I’ve flown Alaska Airlines well over 100 times. Being a top flyer for them, I know that they have good and bad flights — and everything in between. I equate Alaska Airlines First Class to Premium Economy on British Airways. Sometimes either seems to exceed each other. The flight was standard for this class. Not great, not bad but very meh.
I did not have lounge access as this was an upgraded flight. The newer Alaska Lounges are new and spacious but can also be very congested. They have no premium alcohol and even their wine for purchase is not very good. I know that they have been working on improving the amenities of their lounges and food quality has slightly improved. We made our way to the plane and sat down in Row 3. First lass plane has a 1-2 configuration for these regional flights on a QX E175 aircraft. The rest of the plane is in a 2-2 configuration.
A safety card was in the armrest. Leg space was decent but not much more than that in Premium Economy. There were power outlets in the middle that both seats could use.
Alaska Airlines advertises that you get more legroom than any other domestic carrier. That might be a bit like saying the Goodwill is offers better shopping than Value Village. In truth, I have found most US premium cabins to similarly offer less than premium experiences. As an example, Premium Economy on Emirates or Qatar Airways would be considerably more comfortable, with way more amenities than on Alaska Airlines.
You can see here that the First Class row isn’t all that spacious. I am also 6’5’’ and there is plenty of room for my feet in front but not a ton of room to place bags in the row. You do feel a bit more crammed compared to other international Premium Economy carriers. There is storage under the seat and a bit of storage in the seat in front of you.
There is a drinks menu in the seat in front of you. The wine selection is pretty basic and uninspired with some entry level selections from Oregon. For a true first class experience, I think this would be typical to other US carriers — although United Airlines is now offering top producers such as Domaine Serene and Lingua Franca. Alaska Airlines is clearly cutting costs with their first class wines. That said, their first class wines are better than the laughable wine selection for economy/premium economy.
As I was not impressed with the wine list, I opted for some sparkling water. Alaska Airlines also has a fairly standard spirits selection and beer selection compared to other US carriers. Service on this flight was typical for Alaska Airlines and US carriers — doing the bare minimum. There was no rudeness, just overall disinterest. These are staff who would never be hired on Emirates or Qatar Airways but due to the lack of hospitality training they continue to do basic service and then retire to their chair or galley for the duration of the flight.
This was a basic cheese plate ordered for my three year old. It was not the best presentation but also not the worst and had some Beechers, a local Seattle cheese that was nice.
I was brazen and chose to try their ‘Angus burger’ which was as inedible as this photo depicts. But seriously, there are many microwave burgers that taste considerably better than this one. The burger is an example of how the airline continues to do the bare minimum on the culinary side. Yes, it technically was a hot meal. But no, it was nothing that you want to ingest with any pleasure.
The QX E175 is a small plane and the bathroom was very cramped with no amenities. It was a game of Tetris getting my body to cram into the space. They have some decent hand soap they use from a local company, Salt & Stone.
In true Alaska Airlines fashion the stewardess disappeared into the galley and shut the door for the remainder of the flight following the food and drinks service. She remained there unbothered for the remaining hour of the flight.
BOTTOM LINE:
This was a typical Alaska Airlines First Class flight. It was very normal with nothing special added. Yes, you get the same service in First as you would in row 32 of the main cabin. It is nothing special. If Alaska wants to compete with United on the wine front, that would be greatly appreciated for the consumer. Sadly, I think there will be no plans to increase food or wine quality or service when you consider the growing costs of fuel. Overall, a very meh experience on Alaska Airlines. First Class
