or below average. Check Ben's review of their flagship lounge in SEA - also no hot offerings of eggs, bacon etc during breakfast. Alaska's cabin crew tend to be friendler than others but otherwise there is nothing special about this airline.
Alaska's first class seats look worn but it's just because of the wrinkled design.
Alaska's soft product is slightly better than the 3 majors (UA, DL, AA), in my opinion. They have way fewer asshat FA's.
No excuse for Alaska not to serve a proper hot breakast in their premium cabin on their longest non-stop route departing their home base at 7:35 am.
This rating doesn’t make much sense: no lie-flat seats, no PDB, no IFE, limited meal options, tiny lavatories, old seats. How does this get 4.5*?? This looks like a flight review from 1993.
I can’t help but notice that everything in this flight looks pretty crappy, just like it would on AA or UA or DL. Yet you manage to use very positive adjectives throughout, almost making excuses for subpar quality. If you had received a fruit and cheese plate on a 5 hours flight on AA… Gosh I cannot imagine the rant! But here nope, it was fine. Good for thoughts Ben.
Don't believe I'd be too impressed or accepting of a "scrappy" service. From what is written and shown, it looks average. A cheese plate (or anything on offer as a meal) is poor for a 5hr flight. Pathetic meal level. Can anyone explain why USA Airlines are so sub par?
I have asked this question here before and got flamed. The unanimous responses were that US airlines offered great service, especially in first class.
The cheese & fruit tray is an Alaska specialty and has been for years. It tastes better at altitude where alternatives are few. I was hoping to learn that other carriers had better first class service than Alaska because I am ready for a change. Whatever.
the food looks better than much of the swill that I've eaten on transatlantic flights the last few years. Although I do sit in coach
As an Idaho-based reader, I believe the views you saw were likely of the Sawtooth and White Cloud mountains near Stanley and Sun Valley, Idaho. An incredible place to visit, especially Redfish Lake. Hope you visit sometime.
The scenic byway you are looking for is Highway 75 between Sun Valley/Ketchum and Stanley.
Let us know if you visit. My wife and I would be happy to take you to dinner for the many tens of thousands of dollars you have helped us save on travel.
To hell with the review, agree with it or not one thing is for certain - Lucky doesn't often say good things about the country that allowed him to get rich for posting airplane food. As an immigrant, I appreciate him acknowledging that at least from high up our good ole United States looks quire beautiful. And I think regardless of politics that's one thing we can all agree on.
Perhaps, but when I am searching on Google Flights or equivalent, Alaska’s prices appear to be cheaper, often substantially, than other transcon F/J options. Maybe it’s a case of you get what you pay for. (I never fly them because I want a lie flat for transcon whenever possible.)
I had over 1M miles with UA and 2M with AA when I stopped flying them about 20 years ago and began flying essentially exclusively with AA. On AS its the people. They're just so darn nice. That's why when something goes wrong passengers tend not to get tsoo upset. When people care and it doesn't go quite right you don't get all bent out of shape. I'll bet the flight crew took good care of the guy who got downgraded and frequent AS flyers know to call customer service when there's a problem and they'll make it right (because AS gives them the authority to do so).
I can live with the food. Both PDX and SEA have Priority Pass restaurants so I bring something nice to eat. Flyers with status get to upgrade to Premium at the time of booking where the drinks are free and they have a nice selection. So it works for me and I think a lot of other flyers too. For those old enough to remember its the closest you can get domestically to how flying was in the '60s and '70s in terms of the people. Don't underestimate how important that is.
I wish lie-flats on transcons were more prevalent. For instance, between NY and Seattle, only JetBlue reliably has lie-flats. Not even Delta!
Flew AA 321T flagship first BOS-LAX, the only remaining meal choice when they got to me was a similar cheese plate, and I was livid as for an almost 6 hour first class flight, that was the only meal service. Genuine question, how were you okay with this?
I think this pretty much tells you why there aren't so many lie-flat transcon flights. As long as the big names don't feel like they're losing significant business because of this these simply won't happen.
nobody said these were objective or authoritative ratings. these are *lucky* ratings...
Thanks! I’ve only been there once decades ago but beautiful in and especially outside Stanley in the Sawtooth
Thanks! I’ve only been there once decades ago but beautiful in and especially outside Stanley in the Sawtooth mountains. Enjoy!
the food offer for this 5+ hour transcon flight is APPALLING. Qatar, Emirates, Singapore would offer a FEAST with caviar & champagne for such a long flight.
shocked you rated this 4.5.
