Alaska long-haul economy product is mostly fine
Expected my SEA-ICN flight in AS Y to be much, much worse based on some trip reports on here. I’m relatively gentle on Alaska, but my wife is a bit harsher and we both agreed that this was perfectly satisfactory.
Food was actually quite decent, better than what I expect from JAL and Cathay catering out of SFO. Wife got the regular/Asian entrees, I got the vegetarian special meal (had to call in, CSR was unfamiliar with the process but very nice about it + figured it out in 10 min). The dishes were:
* bulgogi beef (pictured) - slightly salty but generally good, didn’t see the pasta option
* shiitake mushroom rice (V) - legitimately very flavorful
* tofu egg fried rice - also quite decent, our seatmate got the chicken orzo and said he really liked it
* vegetable noodles (V) - this was really dry and bland, by far the worst
For special meals in particular, I’m used to steamed veggies + rice + a salty, gloopy sauce, so this was pleasant. Salads, fruit, and rice crackers were fine. The chocolate cake and ice cream were good, and the midflight cookie service was an unexpected and decadent treat, felt borderline illegal. Adding some kimchi or pickled veggies would have rounded it out.
Heard a lot about the seats being horrible; maybe it’s because I got N783HA (relatively new) + extra legroom, but it was again fine. Slightly more padded than the JAL 787-9 I flew on most recently. The flight attendants were friendly, not fawning like JAL’s but attentive and a little jokey. Weirdest part was when someone asked a question about the beef and one unironically replied “I don’t know, they don’t let me try it.”
No WiFi was a little annoying but expected. The wooden cutlery was actually very annoying, wife got a splinter. IFE catalog had some nice HBO/Apple TV options but was nothing special. The jet was really quiet, even during takeoff. Cabin temperature got kind of warm by the end of the flight. Weird that they handed out arrival cards at the very start of the flight.
The biggest problem: boarding at SEA was a disaster. Conflicting information issued by the gate staff, throngs of people mobbing the passport checkers, no enforcement of boarding groups, way too many people to fill two N gates. Also a little weird that you can’t get passport verification done at SFO or the N lounge. Really weak start to the flight, and gate staff were very nice but seemed in way over their heads. Alaska needs to sort this out, it was super embarrassing to witness.
We got on the upgrade certificate waitlist at ~T-80, but the J cabin filled up by T-48. No luck there.
I personally think this sub has a tendency to overhype the economy experience on JAL, Cathay, and STARLUX. They’re fine, but Alaska was absolutely in the same league. There’s just not that much differentiation to be had. I’ll be returning in Korean Air business class, which I don’t think will be a fair comparison.
Edit: One thing I forgot. For a so-called flagship lounge, the food at the SEA N Lounge is really sad. SFO has been leaps better every time. A build your own pasta lunch does not cut it