After the Alaska-Boeing event, I flew Alaska Airlines from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago (ORD) onboard a recently retrofitted 737-800 in first class, enjoying a superb flight with outstanding service.
Alaska Airlines 737-800 First Class Review (SEA-ORD)
I traveled as a guest of Alaska Airlines. While I have historically turned down these sorts of invitations and did not even know that Alaska Airlines would book me in first class, the cost of tickets to this event plus a nanny for the day would have made this trip to difficult to justify…so feel free to stop here if you think that discredits my review, but I hope you can appreciate the transparency. I may accept more such trips this year (because, why not…regular readers know that I’m not going to publish a fluff piece if the flight is bad), but will always disclose when I accept anything for free or at a discount.
After spending the afternoon at the flagship Alaska Airlines Lounge in the N Gates, I boarded my evening flight to Chicago. The picture of the aircraft above is from LAX…our boarding gate, D3, made it impossible to get a picture of the actual 737-800 that operated my flight.
Alaska Airlines 538
Seattle (SEA) – Chicago (ORD)
Wednesday, January 7
Depart: 05:50 PM
Arrive: 11:50 PM
Duration: 04hr, 00min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Distance: 1,721 miles
Seat: 2A (First Class)
Admittedly, I was hoping for an old-school 737-800 with the carpet on the bulkheads, but I guess I was fortunate for purposes of this review to score a recently refurbished 737 that features Alaska’s latest first class seat, a step above the domestic recliners we see on other U.S. carriers.
Seat
Alaska Airlines has chosen the Recaro CL4710 for its next-generation first class recliner seat. The cabin features 16 seats in a 2-2 configuration. Each seat features a calf rest, foot rest, adjustable headrest, seat back device holder, and tray table with another device holder.
Universal A/C power outlets and a USB-C port are located on the armrest between seats and a second USB-C port is located on the seatback.
The passenger service unit overhead includes a personal air vent and reading light.
Mood lighting was turned on after takeoff:
Service
I rarely fly Alaska Airlines and yet my experiences with service have been universally good over the last two decades and I hear from readers that Alaska service in first class always tends to be warm and kind. I experienced that on my flight with Barbara, the purser who worked in first class and could not have been more charming or more attentive.
She began by introducing herself while providing pre-departure beverages.
She later took meal orders, addressing passengers by name. By the time drinks came, she had memorized the names!
Barbara offered refills on the snack mix, never sat down during the flight (beverage glasses never got empty), and was a constant and cheerful presence…she is such a treasure and I’d love to fly with her each time I fly.
Even as we deplaned in Chicago, she offered a warm goodbye to every first class passenger, again addressing each of us by name. Wow…
Look, I’m not naive. Could Alaska Airlines have put her on my flight knowing I was on it? Sure, it is possible. But I think that gives me way too much credit and the crew seemed quite curious why I was taking pictures, so it’s not like they knew who I was…
Food + Drink
Alaska Airlines offers first class passengers the opportunity to pre-order meals. Choices on my flight included:
- Tillamook Cheeseburger (which I tried on my flight to Seattle)
- Grilled angus beef, Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, sesame seed bun. Served with crisp lettuce, sliced roma tomatoes, bread & butter pickles, and a tangy burger sauce.
- Herb Roasted Chicken
- Tender chicken breast roasted with herbs, paired with Yukon Gold leek mash, balsamic-glazed carrots and parsnips, and a mustard-sherry jus.
- Chorizo Lasagna
- Layers of pasta and savory chorizo in a roasted red pepper cream, paired with herb-roasted peppers and onions.
- Yellow Cauliflower Curry
- Roasted turmeric-cumin cauliflower and coconut potatoes with kale, red rice, and edamame, served in a fragrant yellow coconut curry.
- Signature Fruit & Cheese Plate
- Beecher’s Flagship cheese, Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, brie, Partners crackers, and a Seattle Chocolate truffle with fresh apples and grapes
I quite enjoyed the Paloma cocktail on the flight out, but tried the “Oregon Old Fashioned” on the flight back, also made by Straightaway. It was refreshing (with a simple list of ingredients), though strong. I was offered a second and declined, knowing I needed to drive upon reaching Chicago.
Drinks were served with a warm snack mix, which includes spiced pretzel twists, almonds, and cashews.
For the rest of the flight, I drank sparkling water.
The snack mix was refilled and drink refills never stopped…
Dinner was served on a tray with a side of hummus (with carrot and celery sticks) and a scented towel from Salt & Stone. No salad or bread.
The chicken breast was excellent…it was moist and the mustard-sherry jus over tthe chicken and mashed potatoes was a nice touch. I also enjoyed the carrots and parsnips. I recommend this dish!
