Trip Introduction: Mexico City, Mexico and Easter Island, Chile via LATAM Business Class and Alaska Airlines First Class.

Posted on January 24, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Chile + Mexico + Mexico City and Easter Island via LATAM Business and Alaska First Class + North America + South America + Trip Report + Trip Report Introduction

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The islands of the South Pacific are among the hardest in the world to get to using frequent flier reward miles. In particular, Easter Island in Chile had escaped me for a substantial amount of time. With a remote physical location in the world, a lack of airlines serving Rapa Nui (the Polynesian name for Easter Island), and limited airline alliances that allow for connectivity to and from this area, it’s a challenging region to visit on miles and points. This story is how we set out to visit the remote Easter Island and how with a little extra time in the schedule, we used international business class to get us there and back.

Trip Introduction: Easter Island, Chile via LATAM Business Class and Alaska Airlines First Class.

Trip Background:

I had always wanted to visit Easter Island, Chile. It was a remote corner of the world that had always escaped me, even over several past trips to Chile. I had previously checked award programs but always found limited business class availability with LATAM / One World; the only carrier that services this part of the world.

When I discovered a deeply discounted business class fare on LATAM, it was a no brainer. I called across the living room to MrsWT73 who surprisingly agreed to go without question. This was despite our earlier trip a few months ago to Fiji, French Polynesia and a family trip to Hawaii. She must really enjoy the idea of sitting on a beach on an island in the middle of an ocean! With that, it was booked right away with no issues on the LATAM site in Canadian Dollars (from Vancouver). So off we went on the trip to and island (that was like Hawaii in the 1940’s) to see hundreds of beautiful stone heads. Never in my life would I have thought that we’d travel to all 3 corners of the Polynesian Triangle in the space of one year, but here we go on the last chapter of this corner of the world.

Trip Planning and Organizing:

Airfares:

We had happened upon this trip through the Flyertalk Premium Fares deal forum. It advertised a full business class fare on LATAM from Mexico City to Easter Island via Santiago, Chile. The fare was posted at a rock bottom $1,020 USD return for Premium Business in Z fare class, which was an exceptional deal. The fare came to $1,274 CAD and with $207.09 in taxes and fees, we paid $1481.09 CAD per return ticket Mexico City – Easter Island.

As our onward ticket was departing from Mexico City, we needed to position there in order to catch our onward flight. With several Alaska Airlines Companion Vouchers sitting in our accounts, we used an Alaska Companion Fare that came with the Alaska Mileage Plan Mastercard. The Alaska Airlines Companion Fare allowed for the purchase of a second ticket on the same routing for $99. We purchased a Vancouver to Mexico City Ticket (via Seattle & San Francisco) for $493 USD plus $172.94 in taxes and fees, totalling $665.94 USD. We were able to add the companion fare to this ticket for $111 USD + another $172.94 in taxes and fees; for a total cost of $949.88 USD for two to travel from Vancouver to Mexico City round trip. We were both Alaska Mileage Plan MVP’s at the the time, so we were eligible for complimentary First Class upgrades. We were further upgraded to First Class between San Francisco and Mexico City on each leg.

All in, our combined airfare from Vancouver to Easter Island was under $1,500 USD with about 85% of it in First and Business Class. This was a great deal considering it’s usually about $6,190 USD to fly in Business Class on a comparable but more direct Seattle – Easter Island Chile routing.

Hotels:

There was lots of choice in Mexico City for hotels. Since we only had a short stop, I put us into the upscale Polanco neighbourhood. It was a toss up between the JW Marriott and the W Mexico City. Being a leisure trip, we ended up with the more exciting (or annoying dependent on your perspective) W Mexico City. This ended up being a reasonable choice and an interesting location to spend a few days in Mexico City. It was also conveniently located near the hop on hop off bus tour. The neighbourhood of Polanco would be my choice on a second visit to Mexico City. It allowed us to visit both the world class restaurants of Quintonil and Pujol.

In terms of Easter Island, there isn’t a lot of choice to be had. There was the over the top Explora Hotel which was retailing at being $780 USD per night. Since we were staying 5 days, we ended up at the more economical Taura’a Hotel. The Taura’a Hotel was reasonably located and with a friendly Australian host.

The trip ended up looking like this in the end. While it was a little difficult to get down to Mexico City, we made the most of the value offered on this trip, which was pretty inexpensive overall.

Our Routing from the Pacific Northwest to Remote Easter Island, Chile

This post is one chapter on our trip to Mexico City, Mexico and Easter Island, Chile. This trip was enhanced through Alaska Mileage Plan and through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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If you’ve gotten to Easter Island, Chile, how did you maximize value in getting there ?

Tags: Alaska Airlines Companion Fare, Alaska Mileage Plan, Trip Report Introduction

Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Maui – Seattle

Posted on January 23, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Boeing 737 + Business Class + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines offers the most mainline carrier service from the West Coast of North America to the Hawaiian Island thanks to a heavy frequency of flights. While most of the flights are served with narrow body aircraft, this often means a less comfortable ride home on the overnight flights where there is no lie flat seat in First Class. We travelled from Kahului Maui – Seattle on an overnight trip, allowing us to get a full last day on the island.

This post is one chapter on our trip to Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan on a 2 for 1 Companion Fare and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Kahuilui Maui International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport

We departed the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa after a great week long stay. We went onward to the airport and returned the car to Thrifty without any additional charges. Unfortunately, we were a bit early so we enjoyed the sunset view over the Lao Valley state park that was mostly covered in clouds.

The Alaska counters were only open starting at 7:30 PM, which was 2.5 hours before the flight. MrsWT73 not all too happy about this since at the time of our visit, there wasn’t anything but a tired Starbucks on the public side of the airport. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants available for dinner or anything! We ended up checking into our flight online via the kiosks and getting our bags tagged. Alaska Airlines unfortunately didn’t have anyone available to drop them off to.

An Empty Departures Hall at Kahuilui, Maui, USA

WT73Jr didn’t appear to mind the wait. He was into his electronics to pass the time in yoga positions only a 13 year old can manage.

When the time came, We passed our bags through the agriculture inspection and were among the second in the Alaska MVP line. We were quickly through the TSA pre-check area at Kahului, which featured a strange photo history documentary of all the security incidents in the United States immediately after the security check.

A Full Departure Board to West Coast Cities

Since it was well past dinner time, we ended up at the small food court in the Kahuilui Maui International Airport. It was Burger King and California Pizza Kitchen for our last meal in the United States’ Hawaiian Islands. My son ended up spotting and asking for a Burger King crown. This turned into a selfie of himself – one of the few that he took the entire trip. “This is definitely goin’ on instagram” ?!? Too cool to smile. It was several hundred dollars putting a family holiday together and this is what makes the social media feed (laughing).

