Is Alaska the weirdest airline in the US?

Try working for them! It will only validate your opinion!! Been there. Done that!

"Though they’ve finally improved the food a bit, it is still not very good. The FAs don’t protect the F lav, so it’s always occupied, and most don’t protect the bin space. There is no pre-departure beverage other than water, and they often serve the pilots before the passengers, so it can take 45 minutes before they offer the first drinks * The FAs tend to disappear outside their required service. They also seem to spend a lot of time chatting among themselves." SECONDED.

What is that a photo of?!

You missed a few spots. Alaska will <a HREF="http://www.alaskaair.com/content/deals/special-offers/price-guarantee.aspx" rel="nofollow">refund with no questions asked if the fare on your ticket drops</A>. I've gotten a lot of money back this way over the years. MVP Golds and 75Ks <a HREF="http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/benefits/elite-levels-and-benefits.aspx" rel="nofollow">don't pay fees on tickets, except for partner award fees of $25</A>- even AA EXP doesn't get you the ability to same-day confirmed change at no charge, and in effect, being MVPG+ at Alaska means that it works like a combination of Southwest and a legacy airline- you can cancel tickets and keep all the travel funds, change tickets day of flight, take advantage of fare drops. Given that and the award program, plus the fact that AS is the airline equivalent of having type AB blood (can accept EQM from AA, AF, DL, EK, LA, KL), they're pretty useful.

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with AS. Living in SEA you kind of have to fly AS some of the time, as they have like 50% of the capacity, and for many folks, it is their primary or sole airline. There are some things that are better on AS (and many loyalists think it is everything) and there are things that are worse - but I agree with you that they are not like any other airline. They are a strange mix between a legacy carrier (and they have a lot legacy characteristics like hubs, flow traffic, first class, lounges, regional service) but they also have plenty of LCC characteristics, and consider airlines like WN and VX their competition. Lots of people will say that AS employees are much friendlier and helpful than other airlines. I don't really agree. I think there is much more variability between individual employees at an airline than the mean experience between airlines. Most employees want to help you, but some are jaded or having a bad day, and when the company's systems are screwed up, there's not much they can do. I do like the Boardrooms - salads, soups, microbrews, friendly staff (by the way, the same management works the bar, too), though as you say they are all a bit overcrowded. The best thing that AS has going for you as an elite (MVPG) is no change fees, including a wallet function - so you can change flights or cancel when your plans change. That means I often book AS when I am unsure of my plans - and the path of least resistance is to keep that booking. They are also pretty good up and down the West Coast, where the flights are shorter and the upgrade chances are OK, and they have a lot of frequencies But there are a ton of things that I don't like about Alaska and wish they would change. In no particular order: * The policy of no power jacks is crazy stupid. They have wifi, the future is going to portable entertainment, where's the power? * It's too hard to upgrade transcon and Hawaii flights - there is almost zero chance. Might as well fly UA or AA, even with a connection, becuase the UG chances and buy-ups are better, and often more flight choices * The First class is pretty sucky. Seat comfort is no good. No pillows or blankets at all. Though they've finally improved the food a bit, it is still not very good. The FAs don't protect the F lav, so it's always occupied, and most don't protect the bin space. There is no pre-departure beverage other than water, and they often serve the pilots before the passengers, so it can take 45 minutes before they offer the first drinks * There is no economy plus. There are really on 18 good seats on the plane - two exit rows (one doesn't recline) and the bulkhead row. Often only a middle is left. If you do SDC change these seats are usually gone. If you have long legs like I do, it can really suck on a long flight. * The FAs tend to disappear outside their required service. They also seem to spend a lot of time chatting among themselves. Did I mention they have by far the most non-stops from SEA and no change/cancel fee for elites? That's why I keep booking them. The economic model must be working since they are more profitable than most and have a much higher market capitalization. Although as some have said, a lot of that may be due to low competition Alaska routes. They have been opportunistic in expanding and have built up quite some Mexico and Hawaii service from the West Coast. One more quirky thing about Alaska: They don't always fare match. They seem to stick to their own pricing and revenue management and don't offer all fares or all inventory. Sometimes they are competitive, sometimes they get a premium.