Shortly after trays were cleared, the cabin filled with the smell of warm choclate chip cookies. A large cookie was served for dessert and I had a cup of decaf coffee with it.
Before ladning, the snack basket was offerd and I had some chips and almonds…nice snacks.
I would have liked to tired the chorizo lasanga…next time. I didn’t evne bother to ask if there was leftovers, because Barbara was already out of it by the time she got to row three.
IFE + Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi worked better on this flight than the flight out. The cost was 8 USD to connect and I enjoyed a productive flight. The retrofitted 738s have Intelsat 2Ku internet.
There are no seatback screens on Alaska Airlines, but streaming movies, TV shows, and music were available.
Lavatories
Interestingly, while the cabins have been refreshed the lavatories have not…the first lcass lavatory (lcoated in the front of the aircraft next to the galley and flight deck door) had seen much better days…
CONCLUSION
We landed ahead of schedule in Chicago and I was soon on my way. This was a very nice flight…even nicer than the outbound thanks to Barbara (not that Lisa was bad on the way out…she was great too). I enjoyed my chicken breast and quite enjoyed the flight overall. Adding an extra stop in Seattle or Portland for my domestic travel may be a bit much, but I would not hesitate to fly Alaska Airlines again.
Looks like a great product.
I don’t think you need to justify at all why you accepted the invitation, but the transparency issue seems more complicated than you suggest: it’s not just that you wouldn’t publish a fluff piece if the flight is bad, it’s the inverse as well: we have no way of knowing if – as in this case – you got “exceptional service” because that’s the norm or if it’s because Alaska was treating you to a good time. (And for that matter, writing a whole “day in the life of a travel blogger” story without disclosing the travel was paid for seems a bit on the nose as well.)
I suspect this would be a much higher risk at hotels, where it would seem much more plausible that a marketing/PR team could be pulling strings.
Anyway, just my two cents, hope you don’t take it the wrong way. You’re one of the few in this space the produces these reviews at a high level and unique voice.
Thank you for recognizing that I’m trying to be honest. The easiest thing would be not to disclose it or lie and say I paid for it myself. I’ll never do that…
You had me hopeful Matthew. Am flying next month on Alaska for the first time in a decade. Also in Business, DCA-SFO nonstop, but had forgotten the details. Double checked and is the 737-8 MAX, with only 12 first class seats. You have reminded me I’m probably within the pre-order menu window now. And will look forward to trying the ‘Oregon Old Fashioned’. Thanks for the review.
While one could argue the hummus plate is an alternative to hsbing a salad/appetizer, it does serm strange that no bread was offered again.
“Before ladning, the snack basket was offerd and I had some chips and almonds…nice snacks.”
“I didn’t evne bother to ask if there was leftovers, because Barbara was already out of it by the time she got to row three.”
Don’t you write for a living? These amateur mistakes are adding up, at least this confirms you don’t use GPT to write your articles.
Or does he tell AI to add spelling errors to make it look like a human did it? 🙂
1. I don’t get the people that like to pop in an accuse bloggers of using AI.
2. I don’t get the people who need to comment on typos irrelevant to interpretation.
3. I don’t get people who respond to the two above.
Jeez, I didn’t use AI. My goodness, I’m so sick of these accusations (not from you, but from others).
It’s a slippery slope. Once in a very long while with numerous disclaimers is ok. More and you just become like the gay dudes bloggers and everything written becomes suspect.
100K+ annual flyer based out of Seattle here, I travel in Alaska domestic first class regularly. I can confirm they didn’t need to insert Barbara into your flight to impress you. Their service up front is reliably off the charts better than the rest. On the few occasions I have to switch over to American for destinations or routings that Alaska doesn’t cover, it’s amazing how much less friendly and attentive the staff are.
A second life for AS’s 61 B787-800 jets (with an average age of 17.8 years)… By the way, purser Barbara’s outfit is also stylish…
Catchy Alaska Airlines & Pacific Cookie Company phrase: “This cookie won’t last (but the memory will).”
SEA used to get more ‘love’ with some transcon lie-flat on Delta’s 752, but these days, it’s mostly recliners at best. (Unless someone has found a better way?)
I still think the lack of IFE (like on many AA flights) is just cheap. Like, I get BYOD, but, then, include free WiFi. I suppose friendlier service can make up some of the difference, but that is often subjective.
Ah, Pacific Cookie Company! It’s a local icon that’s been around for 45 years. We buy their cookies almost weekly at their downtown Santa Cruz shop. How great to see they supply to Alaska Airlines. Hope you enjoyed it!