Taking the Crown: Selfies from a Teenager

In further parental amusements, the boy located a machine that converted a penny into a Hawaii oval stamped coin. Another 50 cents down the drain. LOL.

Unfortunately, there was no lounge available for Alaska Airlines First Class Passengers or Priority Pass members at the time of our visit. As a result, it was waiting in the departures concourse lounge as the only form of entertainment.

Eventually, we headed down to Gate 5 for the Alaska departure. Like with Alaska Airlines trend of boarding flights early, the flight was already mid boarding by the time listed on the boarding card of his ticket.

The Last USDA Agriculture Hand Baggage Check

Time to Board: A Mild Stampede at Gate 5

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
OGG – SEA (Kahuilui International Airport – SeaTac Airport)
AS 878
August 24, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 9:55 PM
Arrival: 6:30 AM + 1

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On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

MrsWT73 was upgraded in advance this time to first class, courtesy of an Alaska MVP upgrade. She settled into the usual plush first class seating that Alaska Airlines offers for First Class.

Plushy Seats in the Alaska Airlines First Class Cabin

An upright seat: Perfect for Daytime Flights but less so for over night ones

Myself and the boy were in seats 11F and 11E. During the climb. we finished off the Amazing Race “Home Edition”. I have been creating clues sealed in dollar store envelopes for him on every trip we’ve been on and the last one is always the hardest clue for the grand prize. Today’s final question(s) was what were the 5 islands of Hawaii named, and what are the largest industries on the islands (past and present)?

After about twenty minutes of puzzle challenges, a successful conclusion to the Amazing Race Hawaii Edition, and consistent with an overnight flight, I aimed for sleep right away. The lure of The Lego Batman and Robin Movie was too much for WT73Jr to resist and he stayed up and fiddled with the gogo entertainment app for some time.

Food and Beverage:

MrsWT73 was offered a light cheese plate in First Class. It didn’t look too appealing but she nibbled away at it.

Per the Alaska App, there was only a cheese plate offered for food on this overnight leg. I slept through the beverage service.

Although it’s a 9:55 PM departing flight, it’s a pretty light offering in terms of food. As a result, I’d recommend eating before you get to the airport or dining before you get on board.

I ended up waking up as we crossed the coastline of the USA by the Columbia River in Oregon. There were some nice view from the wing morning photographs of the North American coast line.

Views of Mount Rainier in the Pacific Northwest

We arrived straight into SEA-TAC and pulled up next to more Alaska planes in the C Gates. The plane was turned around to head to Newark within the hour.

Arriving to C Gates at Seattle Tacoma International Airport

While I would normally do a separate post about the flight from Seattle to Vancouver, I’ve covered this post so many times on the blog that it’s actually probably the most frequent flight we’ve reviewed. Instead, i’ll just cover the last segment of the trip here.

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Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver

We got off the Hawaii flight at Seattle. We had only 90 minutes connection time which was burned up quite quickly. We opted for some Seattle specialties at Beecher’s Cheese and had breakfast sandwiches (egg, ham and cheese for myself and grilled cheese for MrsWT73 and the boy) from Beecher’s Cheese. It certainly hit the spot; truly terrific. Unfortunately, I missed my morning coffee since the espresso line was completely different and the Starbucks line was about 30 persons deep.

We ended up finding duty free instead with the irritating “delivered to the gate” method that is everywhere in the USA and not many other places else. Our last flight up was a Horizon Air flight, which meant a propeller plane. This translated to an outdoor boarding process this morning.

It was a very speedy 35 minutes up to Vancouver where we landed in the E gates. As with all Seattle – Vancouver services on Alaska, there was no in flight service due to a short flight length.

It was another very quick hop up to Vancouver on the Q400. There isn’t much to report on these since its’ a single cabin class of service aircraft with no in flight service. It’s better to get the jet service on this route if you can find it but it isn’t always available on Alaska. Interestingly enough, at the time of this report, Delta has announced that they will be up-gauging this route from an Embruaer 175 to a B737 jet due to high demand. Unfortunately, this has not translated to increased demand on the Alaska side as of yet.

The Bottom Line:

Alaska Airlines offered a terrific service from Hawaii with the usual entertaining Alaska service. The only real cost cutting component was that there was no one available to receive our checked baggage until two and a half hours before our flight. I was happy that I slept through the flight on the way back and despite the late bag acceptance at Kahuilui Maui International Airport, it was a pretty flawless experience.

Do you know what the five Hawaiian Islands are named and what the largest industry is on the Hawaiian Islands (past and present) ?

Tags: AS 878, OGG, SEA

With the Turtles in Kapalua Bay, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Posted on January 22, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + North America + Region Visit + Trip Report + United States

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The old town area of Lahania contains one of the most historic and largest Banyan Tree’s in the United States. It anchors a wonderful historic area, along with an afternoon of shopping along it’s main street, finishing with an opportunity for some ocean water viewing at the end of the Lahania strip. It’s a must visit area on any trip to Kaanapali.

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Activity: With the Turtles in Kapalua Bay, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

During towards the end of our stay, we ventured in the rental car from the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, up to Kapalua Bay. I hadn’t previously ventured north (or west) of Kaanapali, Maui so it was new territory for me.

We wandered down the back roads off the Honoapilani highway. There’s only about 20 parking spots at the public beach access so I dropped the family and headed back down the road to find some street parking.

I trucked down the short beach access to find a beautiful small crescent shaped beach. It had a bit of a compact shore line but we were able to find some space and lay down some towels.

During our stay, we had several sea turtles within sight of the shore hovering around including babies. It kept MrsWT73 occupied with her snorkel as she spent time looking at them despite the strong waves in the area.

The turtles were so close, you could easily see them from shore. They spent most of their time scraping away at the rocks that were close to the shoreline. The visibility was not that good thanks to the shoreline being so rough.

My son enjoyed the strong waves here. He kept announcing publicly that his dad was trying to kill him (by bringing him to the beach thanks to the super strong waves); much to the interested attention of anyone around that would listen to him. I somehow made it off the beach and back to the hotel with out being reported to the Ministry of Child Protection and Family Services. Otherwise a pretty excellent spot for a family beach away from the hotel crowd and we’d easily return. The only minus was the rocky area near the shallows and the strong current that would make it unsuitable for kids under 10. You’d have to strictly supervise paddling here as a parent!

We had a McDonalds dipped cone on the way back and fries; a random comment but that’s the kind of day that it was.

My Thoughts on Walking in Lahania:

All in all, I was pretty happy with our getaway in Maui, Hawaii. It was great to spend some time in a safe destination where there aren’t many complications, everyone is happy with the surf and restaurant choices. Kaanapali was a nice area to anchor ourselves for a get family get away. MrsWT73 was already eying up the more expensive Starwood offerings for a trip into the future.

