Snapshot review: Alaska Airlines Airbus A320 First Class

After a surprisingly decent visit to the Alaska Airlines Lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), it was time to head to Las Vegas. Alaska Airlines use Boeing 737 aircraft as the backbone of their fleet but this flight featured an Airbus A320, a leftover from their merger with Virgin America. The airline will be phasing this fleet out by the end of 2022 but the on-board experience is similar between the two aircraft types.

Check in

Having just came from my Air France La Premiere flight, I headed across SFO to Alaska’s home at Terminal 2. Despite being an aging airport, the check-in zone is outfitted in a smart looking design that’s been developed alongside the airport operator.

The check-in area featured a dedicated section for oneworld and Alaska Airlines elite members. I did encounter some issues regarding the way in which Alaska calculates the free baggage allowance for elite member, which is by weight not pieces as is the case in most of the world. They waived the charges which I appreciate but warned me not to do so again. Security, despite the many horror stories of TSA check points, went smoothly.

Boarding

The flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas is short at approximately one hour long. I wouldn’t usually bother flying in First Class for this length of flight, however award availability was limited in Economy Class at this time.

This was my first domestic flight within the US, and I found it slightly strange in both positive and negative ways. This includes:

• Upgrade requests being clearly visible in a list on the displays which is a far more transparent process than in the UK.

• Serving members of the armed forces getting priority boarding which reflects a wider culture in the US of admiring/appreciating their service.

• Dogs! This was very weird, and I think the only case you would get this in the UK would be for actual Guide Dogs. While there was no trouble on this flight, there is the risk of disturbance, but this is offset by the size of the country needing to have a different manner to transport passengers and their animals. Within the British Isles, there is always going to be a feasible alternative for transport within a reasonable time when compared to aviation.

Boarding the aircraft was smooth and on-time despite being a full load on this flight. I sat in seat 1A where a carton of water sat for our consumption - which is always appreciated by this traveller.

On-board

I must say how impressed I was by the seats on this aircraft. While there are elements of the US first class experience which are comparatively worse than Euro business class, the seat is not one of them. The recliner is extremely comfortable despite appearing to be quite slim on padding and I could see this being feasible on a longer flight of three to four hours. Each seat came with a universal power outlet, which is surprising considering that these will only serve areas in North America, as well as a USB port.

The design of the cabin continues the muted but stylish colour scheme of the lounge. It’s a departure from what this aircraft would have been under Virgin America but it still shows a little bit of personality.

A limited service was provided on this flight, which is understandable considering the duration you are airborne. A small menu is available which details the beverages available, but no food or snacks are served. I just opted for a Diet Coke having felt a bit queasy since boarding for no apparent reason (or maybe from the rich food I’d had on Air France).

The staff on-board this flight wasn’t the best and certainly didn’t have the charm of a BA short haul crew. However, they were far better than the staff I encountered on a later Delta flight as well as previous American Airlines’ international services. They served and greeted customers with a smile and quickly which is always welcome.

And that was it. The flight went without a hitch, and we were soon landing into Las Vegas on the stunning arrival into what is a lacklustre city.

This flight isn’t long enough to truly judge the Alaska Airlines offering. The hard product offered by Alaska is decent especially for a European visiting across the pond while the airline seems to have invested a lot into portraying a positive brand image - which truly reflects the service. From an excellent lounge through to a comfortable seat, Alaska provides about all you could want from this hop to Las Vegas from San Francisco.