In 2017, Alaska introduced Premium Class aboard it’s Boeing 737 Fleet. The product promised early boarding, 4” of extra legroom, elevated snacks and complimentary alcoholic beverages. In addition, Mileage Plan Elites would be eligible for free upgrades - others can purchase these seats at an additional cost. After its acquisition of Virgin America, these same standards migrated over to the Airbus Fleet - some of whom are retrofit, while others are simply a rebrand of what was once Main Cabin Select. Booking We booked this flight as part of a longer three leg journey from Chicago to Portland, Portland to Los Angeles, and Los Angeles back to Chicago as a means of maximizing the value of the annual Companion Pass that’s a perk of my Alaska Airlines VISA Card. As such, the combined total of our two tickets, including the Companion Pass, was $576.99 - coming to a total of $288.49 per person, or $96.16 per flight - a great value in my book! To maximize Alaska Mileage Plan Miles, which are some of the most valuable in the industry, we booked using my Alaska Airlines VISA card netting three miles per dollar and a total of 1,731 miles. In addition, this leg of the journey earned 1,745 base miles and 873 MVP bonus miles for a total of 2,618 miles.
Ground Experience After dropping off our vehicle at National Car Rental just off property, we took a quick shuttle ride to Terminal 6, the home to Alaska Airlines at LAX. We quickly and easily checked in at one of the many Self Service Kiosks throughout the terminal, but unfortunately soon found that we were facing a delay due to the inbound aircraft’s arrival. I made my way quickly through TSA PreCheck, but waited a bit for my companion who was selected for additional screening due to his collection of sand in his carry on (long story). Since the Alaska Lounge was full, and not accepting Priority Pass Members, we made our way to our gate to wait out boarding for our flight. While in the gate area, two things happened: one, we had a fair bit of police activity due to a lost bag - which kept us entertained with people watching; and two - I noticed that an Alaska pilot friend of mine posted a photo from the ramp with our aircraft in it. Turns out Steve would be the captain of our flight up to Chicago this afternoon! Boarding Given the delay in our departure, boarding started predictably behind schedule; however, it was quite orderly and simple. Alaska boards in relatively clear and streamlined groups: Preboarding, First Class, Group A (MVP Gold+), B (MVP & Premium Class), C (Rear of the Aircraft), D (Front of the Aircraft), & E (Saver Fares). Given my MVP Status and Premium Seat, I boarded in Group B. Once down the jet bridge, I noticed what appears to be a trend on my Alaska flights: the jetway not fully meeting the aircraft, but who cares - why not get one last glimpse of that SoCal sunshine! Following that, I was promptly welcomed aboard with a smile and greeting from a flight attendant at the forward door. Guests were quick to get bags overhead and out of the aisle, while also making small talk with one another. I find the morale and vibe of Alaska’s flights to be second to none, and their fantastic boarding music certainly doesn’t hurt. Seat & Cabin With its 2016 acquisition of Virgin America, Alaska Airlines welcomed their fleet of Airbus A320 Family aircraft, thus abandoning their “Proudly All Boeing” moniker. While Alaska has begun to retrofit these aircraft with interiors to more closely align with the Boeing fleet, my aircraft had the legacy Virgin America interior intact. Thus, this aircraft featured the stunning deep purple and pink mood lighting, white First Class Seats and slick black Recaro Main Cabin seating with white shells. The cabin layout on these aircraft consists of two rows of First Class in a 2-2 layout, followed by a swanky purple bulkhead and the economy cabin beyond arranged in a 3-3 layout. Premium Seats can be found in Rows 6, 16, and 17 - the bulkhead and two emergency exit rows - a contrast to the grouped layout found on the Boeing and retrofit Airbus fleet. My seat, 17A, was a window seat located on the port side of the aircraft in the second of two Emergency Exit Rows. I would highly recommend Row 17 as Row 16 does not recline. The seat itself was of standard width, although felt incredibly spacious given the lack of an armrest against the Exit Window, and had a whopping 38” of seat pitch. Seats had a relatively typical seatback pocket and tray table, as well as an integrated In Flight Entertainment system updated with Alaska’s offerings. Volume and other controls were located on the right armrest while