Tags: Kapalua Bay, Maui

Under the Banyan Tree on the Boardwalks of Old Town Lahania, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Posted on January 21, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + City Visit + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + North America + Region Visit + Trip Report + United States

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Activity: Under the Banyan Tree on the Boardwalks of Old Town Lahania, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

After several days on the beach at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, it was time for a trip into nearby Lahania. Lahania is pretty much the gateway town for the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach area. Lahania was the original capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845 before the capital was moved to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Marvelling at the Banyan Tree:

We self drove down from the hotel and parked at the south end. We started at the fantastic and awesome Banyan Tree. The tree is reportedly the largest in the United States and was planted in 1873. WT73Jr had a great look into the tree, which takes up a whole city block.

Taking a First Look at a Historic Banyan Tree

Wandering through America’s Largest Banyan Tree

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Wandering down Lahania’s Main Street:

After the Banyan Tree, we wandered up the quaint but highly touristy street. Its full of souvenir shops and restaurants for visitors, but that’s what you came here for in the first place…

With window shopping on the mind, we wandered aimlessly through town.

Walking through Timeshare Resales and Art Galleries

Even ABC Stores has a home on Main Street

It wasn’t long before we came up to the waterfront. You can see a little ways out towards the sea way between the islands here, making for a very picturesque Main Street Walk.

Viewing Water Shores on Lahania’s Main Street

A Beautiful Walk along a Historic Street

My son was particularly interested in the tiny crabs that decided to visit the sidewalk.

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Picking up Fish Taco’s:

As our breakfast wore off, we had the opportunity to eat at the Paia Fish Market on Front Street It was on our way through town and the looked like best available option. This place was a little gem full of seemly visiting locals. We had fresh and tasty fish tacos, rice and coleslaw with lemon. Divine!

Stopping at Paia’s Fish Market – Lahania

My Thoughts on Walking in Lahania:

Lahania is a beautiful tourist destination that actually has a little bit of history to it. In addition to a fabulous Banyan Tree, it has a wonderful and touristy Main Street walk that happens to over lap the ocean. While any tourist row can be enjoyable for a visit, this one has a Hawaiian ocean charm. It’s worth a visit on your way through Kaanapali, Maui, United States of America.

If you’ve visited Lahania, Maui, USA did you find it a charming tourist destination worthy of a visit ?

Tags: Walking Tour

Review: Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, Maui, Hawaii, USA

Posted on January 20, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Sheraton + Trip Report

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There are a whole host of different Kaanapali Resorts in Maui, Hawaii. With our first stay in this region of the Island of Maui, we ended up at the spacious and comfortable Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa. We would end up with a fantastic suite upgrade, a whole host of inclusions courtesy of elite benefits, and a resort that was well placed allowing for great walking exploration of the Kaanapali hotel row.

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Review: Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, Lahania, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

Booking the Sheraton Maui:

We decided on the Sheraton Maui after substantial research between hotels in the Kaanapali area. With the hotel offering a club lounge, better online ratings than the Westin Kaanapali, and at a lower family price point than the more upscale newer Kaanapali villa offerings, it was a decision made fairly easy.

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunties:

The hotel is now in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program as a Category 7 hotel. Rooms are available for between a low of 50,000 to a high of 70,000 points per night with a standard rate of 60,000 points per night. If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.005 a point, you’d have to spend more than $350 USD to come out ahead for a 60,000 point redemption. Marriott Bonvoy Hawaiian Hotel redemptions are never a terrific deal. However, in recent times of high demand, In the high season months, this might represent a better value when the room rates climb beyond $600 USD per night. Under these circumstances, you might find some outsized value with a point redemption.

At the time, Starwood Preferred Guest was also running their summer “Take Three” promotion that offered 3 X points for weekend stays. We earned a boat load of SPG points with this stay as we earned 4 points per dollar as a SPG Platinum 75 member, 2 points per dollar for charging to the Canadian SPG American Express Card, 3 points per dollar for the “Take Three Promotion”; all of which totalled 9 points per dollar AND 1,500 points from SPG Amex for a stay at a qualifying resort property. With that alone, we were off to a great start there. As a result of the opportunity, we elected to end up paying a cash rate.

Getting to the Sheraton Maui:

The island of Maui, Hawaii, United States of America is a place that requires a rental car. The resorts are too far apart and not really connected through any decent public transport. As a result, it’s typically a car rental for us during our stays on the island.

I broke with my usual convention of booking direct and booked a rental car for the entire week via Expedia. I was going to pay for a resort shuttle over to Kaanapali, then rent a car for a few days, but then I discovered that Expedia was brokering prices with Thrifty Rental Car for 50% of what I could even get on the Thrifty web site. Forget the 500 Frequent Flier miles, I’ll just save $200 USD. The car for the week was $170 USD. After coming off Alaska Airlines Portland – Kahului, we hopped the Thrifty bus over to the nearby Maui International Airport rental car center. The bus driver today was a bit of a Mario Andretti type screeching around the corners like he was in an F1 car.

There were only two people in line but over 35 minutes to get a car assigned and ready to be packed up. Thrifty seemed to be massively behind with both car assignments and paperwork. Having booked a Full Size, “Chrysler 200 or similar” we ended up with a new but marked up Nissan Altima, having turned down a Ford Expedition SUV as I didn’t want the gas bill.

We stopped in at Maui Costco for some wine and a Costco hot dog snack. I got a new snorkel as my mask was falling apart. We then had a 40 minute drive up to Kaanapali toward the Sheraton Maui. The hotel was not well marked posted off the highway but I had the address in Trip it.

Arriving to the Sheraton Maui:

2605 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 96761 USA

Our first impressions were all that you could expect from a hotel that’s been in operation since the 1960’s. The hotel has been in operation since January 20, 1963. The resort was quite spacious like an old school resort with an impressive and spacious entrance way.

Arriving to the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa

The Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa Entry Sign

There was a busy but competent valet staff taking care of things at the front end. The valet parking would end up being free for elite members, as we would learn later on in our stay.

We unloaded ourselves at the porte cochère. Unfortunately, there was only 1 check in desk host working at 5 PM when we arrived. Per usual, there was a marked but unmanned Gold and Plat check in line. We joined the general queue and were helped after about 5 -7 minutes. The lobby is an open air lobby, which is terrific and just the thing to put you in the resort mood after arriving to your property.

Spacious Waiting Areas in the Sheraton Lobby

The Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa offers 464 rooms and 44 suites spread over 6 floors across several different buildings. Most of the rooms have a version of an ocean view. Given the limited amount of suites (less than 10% of the rooms), for those with eilte status, a suite upgrade is far from guaranteed with a soft upgrade to some form of a view a much more likely result, if you’re running the upgrade odds strictly by the numbers..

