Review of Alaska Airlines First Class

Alaska’s main hubs are Seattle/Tacoma and Portland, Oregon - and, to a lesser extent, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Being so west-coast-centric, Alaska is a leader in the region, and this extends to its airports. First Class passengers enjoy priority check-in and boarding lanes.

First Class passengers can check two free bags, one carry-on bag and one small personal item, such as a purse or laptop bag. Checked luggage over 50 pounds (23 kilogrammes) may incur additional charges and must not weigh more than 100 pounds (45 kilogrammes) or have a linear dimension of 115 inches (292 centimetres). Carry-on bag sizes are limited to 22 x 14 x 9 inches (approximately 56 x 36 x 23 centimetres).

First, Class fliers are treated to access its small network of Alaska Lounges, located in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Portland and Anchorage.

It is the only mainland U.S. airline to offer lounge access for First Class, even if you are not a member of the Alaska Board Room. Alaska’s new partnership with American Airlines gives Alaska lounge members access to American’s wider network of Admirals Clubs.

Alaska Lounges provides an open bar with regional craft beers and wines from the Pacific Northwest or California. Starbucks coffee and barista coffee drinks are usually available, and the buffet has light meals like salads, soup and sweet or salty snacks. One of the most popular features of its lounges is the pancake machines in the morning hours.

Other features include complimentary fast Wi-Fi, plenty of charging points, relaxation areas and TV areas. Its newest lounge in Seattle/Tacoma has beautiful airport views, fireplaces and plenty of places to lounge and work.

In some airports, First Class passengers have priority security lanes, too, but this is not uniformly available.

Alaska’s fleet of narrowbody Airbus A320, A321, and Boeing 737 planes are fitted with wide recliner-style Recaro seats in a 2-2 configuration over three or four rows. These seats do not lie flat and are used on the airline’s longest transcontinental and Hawaii flights, with slight variations in the seat dimensions depending on the individual aircraft. They are not very comfortable for such distances, even if the seat pitch is up to a generous 41 inches (104 centimetres) and typically 21.3 inches (54 centimetres) wide. This space is more than other U.S. airlines offer in their standard domestic First Class recliner seats. However, it is far from as comfortable as the widebody aircraft with lie-flat beds provided by different airlines on some domestic routes. Window-seat passengers must climb over their neighbours to reach the aisle, and on really long flights, it is easy to feel trapped without direct aisle access.

A seat pocket is the only seat storage space but decent-sized overhead bins will take larger baggage. Many planes have AC power and USB outlets, which are helpful on lengthy flights. When travelling on a transcontinental flight, Alaska will have difficulty competing with the flat-bed seats used by other airlines on premium routes between New York and the West Coast. Individual reading lights and air nozzles are the only other comforts.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes images, videos, and seat maps for most airlines and aircraft. Search results also include details such as seat pitch, width and recline. This way, you can see the seat and cabin configuration of the flight in which you are interested before making your choice.

Alaska allows First Class travellers to pre-order their preferred meal online before a flight to ensure they get their first choice. The airline offers hearty meals on its flights, with everything served on a tray. They include bread, a salad and a main dish consisting of a protein or vegetarian option. On some flights, the choice may be a sandwich or salad with protein, while on other longer flights of over 1,100 miles, it is a hot plate like chicken with rice or pasta.

Dessert is typically served separately, including pastries, cake or a warm cookie. On the airline’s longer transcontinental or Hawaii flights, Alaska offers a printed menu with the day’s selection, and entrées can include braised top-blade beef with fennel on flights departing between 10:00 am and 9:00 pm or winter squash & apple frittata for breakfast on flights departing 5:00 am to 10:00 am. Everything is hand-delivered from the galley with no carts brought into the aisle. Many of the ingredients on the menu are sourced from West Coast providers. Snack baskets are also handed around after meal service on longer flights. 

Special meals are not available, and while there is no dine-on-demand service, the crew is happy to hold meals for later in the flight should customers wish.

Before takeoff, an eco-friendly box of water is waiting at each seat, and once in the air, flight attendants offer drinks from the bar. These include one white and one red wine and a sparkling wine. The same regional attention to detail is available in its craft beer selection. Other drinks include spirits like Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Aviation Gin, Bacardi Rum and Jack Daniels’s Whiskey, plus a couple of cocktail choices. Also offered are mixers, juices, soft drinks, Starbucks coffee and Teavana teas.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on which Champagne is served in Business Class and First Class on many airlines. We do our best to keep track of any changes but feel free to let us know if we missed something.

Alaska flight attendants are uniformly friendly and service-oriented, providing a welcoming environment. As a smaller airline than others in the U.S., Alaska is proud of its size and operation, and the affable, attentive approach is genuine.

Alaska Airlines does not provide personal monitors for inflight entertainment. Instead, passengers can access the free entertainment streamed on their own personal devices. Fliers must remember to bring headphones as they are not always stocked on board. They can connect to entertainment programming, including Hollywood movies and music, using the online wireless internet signal. Over 800 films and television programmes are available to stream from the entertainment library. Headspace meditation sessions are a nice way to relax in flight or be lulled into a nap.

Alaska allows passengers to connect to the inflight wireless internet signal for free texting. They can also pay to use the fast-streaming satellite Wi-Fi service for a reasonable flat price for the entire flight. Fast-streaming Wi-Fi is available on most aircraft.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on WiFi and inflight entertainment.

Quilted blankets are available at each First Class seat, but Alaska does not offer pillows or amenity kits on any of its flights. The lavatories are small and basic but clean, with no additional amenities.

The airline does not offer bassinets on its flights.

One unique feature for Alaska Airlines is that passengers can check wine purchased at select West Coast wineries for free and check the standard two bags that are free with a First Class ticket.

Alaska Airlines does not operate long intercontinental flights, but First Class passengers are still treated to refreshments on its shortest flights. Meals are reserved for flights of at least 670 miles, making it one of the few U.S. carriers to offer meals on flights that short. A snack basket with sweet and savoury munchies is passed around on other flights.

Some short- and medium-haul flights are operated by Horizon Air, a regional subsidiary of Alaska Airlines flying smaller aircraft. Planes operated by Horizon are co-branded as Alaska Horizon. Embraer 175 regional jets are equipped with a First Class cabin in a 1-2 configuration over four rows with a seat width of 20 inches (50.8 centimetres) and offer a similar onboard experience to that of Alaska. Flights operated by Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft do not offer First Class.

Alaska pays close attention to its ecological footprint and is committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Using sustainable fuel, operating with more energy-efficient flight plans and operating a modern fleet are all focuses for the airline. At some of its hubs, it uses electric ground equipment, and Alaska is working with Carbon Direct to target carbon off-setting opportunities to help it reach its 2040 goal.

Onboard initiatives include eliminating plastic waste with the use of sustainable alternatives. Alaska became the first U.S. airline to completely remove the five biggest sources of plastic waste from onboard service. Additionally, the airline encourages customers to bring their own refillable water containers.

The flight search on BusinessClass.com includes information on CO2 emissions for each flight. Our quality algorithms also give a higher score to flights operated by the most modern and environmentally friendly aircraft.