AC power was located between seats. Food Food and Beverage on Alaska flights starts with one of my favorite features: water service. I know, I know, this sounds absurd, but think about it - how many times have you been onboard a flight dying of thirst, just waiting for a flight attendant to get to you? On Alaska, as soon as you reach 10,000 Feet, flight attendants are in the aisle with large scale water bottles and cups to fill up for passengers who desire them, a great feature before starting standard drink service, anda nice additional touch point. Once water service was completed, a flight attendant arrived at my row to confirm my meal order from the app and explained she’d collect payment in just a few minutes. As promised, meals and snacks for purchase rolled down the aisle moments later where I offered my payment and was handed my confirmed sandwich - a Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi, which was absolutely delicious! Following her, another flight attendant arrived with Biscoff Cookies - my FAVORITE - and a choice of Cheese Crackers or Beef Jerky as an elevated snack offering for Premium Passengers. In what was an incredibly streamlined system, we were also offered beverages at the same time, and given that alcoholic beverages are complimentary for Premium passengers, I selected a tasty Alaskan White Ale from what is a very nicely crafted menu representing the destinations and communities that Alaska serves. A second formal drink service was served a few hours later, and flight attendants strolled the cabin often with water. Amenities & Service Throughout this entire flight, service was friendly, upbeat, and professional. It all felt incredibly genuine, which is something I’ve found consistently on Alaska. I witnessed several conversations with passengers, quick responses to call buttons and that no one was allowed to go thirsty. In addition, announcements from the cockpit were provided often, and Steve’s humor helped to cushion the blow that we would not in fact be making up time in the air. From an amenities perspective, the legacy Virgin America Airbus fleet has the aforementioned seat back screens. While a bit on the smaller side, and certainly a lower quality than, say Delta, it is still nice to have. Combine this with the fact that the content had been updated to include everything in Alaska’s system, it was truly a win win. This content included the most movies in the sky, a selection of TV series, and a moving map - which was rudimentary at best. While still on the ground, flight attendants strolled the aisles offering earbuds for purchase. Beyond the Entertainment System, each seat also was supplied with Alaska Beyond - the carriers inflight magazine, which while light on content, offered some interesting articles. WiFi was available for purchase at a reasonable price, and Messaging was free for all passengers. Given I didn’t need to work, I stuck with the free messaging, which to my surprise worked with Snapchat and Instagram as well as iMessage. Arrival Our approach into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was smooth and quick, albeit it late, and after a surprisingly short taxi, we arrived at our gate and deplaned. I held back a few minutes as while inflight, a flight attendant approached my seat and mentioned the Captain had asked if I’d like to stick around and chat for a few minutes. Once some additional passengers deplaned, I headed up to the cockpit to do just that! It was great to spend some time chatting with Steve, and c’mon, what aviation geek doesn’t love a visit to the cockpit?! Final Thoughts
Although we arrived late, this truly was a great flight. Friendly faces, excellent food and beverage, and boundless entertainment are a winning combination. Add to that a cockpit visit upon landing, and it really just can’t get any better, although I do concede that an on-time arrival would've been important if I had anything on my calendar besides travel. I especially like the perks that come along with Alaska’s Premium Class, which unlike Ian’s review of EconomyPlus, included the elevated snacks and complimentary beverages. To me this value add at a reasonable price is reason enough to book into Premium when my status has expired as it’s a very comfortable way to travel on longer flights. Alaska’s motto of “Fly Smart, Land Happy” rings true time and time again for me, and it’s for that reason that I’ve become a loyalist. I couldn’t recommend Alaska more for any route that they fly, and definitely recommend that upgrade to Premium if the price is right for you!
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