The little airline that can !
Written: Feb 22 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Helpful, cheerful, friendly staff. $50 upgrades. Website. 737-700, 800 & 900s.
Cons: Occasional delays. MD80s are getting old. $50 upgrade not available online.
The Bottom Line: Great airline. Terrific gate agents and Flight Attendents. Helpful, friendly service is very much alive on Alaska !
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| dgwright99's Full Review: Alaska Airlines |
I've been flying Alaska on and off for 7 years; it's my favorite domestic airline.
I fly a lot - 100-150k miles per year, so I see a lot of different airlines; Alaska is one of the best. I used to live in Seattle, and flew Alaska a lot, but now I live in SoCal, and only fly them occasionally - up to Portland and Seattle.
The first thing to say is that ALL the staff are friendly, helpful and polite - I have never come across ANY who were not. This really makes a difference. If you imagine Southwest FAs but without the lame humor.....
Alaska were a pioneer in using the web - they were doing online checkin years before anyone else - and still have the best web experience, IMO.
They guarantee that the fares on their website are the lowest (and its true), and there is a mileage bonus for booking there. You can check in online up to 24 hours in advance and print your boarding pass - but see below for the one thing wrong with this !
One of the best things about Alaska is that you can upgrade to First on any flight for $50, even without status, and even on the most heavily discounted coach fares. The only drawback is that you can only do this at the airport, so that rules out online checkin for me. I really wish they'd let you do it online, even if you had to pay the fee at the gate - though I can't see why you couldn't pay by credit card online. What I do is use the online reservation system to check to see if there is any space in 1st before I set out; if there is I head to the airport fairly early, and generally get the upgrade on Portland flights so long as I arrive at least an hour before the flight. Otherwise, I leave it a bit more last minute.....
Another thing is that 1st is generally only $100 more than full fare coach, so if its a last minute trip you can effectively get the "upgrade" guaranteed at time of booking for the same amount. I usually book a week or more in advance, and get a discounted ticket at half the 1st price though....
You can always check in using the electronic kiosk, even if checking baggage, and select your own seat. This is useful even if you booked online and chose your seat in advance, as often the middle seat that was empty when you originally booked is now occupied, and so unless its a full flight you have a good chance of getting a window or aisle with an empty middle. Also, I find that even with full flights where you ended up with a middle seat at the time you book, you can often change to an aisle or window when you check in.
Now I don't fly Alaska so often, I put the miles on American - Alaska flights are elite qualifying for American. However, I still have my Alaska account (worth getting - see below), so when I book, I use my Alaska number, and get the online booking bonus, but then change it to the American number at checkin, so I get the online booking bonus on my alaska account, but still get the elite bonus and miles into my American account.
One great thing about Alaska miles is that you can actually redeem them ! With American, and others, it can be really hard to find award availability, but I've never had that problem with Alaska, and they have lots of partners. Periodically they have award sales with 15k redemption on selected routes, so its doesn't take many flights to get a free flight.
There are some drawbacks, though. The MD80s they fly are getting a bit old. Nothing serious - the interiors are just a bit worn. MD80 flights do seem to get delayed more often - not sure if its maintenance issues, or the routes they fly. The 737s, especially the 700, 800 and 900s are great though - fairly new and smart inside. I'd recommend selecting a 737 flight if you have a choice. If you are hoping to get into 1st, the 737-800s and 900s have more 1st class seats, so your chances are better - which is another reason for choosing a flight with one of those planes.
Alaska's ontime record isn't steller, but taking into account that their main hub is Seattle which has lots of weather delays, it isn't bad. I've found that the first flight in the morning and the last at night on any given route are quite reliably on time.
Standing by onto an earlier flight is very easy - in fact you can do it at the electronic checkin kiosk; there is never any charge. Given Seattle traffic, this is a real boon, as it's wise to plan on arriving at that airport early in case of traffic. If the drive is uneventful, you'll stand a good chance of getting on the earlier flight and avoiding hanging around the airport for a couple of hours.
In conclusion - I'd recommend Alaska Airlines to anybody ! Its great to find an airline where the service ethic is still there !
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dgwright99
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Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 0 members
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