After the expensive French Polynesian & Fiji Adventure, I had booked a simple resort room in the lowest category available. I thought that we would chance it and use elite Suite Night Awards for any upgrades and hoped for the best with the Sheraton being a very large property with many categories of rooms (partial ocean view, full ocean view, suites, family suites etc..) My Suite Upgrades were declined at the 5 day mark but on check in, we got a super duper SPG Platinum upgrade to a family suite in the O’Hana Hale building with two double beds (#1109). I was super happy with that as they retailed for about $668 USD after taxes and our rate was only about $220 USD per night.

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The Room: Ohana Doubles Suite, 2 Double, Alternate bed: Murphy/wall bed, Ocean view

The Living Room:

After the check in process, we led ourselves to Room #1109 in the O’Hale building. The Ohana Doubles Suite Room #1109 was a room on ground floor. It had a large living area immediately opposite two double beds. The large living area was great for WT73Jr who could flunk onto the couch at any given moment.

The Bedroom: Two Doubles

On the bedroom side, there was ample bed space for a young teenager and us featured in the form of spacious double beds. It was much better than a base level room.

A Spacious Family Sleeping Area with Two Doubles

The Doubles were easily wide enough for two adults

Rounding out the bedroom space, there was also a Murphy Bed in the living room which we never ended up using. The room could have slept 6 with two to a bed!

In terms of sleeping, the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds were comfortable. I found the room to be reasonably quiet, which was great since family resorts aren’t always known for peace and quiet.

The Bathroom:

There was a massive bathroom that was about 25% of the floor space of the room. The room also had the recently updated Sheraton “Le Grand Bain” toiletries. The bathroom featured both a stand up shower and a bathtub shower.

The room also featured a wet bar along with a refrigerator. We promptly stuffed it full of beverages that we had purchased from Costco. The hotel was also kind enough to provide lots of free bottled water for the stay. The pictured 1.75 L bottle of Sky Vodka was not included with the room, or the resort fee.

Enough Bottled Water to Satisfy the Thirstiest Youth’s

An In Room Fridge Provided some Refrigeration

There was also a welcome letter explaining the features of the Black Rock Lounge benefits and the inclusions on the Resort Fee. The resort also offered unlimited free valet parking for SPG Platinum Members ($32 USD a day value – not written down anywhere except verbally explained via the front desk) and a 1,500 Starpoint Credit for the High Speed Internet Alternative (that credited to my account after the fact without explanation).

A Welcome Letter offering Executive Lounge Buy Ups at $30 a day (complimentary for Platinum members)

The Daily Resort Gouge Charge Inclusion Sheet

Our Ohana Suite had a nice walk out lanai leading to nicely landscaped grounds… along with a night time view from the outside of the spacious room.

Although the room wouldn’t have been a number one choice for a romantic weekend, it was absolutely perfect for a family trip. The placement on the ground floor was also super convenient to the beach and made it easy to get back there for drinks or other supplies during the beach visits. We felt well treated as SPG Platinum’s with many inclusions, despite the resort fee charges with items we never used.

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Around the Hotel:

The Black Rock / Na Hoku Executive Lounge

After we settled in, we opted for pupus and happy hour at the Black Rock Lounge. The Na Hoku Executive lounge has recently been relocated from a view space into the back of the Black Rock Lounge. Access was gained via a check in reception agent in the lounge through our Platinum Status. There was kindly no up charge for the son. The hotel was actively selling buy ups at the front desk to “Executive Level” status for $30 per day for those that had arrived and was seeking Executive Club level privleges.

The Na Hoku Sheraton Lounge Hours of Operation

The lounge itself wasn’t a super inspiring space. It was functional in nature and didn’t offer any spectacular ocean views or sweeping vistas.

A Simple but Slightly Dark Executive Lounge

The Lounge was Mostly Tables and Chairs with only a Few Couches

Since most weren’t hungry we had a snack dinner in the lounge on the first night. I had an Ahi Tuna Poke with a paid Maui Brewing Blonde Ale Beer.

A Tasty Maui Brewing Bikini Blonde Lager

It wasn’t a too exciting place but we did stop by once or twice during our stay. Junior liked the unlimited happy hour snack appetizers and the Cokes on offer. Regretfully, there is no real view from this spot and only a small outdoor seating area reminiscent of an elementary school bench area for those than want to be outdoors.

Coral Reef Restaurant:

For the entire duration of our six day stay, we took breakfast as the Platinum Breakfast benefit. The breakfast on offer was a full buffet breakfast. There were pastries, an omelette station, fruits, a miso station. The only surprising omission was that there was no cheese. It was explained via the front desk that there was to be an up charge for junior since elite Platinum benefits only cover two persons, although in practice it didn’t seem to be collected. It was another appreciated inclusion and I thank the hotel for this break on the bills.

The breakfast was fulsome and a great way to start any day in Maui. While it wasn’t a buffet containing salmon and caviar, it was broad enough and I ended up leaving each day fully satisfied.

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Around the Property:

Beach Loungers:

On the morning of day one, we went to lounge by the pool. The grounds have koi ponds near the restaurants, which fascinated my son.

The hotel offers access to a large sandy beach directly accessible from the resort. Over several days, we ended up on loungers on the grass. Throughout our stay, we didn’t have many issues getting an available lounger as long as we got to the chairs by about 10 AM. As with other Hawaii beach resorts, a lounger directly on the sand was a pay rental at $55 USD per day and chairs were at $45 per day. The chair loungers themselves were very comfortable and padded on top of the aluminum base. The loungers themselves were close enough to the water that you could see it quite clearly if you picked the right spot.

Loungers Around the Lawns of the Sheraton Maui

Views of the Kaanapali Beach from the Hotel Loungers

Views of the Kaanapali Beach from the Sheraton Maui

Walking the Kaanapali Beach Trail:

Later on during the day, we took a walk down the Kaanapali Beach Trail to situate a bit. I had never stayed in Kaanapali, and there was a perfect touristy beach walk just off the resort. It was pretty packed during the day but I did manage to get in a run during the week here in the morning while it was deserted. The sights are pretty spectacular in a touristy way. The Kaanapali strip of hotels was a pretty neat place to be for a family trip and I really enjoyed being situated here for a week long family holiday.

MrsWT73 and Junior Walking the Kaanapali Beach Trail

Views of the Shoreline on Kaanapali Beach

Beach Chair Loungers on the Kaanapali Beach Trail

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Nightly Black Rock Torch Lighting:

Over the days on the beach, my son especially enjoyed the surf with his new body board. I managed to catch the nightly torch lighting ceremony, which involved a person lighting all the torches then jumping off of Black Rock. There’s a similar variation at most Hawaii hotels, although I found the one we experienced at the Fairmont Kea Lani (on the other side of Maui) to be a bit more engaging and interactive with the kids.

