Review: Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class BRW-ANC

Flight Info

Date Traveled	June 23, 2024
Flight No.	AS #50, BRW-ANC
Aircraft / Tail	B737-800 / N527AS
Flight Time / Distance	1 hour, 35 minutes / 725 miles
Departure / Arrival	5:30PM AKDT / 7:20PM AKDT
Class / Seat	First Class / 3A (window)
Type / Cost	PAID / $614 RT Economy + $39.98 upgrade offer to First for this leg = $653.98
Loyalty Status	Mileage Plan member (but miles credited to AAdvantage)

Summary

Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class features a big comfy seat with great food and drink choices. Even though the flight is short, the combination of everything paired with great views of Alaska made this a great experience.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Booking Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class

This was pretty much the same booking process as the inbound flight to Utqiagvik, but the difference is I actually took up the upgrade offer. A few weeks before departure, I received an email from Alaska Airlines about an upgrade for the return flight between Utqiagvik and Anchorage. I saw that it was only ~$40 to move up to First Class from Economy so I decided to go through with it because it was so cheap! And for a 1.5 hour flight, I thought it was worth it.

Within the app, I submitted my upgrade request, and it was quickly confirmed.

After I got the confirmed upgrade, the app also presented me with selections to pre-order my meals. They were:

I remember waiting a few days before finally deciding on the fruit and cheese plate. I dunno, I saw Beecher’s cheese and recalled my great experience tasting Beecher’s in Seattle from a previous trip. So I figured it was good to revisit 🙂

Check In, Boarding, and Departure at Utqiagvik

I actually checked into my flight via the app the day before departure. Therefore, all I had to do once at the “terminal” was go through security. Insert a moment of silence here because Alaska Airlines doesn’t use printed boarding passes (I collect those!) and had no need to see the counter once at the airport.

To be honest, once at the airport, it was rather chaotic. My cousins dropped me off but decided to stick around until I departed. Like I mentioned in the Alaska Airlines Economy Class review to Utqiagvik, the terminal is just one small building (likely a converted hangar). There isn’t much space.

Probably in the space the size of my living room, kitchen, and dining room are the ticket counter, the TSA line, and the waiting area. There’s also a set of restrooms and vending machines, but other than that, there are no other services typical of an airport. The space was kind of tight with the other passengers, and some even waited outside.

Thankfully I didn’t have a bag to check so I just kinda loitered around. I wasn’t sure how this was all gonna work.

I was trying to listen to the announcements being made, and it seemed like they were already calling up boarding groups to go through the TSA line. Pre- and priority boarders were going through security when I arrived.

Then they announced all boarding groups to go through security. So then I awkwardly squeezed myself into the TSA line.

While I was waiting in line for the TSA, the incoming aircraft landed and passengers were deplaning.

The TSA line surprisingly handled PreCheck. When they checked my driver’s license, they gave me a PreCheck placard, and I relished in not having to remove things for screening. Unfortunately, the Alaska Gold Rush seasoning that my cousin gave me got flagged in my bag, and the TSA agent had to do enhanced screening for it. Like a color test or something. It took a few minutes.

Once I got past the TSA, I joined everyone OUTSIDE waiting. Some incoming flight passengers were still deplaning. After they finished, there were a few more minutes of waiting then they finally let us all go to approach the aircraft to board via stairs. No boarding group order here.

Boarding started at about 4:50PM, and it was mostly done by 5:02PM with stragglers.

When I sat in my First Class seat, I was offered a pre-departure drink: a choice of orange juice or water. I selected orange juice.

The scheduled departure was 5:30PM. At 5:15PM, a flight attendant made an announcement that we were still waiting on a few passengers, and I could see them come in one-by-one from my window.

At about 5:19PM, the boarding door closed, and the stairs were taken away from the aircraft. The engines came on at 5:23PM, then we took off at 5:28PM. It all happened so fast because there was no other aircraft traffic to worry about! Just had to taxi to the correct end of the runway, which took only a few minutes.

Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class Cabin and Seats

The First Class cabin on Alaska Airlines B737-800 has 12 seats in a 2-2 configuration. There’s a hanging divider behind the last row, which are nice because it allows the front row of Economy class have under seat storage with the last row of First. But also these hanging dividers and front row bulkheads have a terribad carpet pattern to it like it’s from the 1970’s or something. Except the airplane was delivered in 2009 so…

For seats, Alaska Airlines installed Recaro’s CL4400 for their B737-800 fleet according to Aerolopa. This seat features big headrest cushions, a large literature pocket, an in-arm tray table, and …that’s about it. No seat back entertainment system or extra storage/pockets for your things. I forgot to check for power outlets, but they apparently have USB A and a universal power port. Lastly, the seat width is a very generous 20.45″ with seat pitch of 41″ so there’s quite a bit of room to be comfortable, even for tall people.

I will say that my seat (3A) definitely had that “broken in” cushy feeling. Like your favorite couch in your living room, ya know?

As far as wear and tear, I noticed that the seat belt seemed quite worn (but not to the point of a safety issue). It makes sense because these are pretty old seats by now.

Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class Service and Food/Drink

While on the ascent to cruising altitude, the flight attendant took drink orders and verified pre-ordered meals. I did pre-order my meal and weirdly the flight attendant didn’t confirm that, and gave me the two available options: fruit and cheese plate or deli sandwich. I chose my pre-order anyway with the fruit and cheese plate.

Apparently the black bean burger wasn’t a catered option unless pre-ordered. Even still, I appreciated that the meals were more substantial than just mere snacks for this short flight.

Additionally, First Class gets their own food menu. But the drink selections are the same as Economy, but free!

For my meal, I paired the Sokol Blosser Evolution Big Time Red wine with the fruit and cheese plate. I couldn’t get much on the nose, but on the tongue I noticed hints of sweet, red, mild oak, and chocolate notes. NOT THAT I AM A CONNOISSEUR.

The fruit and cheese plate had a good spread. It included apples, crackers, brie, cheddar, gouda (?), chocolate, brownie crunch, and strawberry. I thought it was pretty good, and I wanted a light meal knowing that I’d be flying First Class on my next flight on American Airlines to go back home after this flight. Also, I was reminded that brie is messy! It was also good to revisit Beecher’s cheeses.

Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class Lavatories

I only used the lavatory once, and that was prior to departure. Because of the quick turn between flights, I don’t think the lav got much of a cleaning before we took off so I noticed it being somewhat dirty. Even then, I’m not convinced that Alaska Airlines operations at BRW are equipped enough for deeper cleanings.

Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class Entertainment and WiFi

The content available was the same as the other day on my incoming flight to BRW. You can check that here on my review for Alaska Airlines B737-800 Economy Class.

The woman seated next to me did ask about connecting to the WiFi for Internet use. But apparently it didn’t work on this flight. Either way, I didn’t want to pay to test it. Nor pay for it to…not work.

What I Did In Alaska Airlines B737-800 First Class

I noticed that the streaming system had Abbott Elementary Season 2. In fact, more episodes available than what AA offers so I ended up watching a few episodes on my iPad while taking notes for this flight on my phone.

I also did a fair amount of looking out the window from time to time. Some cool landscapes to look at!

Arrival at Anchorage

With about 28 minutes left in flight, a flight attendant came on the PA and noted that Denali would be coming up on the left. She gave some quick facts, and she also commented on how we might be able to see the base camps. We did not (or at least I didn’t). But the views passing by Denali were amazing! I’m glad that the sky was clear enough to get a great view!

Another announcement came with about 20 minutes left in flight to prep for landing. But then we banked around to avoid some local weather before approaching for landing. Wish I had taken more pictures at this point because the landscape around Anchorage is great with the mountains, rivers, and bay.

We arrived a few minutes before the scheduled arrival time. Deplaning was fast because I was at the front, then I was on my merry way through ANC airport to prep for my next flight.

Bottom Line

For a ~$40 upgrade to First Class, this short 1.5 hour flight from Utqiagvik to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines B737-800 was well worth it. The food was great, the seat was very comfy, and the views ended up being fantastic!

Have you ever flown First Class on Alaska Airlines? What did you think?