I think Ben’s 4.5 rating captures what makes Alaska great - the service. Everyone is so kind and friendly, it elevates what is a standard product into a much more satisfying experience. Frequent AS fliers will know exactly what I’m talking about, especially when you get longer-tenured crews from ANC/SEA/PDX. The level of service far exceeds other carriers, not in terms of what they give you but how they interact with you.
When reading this, I am also surprised of the good rating, especially I. Relation to food. In Africa, where I live, we would never be satisfied, even in economy, with this “meal” for such a relatively long flight. And I recently flew Vistara in India, where they serve a fantastic, hot meal for all passengers, even if the flight is only one hour.
Ben, I understand that you have addressed the issue of booking a seat in the last row of a first/business cabin but could you please explain your rationale again? My plan of attack is to reserve a seat as forward as possible to ensure that my preferred meal option is available unless a 'book the cook' option is offered. I understand that some seats are 'too far forward' given the placement of a galley or lav but I wonder at the wisdom of a seat in the last rows of a given class.
The crowd have spoken. That 'meal' is no meal at all. For many other folks (myself included) to get served this as a 'meal' in a premium cabin would be pathetic, actually. And I'm no big eater! Sometimes, I'm content with just one meal a day, two at most. So if a small eater like me thinks this is pathetic, can you imagine what a normal eater (the majority) would think?!
You're lucky to get the equipment swap to the 739. The first class seats in the new Max is hard as a rock by comparison.
Of course the food is great...that is because these airlines are "State Run" Owned by these countries
I'm Anchorage based, MVP 75K, nearing million miles status on Alaska Air. Their service has suffered significantly in the past 3-5 years (yes even pre-pandemic). Due to the partnership with American I fly first class on board AA often. Domestic first class on AA is far better than Alaska, no comparison. Also, AA has blankets on most evening flights I've been on in first class, always on ANC-DFW, for instance. The catering in first on Alaska is a joke, always short on selection and even availability. I just flew SEA-CLT and they didn't have a meal for me. Pathetic.
I'm not so sure if I would be too satisfied or happy with "scrappy" service. For a 5 hour flight that meal selection is pretty poor and to be served a very average looking cheese plate, is very poor. Can anyone explain why USA carrier are so sub par?
I try to fly Alaska when possible. Their companion pass is great. We fly to PDX to HNL to visit our daughter and usually are able to get the rear exit row seats and preorder food. I call it the poor man's first class. Good legroom and the seats recline. Try too bring a treat for the crew (multi pack of Toblerone is nice) when we think of it.
Have you all blasting the fruit and cheese platter actually tried the fruit and cheese platter? It's extremely reasonably priced, delicious, and one of the things I actually look forward to on each Alaska flight. Usually it has a block of brie, but I understand that supply issues have forced Alaska to substitute extra slices of the other cheese at times. Last month, I flew round trips to Phoenix and Austin out of Seattle. Brie was served in three of the four platters I ordered. Yes, it's so good that I got one on each leg of my trips!
Don't knock the fruit and cheese platter. If you know, you know why it's an Alaska specialty.
AS swaps 737-MAX9's with 739ERs often, as I've found, on the JFK-SEA route. The service on AS in First is well above UA and AA. The cabins are a strange mix of modern and dated though, but you are right, the legroom and pitch in First is industry leading (domestic US first, that is). The few rows of economy behind first with extra legroom also feature incredibly narrow and uncomfortable seats, with limited padding, making them less optimal compared to AA and UA.
This review reads like an apology. It's like a defense of Alaska. It appears that entertainment must be paid for, even in first class, which didn't used to be. They also used to give out a viewer in first - apparently no more. This has been my experience in Alaska first class as well - no pre-departure drink. Your first drink will appear with your meal and flight attendants will be scarce after that. The interior pictured in this review looks worn out and wrinkled. I'm sorry - I'm not impressed. Alaska and American first class will not impress Delta first class fliers at Seattle.
Though to be livid when you had 30 days prior to go on the app and order the meal you wanted. I am hoping you werent upgraded for free and are now complaining about a meal you never expected to get.
Sorry to say, but your review sounded liked you worked for them and didn’t want to say anything negative about them! Their food service is in FC is horrible their blankets are thin and are not even individually wrapped for your protection, NO pillows on a almost 6 hour flight! Sorry, but I’m sticking with United!