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Snorkelling at Black Rock House Reef:

Over the course of our stay, we had some snorkeling through Black Rock. The Black Rock consists of a house reef immediately in front of the water side of the hotel. We’ve had some great snorkeling throug hthis region over the years. Sadly, the reef was not looking as good or awesome as I once remembered it. May be it was a sign of traveling the world and seeing spectacular reefs but I was less impressed these days with this one.

There were sporadic sightings of yellow fishes, angle fish and the silver guys with the blue stripe. Those are the non- technical names – I am sure a marine biologist can correct me with the right names. The corals themselves looked pretty tired and dead. What there wasn’t in the in the way of plentiful fish, there were heaps of Turtle sightings. We had at least 5 separate sightings at the hotel from shore which was a surprising bonus. Kaanapali has topped the global list over Oman and French Polynesia in the frequency of turtles!!

The Bottom Line:

The Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa was an excellent resort for a family trip. The grounds were quite spacious, and the price point was reasonable without it being over the top. Our Ohana Doubles Suite was very comfortable and the ability to have a lani that led directly to gardens was a really neat feature. The elite Platinum inclusions were an added bonus.

If you’ve stayed at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa on a family trip, did it fully meet your expectations for a family stay?

Tags: Hotel Review, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Platinum

Review: Alaska Airlines B737-9, Portland – Maui

Posted on January 19, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Business Class + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines offers the most mainline carrier service from the West Coast of North America to the Hawaiian Island thanks to a heavy frequency of flights. While most of the flights are served with narrow body aircraft, this translates into a greater amount of flight availability with times that can suit your travel plans. We ended up on a day time flight from Portland to Kahului, which allowed us to land a reasonable hour.

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Review: Alaska Airlines B737-9, Portand International Airport – Kahuilui Maui International Airport

We had a quick thirty two minute connection thanks to some mild flight delays coming off Alaska Horizon Airlines Seattle – Portland. We headed over to Gate C3 at Portland International Airport. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any time left today to check out the Alaska Lounge Portland, which would have been among the last in the system to visit.

Wandering Down the Airport to get to C Gates

Yes – per the boarding sign, we are the last team to arrive to the gate as everyone else had already boarded.

Alaska Airlines
Economy Class (T)
PDX-OGG (Portland International Airport – Kahuilui International Airport)
AS 809
August 18, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 12:22 PM
Arrival: 3:10 PM

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On Board Alaska Airlines:

As we settled in on board Alaska Airlines, MrsWT73 was pro-actively moved up to Premium Class thanks to her Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold upgrades. When she got to her Premium Class seat, a man was sitting there with his family. He offered up his sole First Class upgraded seat to her as he wanted to sit with his family. She left him pretty darn quick, leaving son and I in the back of the cabin.

In terms of our seats, we were in main cabin row 11, which is partially missing a window on the Boeing 737-900. It wasn’t so bad since we were near the front in the area reserved for elites. The original main cabin seat my wife was occupying was never re-assigned so we got a spare seat across our bank of three across, which we quickly occupied. Getting an extra economy seat is a great way to stretch out; it is almost similar to the business class features in Europe.

Alaska Airlines Slimline Economy Class – Row 11

The seats in Alaska Airlines Economy Class do not offer any in seat back entertainment in the form of monitors. It is limited to the inflight Alaska Beyond in flight magazine and the buy on board menu card.

Just an Alaska Airlines “Beyond” in flight magazine for entertainment

Like most Alaska flights, we were button’ed up really early – 20 minutes in advance of the departure time with the doors fully closed. There’s nothing like Alaska Airlines’ promptness.

Departing Portland:

We left Portland International Airport with a westward departure along the Columbia river behind Jet Blue.

Following Jet Blue to the Departure Line

We had a scenic departure from Portland International Airport, with views of the Columbia River on the climb to cruise altitude.

Spotting the Columbia River on the Climb to Altitude

It wasn’t long before we were leaving the West Coast of North America, on our cruise westward towards the Hawaiian Islands.

The Meal: A Buy on Board Lunch by Tom Douglas

The first lunch service started within a prompt forty five minutes after departure. The buy on board menu was available through the Alaska Airlines App and through the go go in flight internet.

Alaska Airlines Buy on Board Menu through the Alaska Airlines App

There was also a printed version of the menu. It was pretty straight forward, and not unlike any other on board menus found in a seat back pocket near you.

I ended up having the featured main course. It was a ginger chicken bowl by Tom Douglas. He wasn’t a person that I knew of before but the meal was quite tasty.

WT73Jr tore into this like no tomorrow. There was nothing left by the time he was done.

After the meal service, I went to sleep after this for about 2.5 hours. It was a bit uncomfortable leaning against he fuselage but I made it work. There were lots of kids around on the flight today. The flight only had one water service throughout the whole flight; either that or I slept through it.

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In flight entertainment:

As I mentioned earlier, the in flight entertainment consists of go go in flight movies. The internet function is disabled as it doesn’t work over the pacific ocean.

Internet Service is Limited to the Continental North America

Instead, I ended up staring out the window. While I was watching the world go by, we got lapped on the way to Hawaii by what looked like a Delta airlines Boeing 767.

Delta Airlines passing us at a lower altitude

A Welcome Mai Tai Beverage:

In the last 90 minutes of the flight, Alaska offered a complimentary mai tai (from Trader Vic’s) which was pretty sweet tasting until the ice cooled off. It was a nice touch to end a series of three segments of flights today.

Arriving into Kahuilui Maui International Airport:

As we approached Maui, we took a U turn orbit into Kahului Maui International Airport. It’s always great to arrive into Hawaii in daylight hours. It was nice to see the beautiful coast after a day of travel.

Spotting the Impressive Mountains of Maui

On Final Approach watching the Coast Line of Wailea

We landed and arrived into Kauilui International Airport. We were out quickly and into the outdoor air thanks to Maui’s open air but horribly dated concourse corridors. I don’t know what is with the state of Hawaii but it has some really old airports despite all the visits that it gets! You’d think they’ve had put an airport improvement fee in the plan but yet here we are. Having said that, it’s always a great relief arriving to Hawaii into warm temperatures.

On the topic of things that are dated, we passed by some very old school internet terminals. It’s been a while since I’ve seen anything like these!!

The Bottom Line:

Putting all three Alaska Airlines flights together, it was a pretty long trip adding on the morning segments and the early morning wake-ups. We were pretty knackered near the end in these small planes. Despite our milk run route, Alaska remains a pretty solid choice for service from the West Coast to Hawaii. Our trip on this segment was comfortable, relaxing and provided a decent arrival time into Maui. With the bonus of an empty seat next to us, it was as comfortable as it could have gotten for any trip to Hawaii.

How do you keep yourself entertained on a long trip to Hawaii ?

