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Before yesterday I had not flown Alaska Airlines in 20 years. I had the chance to fly from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and all I can say is that I wish Alaska flew more places that I needed to travel. The experience was pleasant throughout and the catering was pretty tasty.
Anthony’s Take: Alaska Airlines got me to my destination early and the flight crew could not have been more friendly and proactive. The flight attendant working up front memorized every passenger’s first name and addressed them as such throughout. While a bit informal, it was impressive. My meal was tasty and might even rank as the best burger I’ve had on a plane in a while (Delta’s Shake Shack burgers are right up there as well). I will definitely fly Alaska again and love that it’s a oneworld® partner with a close relationship with American Airlines. Check-in was easy online with my boarding pass in my Apple Wallet.
Booking
I booked my flight directly with Alaska Airlines. The First Class ticket cost $479 for the one-way trip. I added my Executive Platinum number so that I could earn miles and Loyalty Points with American Airlines.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
The flight was departing from Gate G7. American has an Admirals Club® by G8 (review here). I went to that location and enjoyed it. While the decor is a bit blah, the food is much improved and it was not too crowded. I was able to gain access with my flight on Alaska and for carrying the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard.
Boarding
The flight boarded on time and departed as scheduled. The boarding area was orderly and people did not crowd too much. The gate agents did a good job of calling groups up and folks did not rush the podium. I was one of the first on board the aircraft.
Alaska boards as follows:
- Preboarding: Guests with disabilities who need help or a little more time to board
- Priority Boarding: First Class, Atmos™ Titanium
- Group A: Atmos™ Million Milers, Atmos Platinum, Atmos Gold members, Families with children under the age of 2, Active members of the military
- Group B: Atmos™ Silver members, Guests in Premium Class seats
- Group C: Eligible Atmos™ Rewards Visa® cardholders who book their flight using an Atmos Rewards Visa® card
- Group D: Guests in Main seats located in the back half of the aircraft
- Group E: Guests in Main seats located in the front half of the aircraft
- Group F: Guests in Saver seats
Seats
I booked seat 1F as I always prefer the bulkhead. The aisle seats were already taken. The seats are comfortable and a bit more than what you get with American, Delta, or United. They have a footrest and feel extra roomy.
Controls for the recline and footrest.
Overhead air nozzles and lights.
Each seat had an outlet along with a USB-C port. This worked well.
Food
I had ordered my meal in advance and this was noted accordingly. The burger was large and one of the best I have had on a flight. It was served with hummus with veggies, potato chips, and a chocolate cake. I was not a huge fan of the cake and only ate a bite to review it.
The meal started with warm nuts and a choice of beverage.
Alaska definitely wins for serving the largest burger of the domestic US airlines.
About an hour after the meal, the flight attendant offered a snack basket. I grabbed some cookies for later.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi was available and it’s $8 for the flight. It worked well throughout. Movies and TV shows can be accessed for free.
Lavatory
The lavatory up front was pretty standard. It included a toilet and sink. There were no other amenities for First Class passengers.
Service
The flight attendants were friendly and the one working up front was constantly in the cabin to check on passengers and offer drink refills. All of the Alaska employees I encountered seemed to genuinely like their jobs and it showed in the interactions with customers.
Overall Impression:
I enjoyed flying Alaska for the first time in more than two decades and will be back again when the schedule works for me.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
