Alaska Airlines offers connecting service from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to our home gateway of Bellingham International Airport. With a small Embraer 175 and a short flight time of twenty two minutes, we weren’t expecting all to much on our short hop up to Bellingham. While it is such a short flight, it is great that Alaska Airlines offers a First Class Cabin on a short regional flight.

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This post is one chapter on my trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class E175: Seattle Tacoma International Airport – Bellingham International Airport

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This flight was purchased through an Alaska Airlines Famous 2 for 1 Companion Fare. We purchased this flight in upgradable space and received an upgrade to First Class at the time of booking. We credited these flights to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

Connecting through Seattle Tacoma International Airport:

We arrived into Seattle Tacoma International Airport on Alaska Airlines First Class Kona – Seattle. I was pretty bagged after this overnight flight that featured recliner First Class seats. As a result, I didn’t get a super deep sleep and was a little artificially delicate.

We had a long layover of five hours, which we killed off at the American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle. Access was provided courtesy of our American Express Platinum Card. As a were flying on an Alaska Airlines upgraded ticket, we did not have access to the Alaska Lounge Seattle, which is reserved for membership holders or fully paid Alaska Airlines First Class travellers (not on upgraded tickets like ours).

Our flight was departing from Alaska Airlines commuter gates at the C Concourse. There are a number of these gates here, and it’s always a congested mess whenever flights are set up to depart. It’s pretty typical that most travellers stretch over the entire concourse, making this place one to avoid unless you actually happen to need to be here.

Boarding Alaska Airlines:

We were eventually given the green light to board. We wandered down the walkway, passing by this very coll retro livery Alaska Airlines Horizon Embraer 175 like the one that we were flying.

We eventually got to door #5, which was located at the end of the walkway. Although we didn’t have the exceptionally cool oranges of the seventies on our place, we had the familiar Alaska Airlines blue with Horizon markings on the aircraft.

Alaska Airlines – Operated by Skywest
First Class (U)
SEA – BLI (Seattle Tacoma International Airport – Bellingham International Airport)
AS 3400
August 14, 2023
Booked: Embraer 175
Flown: Embraer 175
Departure: 12:25 PM

Arrival: 1:15 PM

On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

As we arrived on board, we settled into Alaska Airlines Embraer 175 First Class Cabin.

The Alaska Airlines First Class cabin on the Embraer 175 is set up in a 2 -1 configuration. The seat is relatively spacious for a short flight that is under three hours. Today’s flight was under thirty minutes, so we would have no complaints.

If you can live without under seat storage in front of you, the bulkhead offers the most available leg room.

The Embraer 175 has one row of seating on the left side of the aircraft. These are the best seats if you chance to be travelling alone, but I typically feel a little exposed in them.

Despite their being fewer windows along the sides of the aircraft in the Embraer’s, the large portal windows provide a significant quantity of light into the cabin.

The Alaska Airlines seats do not offer an in seat back monitor. For a brief flight, Alaska Airlines First Class also provides adequate leg room.

Pre-Departure Services:

It is a bit hit or miss getting a pre – departure beverage on Alaska Airlines. In the case of this short commuter flight, there wasn’t even a hint of any beverage being offered at all.

In Flight Entertainment:

Like many other flights, Alaska Airlines offers in phone flight entertainment. This is accessed through the Alaska Airlines home page on the wifi sign in screen.

Alaska offers free messaging. I did find that on Embraer flight that Alaska Airlines offered a smaller in flight directory of movies. As a result, I couldn’t finish watching the Hawaii themed “The Descendents” on my short flight home.

Food and Beverage:

Alaska Airlines does not provide any food or beverage service for this brief 26-minute flight, similar to many of its other brief flights.

I can’t really hold Alaska Airlines responsible for this segment’s lack of food and drink options. Given the limited time on board, serving a large number of people is pretty challenging.

Arriving into Bellingham International Airport:

With a brief twenty two minute flight, we arrived up to Bellingham International Airport really quickly. We had great views of Mount Baker on the approach, which was looking great in the late summer weather.

We arrived to Bellingham International Airport where the air ramp was brought. upto the aircraft. We disembarked and collected our lone checked bag right at the 20 minute Alaska Airlines Baggage Guarantee mark.

With a short visit to Costco Bellingham, we were on our way up Interstate 5 and home within thirty minutes.

My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines First Class:

Alaska Airlines First Class service between Seattle and Seattle was pretty simple. With no additional services onboard, the benefits were limited to priority services on the ground, a. few extra Alaska Airlines Miles for paid First Class tickets, and being among the first off the plane.

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Do you aim to fly in First Class on your short connecting Alaska Airlines segment ?

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