Nice review, Ben. I agree with your take on Alaska's first class product. I live in Seattle but am not an elite flyer either with Alaska or American. Living here, Alaska is often the best option for travel because they offer nonstop service almost anywhere I want to go domestically. Their economy product is OK but has become way more cramped over the years. First class is very comfortable by comparison and is often available for a reasonable price, at least as compared to their competitors. It's also possible to upgrade with Alaska miles for a reasonable price on occasion, even for us non-elites. My most recent first class experience was returning to SEA from HNL, where I was able to upgrade for $115 cash. I felt it was worth it.
Is their first class service perfect? Of course not. I would agree that catering is not Alaska's strong suit but I always pre-order and have not had issues when I do that. I used to love that I got club access when flying first class and am not happy at how that benefit has been degraded. At the same time the 2,100 mile minimum flight length cane into effect, the ability to use ÀA lounges was completely eliminated. That's important because Alaska has very few of its own lounges at outstations. The 2.100 mile requirement also seems a little chicken s**t to me given that one of my favorite routes is SEA-MSY. Alaska is the only carrier doing this route nonstop--and it comes in at 2,084 miles, just 16 shy of the new requirement.
Yes, Alaska Airlines is a quirky carrier but I thought your review was spot-on.
Hey, Brick,
I am a Delta 2 million miler based in Seattle. I have flown DL's first class for years and would agree that it's generally good but I agree with Ben that Alaska's a better value on price. Add to that more cross-country nonstop routes and often more and better frequencies on routes where they compete directly and I find myself on Alaska more and more--especially since DL has consistently downgraded its treatment of frequent flyers/elites. If you are comparing Alaska's first class with domestic DeltaOne, yes, DeltaOne is a superior product--but it comes at a huge price premium and is only available on a few routes out of SEA.
I agree completely! The fruit and cheese plate is excellent. However, recently, there has been no brie. There was a little card citing a "national brie shortage.". Apparently, they don't buy it at Costco, where French brie is plentiful!
The breakfast looks ridiculous for such a route and the cabin like something from a 1990s Home Alone movie. This deserves 3.5 stars at best!
First Class meal? Even as horrendous as American Airlines is on mostly domestic first class flights, that Alaska meal was less than appealing.
Whenever I see those Alaska "first class" seats I chuckle. They look like a 1980's Lazyboy that has been downgraded to the basement family room.
Alaska first class is generally pretty comfortable. Although I fly Delta much more often, sometimes paid Alaska first on a transcon is preferable to hoping for an upgrade on Delta, especially given that Delta One prices are typically sky high.
I do like the extra legroom that Alaska has. Getting a beat up older 800 or 900 can be a bit disappointing, but the food and service are normally good. And the Max’s are new and quite nice.
Alaska does have a habit of letting the cabins on their older models get really shabby prior to retirement. I recall MD-80’s and 737 Classics in really deplorable condition. Hopefully they don’t let these 737 NG’s go that badly.
I was upgraded on a transcontinental Alaska airlines flight yesterday. My experience was okay but it didn't seem exceptional. The WiFi was broken and we were delayed. The dinner was decent (salmon bowl). But no pillows, only one drink service not even coffee/tea after meal. (I guess I could have asked the flight attendant if I really wanted another beverage.) No pre-arrival snack. In the past, I remember they had water on your seat, a small cup of smoothie, warmed nuts, warmed cookie, small piece of chocolate for MVP. The last couple of times I was in first class in Alaska they got rid of all of that. Overall it was fine but I'm surprised by the high rating because I think they've cut back a bit from previous years.
I don’t know why people are expecting lie flat seats on domestic flights! But it would be nice to have foot rests!
The first class meals have been disappointing. They used to be better. But I’ll always pick Alaska for their excellent customer service.
Look like a really crap flight with economy buy on board catering and ratty old 737. Jetblue needs to bring Mint from South Florida to Seattle (won't happen though)
Maybe people expect lie flat seats on domestic flights because ... literally EVERY OTHER MAJOR domestic airline w/business class has them. It's ridiculous Alaska still has "MICKEY MOUSE" first class seats, which are slightly wider and recline a few inches more. They have the most embarrassing "first class" in the sky today. It's like their seats are stuck in 1990 and haven't been updated in 30+ years.