Tags: AS 809, OGG, PDX

Review: Alaska Horizon Airlines Q400, Seattle – Portland

Posted on January 18, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Business Class + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Trip Report

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Between two pairs of highly travelled cities are an airlines’ great opportunity to provide great shuttle service. Alaska Horizon Airlines provides a shuttle service between Seattle Tacoma International Airport and Portland International Airport. The cities are just over 170 miles apart and are frequently serviced with regular flight frequencies between the pair.

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Review: Alaska Horizon Airlines Q400, Seattle Tacoma International Airport – Portland International Airport

This will be a brief review as it’s a short flight. It is always more pleasant to arrive into Hawaii at dusk, instead of arriving in the late evening. This allows you to get settled in your hotel and get the best room upgrades available before they all disappear (laughing). In order to get down to Maui with an afternoon arrival, we had to depart on the Alaska Airlines Portland – Kahului flight. As a result, we had another short hop down on Alaska Airlines Horizon Shuttle over to Portland.

When I came time to leave the Alaska Lounge C Concourse Seattle, we headed down for the Horizon Shuttle to Portland. It was my very first Alaska Airlines Horizon shuttle flight. I wasn’t really sure what to expect other than it was a shuttle flight in the usual prop plane. We ended up leaving Seattle from Gate C2, which is right across from the awesome Beechers’ Cheese vendor.

Our Departing Gate C2A at Seattle Tacoma International Airport

The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in an Airport anywhere: The Excellent Beecher’s Cheese

Our boarding of the shuttle flights today was outside via the covered Gate C2 walkways at Seattle Tacoma Airport on to the apron. It was a nice clean facility and they had lots of travellers coming and going through these communal gates.

Alaska Airlines
Economy Class (T)
SEA-PDX (SeaTac Airport – Portland International Airport)
AS 2077
August 18, 2017
Booked: Bombardier Q400
Flown: Bombardier Q400
Departure: 11:04 AM
Arrival: 11:50 AM

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On Board Alaska Horizon Air:

It was double boarding doors today with rows 1-10 boarding via the front doors stairs, and the balance boarding via the rear door stairs. The boarding process with both doors made things go much quicker. I left my rolling suitcase on the “A La Cart” gate check immediately outside.

Alaska Horizon Airways; a Q400 Marked with Horizon Markings

We settled in on board into some smallish seats. The Alaska Horizon Q400 aircraft offer the usual 2 -2 configuration in a single class of service aircraft. The traditional brown seats are anything but old school. At the very least, they are comfortable.

Food an Beverage:

As we got under way, we were offered a drink of juice, water or free local wine or beer. It was a strange combination as no coca cola or other soft drinks for otherwise available. As a short shuttle flight, I wasn’t expecting all too much. It’s always interesting to see what you can get on this short segments.

Cheez – It Whole Grain Crackers and the Usual Dasani Water

We were straight into Portland International Airport with no real waits. We disembarked off at the A gates. We waited for the cart followed by a brisk walk towards to the Gate C3 thanks to a tight connection. MrsWT73 forgot WT73Jr’s sandals on the Horizon Air flight. She took them out of the exterior pocket in the carry on so that the bag would fit into the overhead bin, then left them in the overhead bin in her rush to get off of the plane. Whoops!

Arriving at Portland International Airport

The Bottom Line:

In summary, Alaska Airlines provided a reasonable shuttle flight with an odd beverage combination. Juice, water or craft alcohol. Well, I suppose there are stranger things out there. With their frequent service between the two cities, I wouldn’t hesitate to travel with them again.

If you fly frequently between Seattle and Portland, is Alaska Horizon Airlines meeting your travel needs ?

Tags: AS 2077, PDX, SEA

Review: Alaska Airlines Lounge, Seattle Tacoma – C Concourse, Seattle, USA

Posted on January 17, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Alaska Lounge + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Lounges + Trip Report

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Alaska Airlines has been on a competitive improvement campaign with its lounge network. One of it’s more recent offerings has been the newer lounge space at the end of Concourse C in Seattle Tacoma International Airport. For a completely new space, Alaska Airlines has done a great job in offering a slightly compact area, which great daylight lounge views.

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Review: Alaska Airlines Lounge, Seattle Tacoma “C” Concourse, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.

With a three hour layover between our Alaska Airlines First Class Vancouver – Seattle, and Alaska Airlines Seattle – Portland, we went over to the brand New Seattle Alaska Lounge in the “C” Concourse of the Sattle Tacoma International Airport. This version of the Alaska Lounge on June 30, 2017. During our visit in late August 2017, it was so new that it wasn’t even on the airport directory maps. As we had no other lounge options other than buying a day pass at the United Club Seattle or the Delta Airlines SkyClub Seattle, and not being eligible (at the time) for the American Express Centurion Studio Seattle, I sprung for entry at the Alaska Lounge.

Locating the Alaska Board Room:

This version of the Alaska Airlines Lounge is a smaller lounge located in the Seattle Tacoma C Concourse. It’s located at the very end and in a far corner of the C Concourse.

The Alaska Airlines Lounge “C” Concourse Seattle – Tacoma International Airport
Map Courtesy of Port of Seattle Website

The lounge has a somewhat of an odd location at the very end of the C Concourse. On my usual travels out of the C Concourse, I’ve typically been departing from the C2 B to M Gates or the C10 A – F Gates on the concourse that service the turbo prop routes on Alaska Airlines regional destinations. If departing from the C gates, you’ll probably pass your gate in order to get to this lounge, then have to back track in order to get back to your gate.

The Alaska Lounge Entrance at C Concourse, Seattle Tacoma International Airport

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Accessing the Alaska Lounge:

The Alaska Lounge is usually accessible through a variety of means.

Alaska Lounges are accessible through an annual membership. Holding a membership card allows you access prior to your departing flight. Unlike many other American carriers, you can also get access as a paid first class passenger.

Unfortunately, you don’t qualify for access as an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan elite upgrader if you’ve purchased an economy fare and have found yourself upgraded to First Class. Select One World Sapphire and Emerald Members get access, dependent on the rules of their itinerary per the One World access policies.

Access is also possible through purchasing a one day pass.

Occasionally, Alaska Airlines offers access through Priority Pass. However, it’s developed a bit of a reputation for not allowing access due to over crowding. As a result, I wouldn’t rely on Priority Pass if you were insistent on visiting Alaska Lounges through this means.

The Reception at Alaska Lounge C Concourse, Seattle Tacoma

Our access today was courtesy of a purchased day pass. As we had a long layover, I bought day passes for the family for 3 at $45 USD each. As always, there were friendly Alaska managers at the reception. I paid for this with the Alaska Mileage Plan Credit Card and earned 3 Alaska Mileage Plan points per dollar on an eligible Alaska purchase.

