Alaska IAD–SAN 737-9 First Class Review

Upgraded via AAdvantage status at the 22-hour mark, Tillamook burger at cruise altitude, Salt & Straw ice cream over Kansas, and nearly five hours west on Alaska's 737-9. Here's the full review.

Detail	Info
Flight	Alaska Airlines AS 201
Route	Washington Dulles (IAD) to San Diego (SAN)
Aircraft	Boeing 737-9 (N935AK)
Vintage	March 2022 — 4 years old
Cabin	First Class
Seat	Upgraded via AAdvantage reciprocal status
Booking	$130 cash
Flight time	4 hours 57 minutes

Getting to Dulles

I left on a rainy Saturday in Washington. Taking WMATA's Silver Line was the easy call - getting me to Dulles for a few dollars versus $70+ for a rideshare sitting in whatever the Beltway was doing that afternoon. While the ride is slightly longer, it's a nice change of pace. Contactless payment is now accepted meaning you can skip the SmartTrip card and ticket machines.

My travel companion was heading to London on BA, so we walked through the international terminal together while she sorted out her document check. From there PreCheck moved quickly and we caught the airside train to the concourses.

BA and Alaska both operate out of B at Dulles, but we made a detour to A first to try the Chase Sapphire Lounge by Etihad. The waitlist was over an hour which wasn't happening. We dipped in the Virgin Atlantic space but left pretty quickly due to crowds. My companion headed to the British Airways lounge but for me this was one of those times where an empty gate area won out.

The Upgrade

As hoped, my upgrade cleared at the 22-hour mark. Eight of twelve first class seats were open when I booked, with 60+ in economy for this Saturday evening departure. Leisure-heavy transcontinentals are about as good a setup as you'll find for upgrades. There's less elite competition than a weekday which generally works in your favor.

Exactly what you want to see a few days out!

My upgrade came through AAdvantage reciprocal status — a benefit of the Alaska and American partnership. By the time we pushed back every seat in first had filled between upgrades and non-revs. While upgrades are clearing later and later these days as airlines like Alaska push in-app upgrade offers, clearing at the 22 hour mark gave me just enough time to pre-order my meal.

It's worth repeating the booking logic here: paying cash rather than using AA miles on an Alaska flight isn't just about cents per mile. Booking with AA miles on Alaska removes your upgrade eligibility entirely. At 1.0¢ per point - below the Milesmate 1.4¢ baseline - the cash fare was already the right call on the numbers. The upgrade just made it more right.

The Aircraft

Today's aircraft was a MAX with the registration N935AK. It first flew in March 2022, making it four years old at the time of this flight. The aircraft shows well with Airspace bins overhead, which help with carry-on capacity compared to the older 737s, and updated seats throughout.

Today I was sat in seat 3A. Alaska's newer first class offers seats with footrests, sunken drink holders, standard AC power, and USB-A.

The one gap is a built-in device holder, which isn't there. While the traytable offers a flip up device holder, it removes your screen from eye level. Sometimes with the right case you can "mount" your device using the brochure caddy in the seat in front of you.

As was expected with Alaska, legroom was quite good. In terms of recline Alaska gives more of it than most domestic first class products. This sounds great until the person in front of you uses it fully during meal service.

Where did the legroom go!

The more serious issue is if you're working on a laptop - a seatback that drops quickly and without warning can come straight down onto an open screen and do real damage. If you're planning to work after meal service, keep an eye on the seat in front and be ready to move the laptop fast!

Boarding and Pushback

Boarding started a few minutes late as we waited for crew. Despite that, the jet bridge disconnected at 7:31pm, with pushback six minutes early.

The taxi out was enjoyable - Dulles on a Saturday evening has a good mix of international metal, and we passed BA 290 to London on the way to the runway.

Routing

The scheduled block was shorter than four hours fifty-seven minutes in the end. A weather system over the middle of the country pushed us north until we cleared it somewhere over Mississippi. We then followed the southern border for the final stretch into San Diego.

Once we got into the air, we did have some great views above the storm systems.

Service

Service opened with a Salt & Stone oshubori towel - not the heated version you get on some carriers, but a prepackaged refreshing wipe served cool. It was a nice change from what I typically experience on American.

Choice of drink and snack mix followed while the cabin settled in.

For the main I went with the Tillamook burger, my first burger in the sky. The flight attendant confirmed to another passenger it's one of the most popular items on the menu, which tracks. The presentation of the meal service was quite nice and I liked small touches like the gold cutlery.

The burger came with a tuna starter and small side salad, Idaho potato chips, and a roll with butter. There's no fries but that's the correct decision. Fries don't survive a galley reheat and Alaska doesn't pretend otherwise. The chips do the job and provide the right amount of crunch. The burger itself was substantial, cooked medium, sesame bun, with condiments on the side. The passenger next to me was an AA frequent flyer who watched it arrive with visible envy and said something along the lines of Alaska doing food better than American. That's hard to argue.

Other options on the menu included the cheese plate, enchiladas, and a few others. The selection is much higher quality than most domestic carriers and it shows.

Meal service wrapped up about two hours in, right as the last light faded somewhere northwest of Kansas City.

Dessert was Salt & Straw premium ice cream with sea salt and caramel ribbon. I can honestly say this prepackaged mini pint of ice cream is better than the custom Häagen-Dazs sundae AA offers on longer flights.

The flavor is better, the caramel was delicious at altitude, and I love the Pacific Northwest heritage. While AA's sundae is a better "production" this is better quality ice cream.

A snack basket was offered around about 90 minutes before landing as we followed the southern border toward San Diego.

IFE and Connectivity

Alaska's domestic aircraft do not offer seatback screens - rather stream to device entertainment via the Alaska app or browser on your own phone or tablet. The content library was solid and I found no issues finding something to watch.

One feature worth flagging: the player shows you whether you have enough flight time left to finish a specific title before landing. It's a really nice touch when you're deciding between a movie and a TV episode.

Free messaging was available for all passengers, but unlike American wifi is not free - rather. T-Mobile customers get free internet. Everyone else pays a flat $8, which isn't too bad for a flight of this length. It's worth noting that Alaska is rolling out Starlink fleet-wide - the E175 was first, with the 737s to follow. When that reaches this aircraft type the connectivity picture will change significantly.

The Crew

Today's crew was fine, not a standout. It was a full cabin and service got done, but it felt slightly disorganized at points and proactive touches weren't consistent. For example refills weren't being offered regularly and you had to flag the crew to remove service items. For a free upgrade, I can't complain.

Arrival

Sitting on the left side of the aircraft on the approach into San Diego at night gives you the downtown skyline. There were fireworks going at Petco Park on the descent which was grea timing.

We landed early, then sat at the gate for a few minutes while the jet bridge struggled to align with our aircraft. After 4-5 maintenance technicians troubleshooted the jet bridge, we were finally connected.

A view of one of my favorite aircraft at the gate next to us

Final Thoughts

Alaska offers a strong transcontinental product The 737-9 is a well-configured aircraft, their food program is genuinely better than most competitors at this cabin level, and the AAdvantage reciprocal upgrade at the 22-hour mark turned a $130 fare into a very comfortable flight out west.

For AAdvantage members who haven't been paying attention to Alaska reciprocal upgrades - it works. The food is better than you'd expect, and Saturday evening transcontinentals are as good a place to start when looking for your next upgrade.

After arriving late into San Diego I made my way to downtown to check into the Alma hotel.

Part of the Buyups, Bargains & Beaches — San Diego Series.