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| - If you're going to Alaska from the lower 48 there's a couple of carriers that can get you there. But Alaska Airlines is the one that we chose for our flights from LAS to ANC and back over New Year's, and after 3 flights with them we're kinda mixed on what to think.
Good: Nonstop from Vegas to Anchorage. Inflight food and drink service is friendly and with several reasonably priced offerings. The Signature fruit and cheese platter was a pleasant surprise as was the Mediterranean Tapas picnic pack.
Speaking of service on our flight to Anchorage there was an infant who started crying. As this was an overnight flight there were people trying to sleep. One of the male flight attendants after asking the mom for permission took the baby and walked with her up and down the aisle for almost 20 minutes until she went back to sleep. And on our flights back even though we switched planes we had the same flight crew. And they were on point with service and were responsive to any request. Can't ask for better service.
Also on the good side was the staff at SEA who helped us with some great food recommendations to eat in a hurry and our pilot on the SEA-LAS segment. He got us into LAS early, and was on point with turbulence warnings as well. And his landing was the best I've ever experienced on any flight before. Textbook perfection.
Meh Stuff: Gate locations at LAS is way at the end of Terminal 3 so be ready to walk. At ANC same thing, the gates are a bit of a walk. (Not as bad as DIA's concourses but still noteworthy). Also meh is the depressing Seattle terminal. Limited food choices, dirty restrooms, and lighting that made it feel dark and gloomy did not leave us with a good impression.
Bad Stuff: Lost bags. First time it has happened to us. We get to Anchorage and the one bag with our heavy coats in it...is the one that's lost. We filed a claim with the baggage agent and little did we know we could have received extra Alaska miles for this incident if we had filled out a form. Anyway we got to step out of Ted Stevens Intl Airport into the +5F / -15C Alaska cold without our coats. While our bag was eventually tracked down and delivered to us, to be dropped off in Alaska without a coat in late December is something you don't forget. Lesson learned.
On our flight out de-icing took about 45 min. That's fine, no big deal but our pilot said he would try and speed things up to get us to Seattle on time. We got to SEA late and some people had to be rushed off the plane to make a connecting flight with 10 min to spare. I learned from the Anchorage newspaper a few days later that some pilots are unhappy with Alaska management and are doing little things to slow down flights. I can't help but wonder if our pilot on the ANC-SEA flight did exactly that.
More Bad: In flight premium Wi-Fi. The only thing I can say about it is to adjust your expectations as it was pathetic, and a borderline waste of money. There are speed upgrades coming later in 2018 and they are seriously needed. Also buy your wi-fi in advance as it's almost double the cost to buy it on the flight.
Also Bad: As this was our first series of Alaska flights we didn't have miles to use for upgrading so we were stuck in Coach. For my wife and I we noticed a difference in seat comfort between Alaska's 737-700 and the 737-900's. We were a lot more comfortable on the 737-900. It was enough of a difference that we will not fly coach in a 737-700 series ever again, regardless of cost.
Would we use and recommend Alaska Airlines? Absolutely yes. I do recommend upgrading seats if you can. While one of their pilots was sketchy, the flight crews are awesome. Food and beverage service is on point and with some great choices. And the price if you plan ahead is quite reasonable. While we did have a bag get lost, on our flights back we had no trouble dropping our bags off at ANC, and they were on the carousel fast when we got back to LAS.
4 Stars. We're going back up to Alaska this summer and hopefully we won't have our bags get lost again. Also the Alaska Air app is really helpful. Don't fly Alaska Air without it.
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