Inside the Alaska Airlines Lounge:

This version of the Alaska Lounge is a brand new space. Once we settled inside, we found ourselves in a really nicely decorated “L” shaped lounge. Most of the seating space was against the windows, in a nice bright environment. While the environment was nice and bright, the lounge seating itself was quite limited as a result of a smaller lounge space at this particular lounge.

Lounge Seating at the Alaska Lounge C Concourse

Limited Lounge Seating at the Alaska Lounge C Concourse

A Limited Bank of Seats Against the Windows

A Food Counter Towards the Entrance Walkways

At the back of the lounge, Alaska has placed a great water feature in the form of a large ceiling to floor waterfall. The space led to the bar and bar stool area.

An Impressive Water Feature: Unusual for an Airline Lounge

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The Bar and Beverage Area:

The rear of the lounge offered the Alaska Lounge full service bar. The bar was a stand up variety, and didn’t contain any bar seating while at the bar itself.

While there wasn’t a lot of bottle service, it kept the runway views clear!

There were a few Washington beers available on tap, in addition to MrsWT73’s favourite of free flow prosecco. The Alaska no tipping policy was also advertised.

It’s our pleasure to serve you – Please no Tipping

There was a little high top seating next to the bar itself. This seating area was limited to less than twenty seats overall in a combination of high table and low table configurations.

Views from the Lounge:

There weren’t too many seats but we were able to move to the window seats about only about 20 minutes. There were some gorgeous plane spotting opportunities here – the nicest of any lounge that I had remembered. It was much better than the old windowless dungeon United Red Carpet Club in the basement of the North Satellite Terminal.

Unusual Plane Spotting Opportunities, including the rare Alaska Air Cargo B737-7 series

Food and Beverage:

The food area was situated about halfway down the lounge. It had the usual Alaska pancake machine, along with some light breakfast snacks.

Lunch & Dinner and Late Night Happy Hour menus

Snacks were the operative word here – there wasn’t enough to replace a meal here. The muffins that were out this morning were enjoyable ; tasty and individually baked.

A Limited Snack Menu with some Select Offerings

There was also a fancy espresso machine. Who’s going to complain about Starbucks Latte’s?

A Starbucks Latte, prepared by Black and White

Our Experience with the Alaska Airlines Lounge:

Overall, a great lounge space with limited food options and a slightly compact food print. I wouldn’t come here for the food, but come for the local micro brew beers, a comfortable atmosphere with great natural light and the no tipping policy. It was easily worth another visit. MrsWT73 and son kept happy!

If you had the opportunity to visit this smaller Alaska Airlines Lounge in C Concourse, did you find it worth the trip past your gate ?

Tags: One World, SEA

Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Vancouver – Seattle

Posted on January 16, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Alaska Airlines + Business Class + Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + Trip Report

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Getting up early in the morning on family travel is never a fun experience. With our Alaska Airlines flight to Hawaii, we would have to make a double connection in Seattle and Portland prior to getting down to Maui, Hawaii, USA. We would start the day at 2:30 AM in order to make our 6:02 AM departure time. While it was an early departure, it actually ended up being alright thanks to a surprise last minute operational upgrade to First Class.

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Vancouver International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Getting to Vancouver International Airport:

We all had to be up at 2:30 AM in the morning to get out the front door of the house for the 6 AM flight today. When I went to get him up our of bed, son was really groggy and wanted some “iPhone time” to get up slowly. Oh boy. This is what family traveling has come to; not likely 13 year old!! We tossed him in the car and away we went.

We sped in the car to the jet set long term parking at Vancouver International Airport. I made an advance booking via the Vancouver International Airport webpage and got a discount with the BC Automobile Association card. We took the parking lot shuttle bus and arrived to the dark airport building at 4:00 AM. We wheeled into the Alaska gates immediately under the Fairmont Vancouver Airport.

Arriving to Alaska Airlines Check In at 4 AM

It was Surprisingly Busy at this Early Hour

As family travel trips go, they are never completely organized. I tried but we couldn’t check in on line as the previous administration had turned over son’s passport after their summer trip, only for me to discover the night before departure that it only had 3 months of validity left on it prior to expiration. I attempted on line check in but the Alaska computer would not accept the expiration date – claiming the document was expired and not valid for travel. I spent the evening of the night before searching to see if we would be denied boarding via a government or Alaska policy since you usually need 6 months left on the document. However, on arrival to the counter, all was okay at the Alaska check in desk and they never even mentioned it. Thank the heavens for small miracles amid modern day parenting issues.

MrsWT73 was pre-upgraded at the 48 hr mark to the First Class cabin courtesy of her Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold status. Her Alaska Airlines MVP Gold status offered her unlimited First Class upgrades. As a lowest tier Alaska Mileage Plan MVP, I wasn’t even considered since Alaska doesn’t extend traveling companion elite upgrades for non status passengers like my son.

Navigating the Long Security Lines:

We headed through to the secure side and US Customs Pre-Clearance in Vancouver. CASTA Security and Global Entry were a total mess today. It was the worst than I had ever seen it. There were easily over 100 people in the GE line. The line extended past the kiosks and finally got organized around 4:50 AM. That’s us in the Trusted Traveler lane on the left – so much for expedited screening.

Waiting in the Trusted Traveller Line on the Left

Waiting in the US Pre-Clearance Global Entry / Nexus Lines

I later learned CASTA screening only opens at 4:30 AM and CBP opening with light staff. Many travellers were delayed thanks to about 200 people in the regular line. It was a challenging airport situation to start the day’s travels. Despite this, we made it through CBP without any issue. The whole process from check in to gate was ell over 60 minutes with fast track check in, nexus security screening and global entry. The lesson to be learned that if you’re a regular traveler leaving Vancouver in the early morning, plan to come early as a result of the extra time needed.

We headed over to Gate 73, which is a sterile transit gate at Vancouver International Airport. The last time we headed out this gate, it was the gate for our Cathay Pacific First Class Vancouver – New York flight a few years back. The indoor ferns were not as lush on our last trip through…

Our Alaska Airlines B737-9 at the Gate in Vancouver

While we were waiting at the gate, I was called to the podium. Thankfully due to my Alaska Mileage Plan MVP status, myself and the son received an operational upgrade to First Class. The friendly gate agent cautioned me and said “usually we don’t do this but we have people we want to fit on in the back”. Alaska doesn’t normally upgrade non status passengers along with the MVP’s but son who had no status was without status was on the same ticket as I.

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
YVR-SEA (Vancouver International Airport – SeaTac Airport)
AS 964
August 18, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 06:02 AM
Arrival: 6:47 AM

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On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

We boarded with the earlier groups and settled into the First Class Cabin. The Alaska Airlines First Class cabin is pretty retro-looking, but despite the look of the cabin, it’s a pretty comfortable place to be. It’s set up in a 2 – 2 configuration over four rows of First Class.

