Jeff B.
Yelp
(Traveled 07/08/23 SA @ 7:15am, 09/21/23 TH, and 11/14/23 TU... and several times before): I'll ask ya... how was the flight!?
Alaska Airlines recently became one of my favorite airlines, and by default my airline of choice to/from Newark, New Jersey to visit a dear friend of mine. Additionally, they've also become my airline of choice to/from Honolulu, Hawaii. Unfortunately, my favorite domestic carrier Southwest Airlines no longer flew into Newark (the closest airports were in New York), and all other major carriers charged considerably higher. Plus, I was able to get mileage points! This was my story:
PURCHASE
Roundtrip Nonstop Airfare ($367.80): Since I booked the flight barely two weeks before its departure, this fare was well within my comfort level of $350.00 for any roundtrip domestic air travel during the high season (summer months). On a morning flight out of Los Angeles LAX that arrived in Newark EWR https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=lP8wPBF8kkNt7nkwKykZKg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw around 3:55pm the same day, the nonstop flight departed and nearly arrived on-time. Damn I loved nonstop flights!
Checked Luggage (N/A): Thankfully, I traveled light and only had a carry-on and backpack. Otherwise, they customarily charged $30.00/bag. With the exception of Southwest Airlines or you were a high-ranking passenger, basically all carriers charged for checked luggage. C'est la vie...
FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
~Check-in: I checked-in online 24-hours prior, had my QR code boarding pass on their app, and traveled with only a carry-on and backpack, so I was ready to go! Then, it was off to the security checkpoints and through the necessary TSA pleasantries...which surprisingly went fairly quickly except for the unprepared few who had to take off their belts and shoes or remove their laptops from their bags. Once that was done, I was released to my plane's gate and left to my own devices with the excitement that always came when leaving on a vacation - sweet!
~Seats: Come on, it was the same sardine can like all airplanes these days, so unless you were in Business or First Class you got to know your neighbors to the left, right, front, and back of you! https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Gm_EJA90CFGIOdEO_bSscw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
~In-flight Meals/Snacks (Varied; only snacks this instance): The drink cart along with a small packaged snack came out once we were at coasting altitude. Alcohol and some kind of food were made available for purchase. I normally didn't purchase such things on a flight. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=mE8QlTgT2c-JkIAZ7sK2ug&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
~Lavatory: I got my business done at the one in the back of the plane. Plenty of toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues... but could've been cleaned more often.
~Service & Amenities: All uniformly-dressed flight attendants were adequate and spoke perfect English. None of the seats had video monitors for movie/show watching, music listening, and games playing. The seats themselves were roomy enough. No blankets, headphones, or pillows were provided. Because of the morning flight time, the attendants often came around which was fine in this case. There were no carry-on baggage fees.
PARKING (Varied; N/A this instance):
I was traveling through and had no need to park. However, the airport offered onsite parking structures with rates that varied from $7.00 to a range of $50.00-$70.00/daily maximum. Because this was located within Terminal 6 of departing flights, you had to already be an outgoing or incoming passenger to even get here, so parking would be a moot point.
ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE
Located deep into Terminal 6 (specifically near Gates 65-69) filled with a ton of gates, plenty of reasonably-priced eateries and duty-free shops, and many monitors as you passed them along the way. There were sufficient places to sit in the terminal with plenty of natural and electric lighting. Once on the airplane, it seemed like any other, so nothing really needed to be said or seen here, but I wished I recalled the type of plane since I was nerdy like that! https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=3Vk-ZbxwU3c9JLvSvUj_BQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw
ATTIRE
Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. I liked to be unencumbered and unfettered, so the least amount of clothing, especially while I traveled through an airport, the better!
OVERALL
My roundtrip nonstop flight on Alaska Airlines out of LAX was fine and got me there and back safely which truthfully was all that mattered to me on any domestic flights. I wished there were seat video monitors that helped pass the time. In any case, I'd fly and recommend them again. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $368.00 BEFORE any discounts and/or tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! 4.0 STARS