Pre – Departure Services:

On board, there was the usual Alaska form of a pre-departure beverage consisting of a small bottle of Dasani water. We were also offered a bonus pre – departure beverage of orange juice or coffee, which seems to be unusual for the Vancouver – Seattle route. Usually, nothing is offered for some reason or another.

As we got underway, there was no other in flight service on the short 27 minute flight down to Seattle.

We had a long taxi out to runway 26 L made longer by construction to runways. We had a smooth take off with some gorgeous sunrise views over mount baker.

Beautiful Views of Mount Baker at Sunrise

We arrived into Seattle and were parked at the N Gates in the North Terminal before we knew it, arriving at 7 AM.

Arriving to the N Concourse in Seattle Tacoma International Airport

On arrival, we took the train over to the main terminal. We went and looked at the options for breakfast in the food fair at the central concourse. There wasn’t much there that was appealing for breakfast, but we enjoyed the beautiful picture window.

The Seattle Tacoma Departure Concourse Window

We ended coming back to an overpriced Wolfgang Puck Restaurant in the C Concourse but very tasty with reasonably fresh artisan bread.

I went and looked at the Sub Pop store just off the C wing. Sub Pop is famous in the Seattle scene as the founding indie record label for Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. It’s now backing Flight of the Concords among other bands. It was a cool piece of airport tenant trivia for all passengers traveling through Seattle.

The Bottom Line:

The Alaska Airlines First Class flight is probably among the most common flight that we find ourselves on. We don’t get a lot of service on the flight thanks to the short duration, but it’s usually over before we know it. Today’s flight was marked by a operational upgrade to First Class; something that doesn’t happen all to often.

When was your last operational upgrade to First or Business Class ?

Tags: AS 964, SEA, YVR

Trip Introduction: Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines.

Posted on January 15, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines + North America + Trip Report + Trip Report Introduction + United States

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The Hawaiian Islands are among the best destinations in the Northern Hemisphere for a family beach trip. With a world class beaches, a safe and secure environment, and easy accessibility from the West Coast of North America, it’s an ideal place for a family trip. While the islands can be called expensive, there are ways to get even greater value from your travels. We used the Alaska Airlines Companion Fare to get an almost free ticket from Vancouver to Maui.

Trip Introduction: Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii, United States via Alaska Airlines.

Trip Background:

After our beach holiday to French Polynesia, it was time for a vacation with my son. He had spent the earlier part of the summer traveling to Tofino and Calgary, Canada with his mom. In the spring, I asked him where he wanted to go. He was keen to return back to Maui, Hawaii, United States of America, where we had spent a family holiday together with MrsWT73 when he was seven years old.

Trip Planning and Organizing:

Airfares:

Since the Alaska Airlines Bellingham – Maui flights are seasonal, we ended up flying from Vancouver via Seattle / Portland. We used an Alaska Airlines 2 for 1 companion fare that was about to expire that we had received courtesy of the Canadian Alaska Airlines Mastercard. The Alaska Airlines Companion Fare offers a second airfare for $99 plus taxes and fees on any economy airfare purchased.There are no capacity controls on any inventory fare buckets for the Alaska Airlines Companion Fare, making it very easy to use. It’s is renewed annually with the annual fee of the Alaska Airlines Mastercard. Since there were three of us travelling, I ended up just paying for a third ticket for MrsWT73 making our tickets slightly cheaper than had we purchased three airfares outright.

Hotels:

For the hotels, I just read the reviews and picked the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa as a solid Marriott Bonvoy / Starwood Preferred Guest property. As a Platinum Member with the hotel chain, we had access to a suite of additional benefits. While the Sheraton Maui was an older hotel, the Sheraton Maui served us really well and was conveniently located for a great family adventure. With it’s Platinum Benefits, the Sheraton Maui offered a complimentary lounge access with breakfast and cocktail happy hour, an included Platinum hot breakfast and a great upgrade to best available room at check in.

Since the attractions and hotels on Maui are typically spread apart, we rented a car through Hertz in order to get around. This was the easiest method and always my go to choice while on Hawaii.

A Well Used Alaska Airlines Companion Far
Vancouver to Maui, Hawaii

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If you’ve gotten your family to Hawaii, how do you go about maximizing value in getting there ?

Tags: Alaska Airlines Companion Fare, Alaska Mileage Plan, Trip Report Introduction

Review: American Airlines First Class A319, Los Angeles – Vancouver

Posted on January 14, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Airbus 319 + Airline + American Airlines + Business Class + Fiji, French Polynesia & New Zealand via Fiji Airways & Air Tahiti Nui Business Class + Trip Report

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For the last flight in our South Pacific adventure, we had a short connecting flight home on American Airlines. While we were initially booked on their usual Embraer 175 aircraft that served this route, we were upgraded to an Airbus 319 before we travelled. We experienced a thin pre-departure First Class experience on this flight compared to the other carriers serving transborder routes, and a lost checked bag before the day was over.

This post is one chapter on our trip to Fiji, New Zealand and French Polynesia. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan and AAdvantage frequent flier programs and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: American Airlines First Class A319, Los Angeles International Airport – Vancouver International Airport

After enjoying the United Club Los Angeles, we headed for the gate at about seventy five minutes before our flight. The United Club Los Angeles was accessed through separate means, and wasn’t included with the purchase of this ticket. Unfortunately, American Airlines doesn’t offer Admirals’ Club Lounge access to flights departing for Canada, so despite this being a First Class International Ticket, we were left on our own for lounge access. This position happens to be the lowest in class offer, as both Air Canada / United in Star Alliance and Delta Airlines in Skyteam both offer lounge access for First Class transborder travellers.

We left the United Club Los Angeles lounge early as we were over in Terminal 7 and we wanted to stop to get some duty free, prior to heading over to our departing gate in American Airlines’ Terminal 5.

We didn’t have a boarding group on our boarding cards issued by Air Tahiti Nui so we just boarded with Group 1-2 since American today didn’t call what the groups were – just the numbers on their own.

Departing Service to Vancouve form Gate 50B

There was a short upgrade list tonight. I guess Vancouver on the last weeknight flight of the day isn’t too popular with elites.

Only three on the upgrade list; with two groups of travellers

We picked up our duty free on the jet ramp as we boarded the aircraft, as is customary when departing the United States.

American Airlines
Compass Airlines Operated as American Eagle
First Class (U)
LAX-YVR (Los Angeles – Vancouver International Airport)
AA 1723
June 20, 2017
Booked: Embrauer RJ 175
Flown: Airbus 319
Departure: 7:50 PM
Arrival: 10:40 PM

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On Board American Airlines First Class:

Once we had boarded, we settled into the smallest First Class cabin I’ve been since our Hawaiian Airlines First Class Honolulu – Maui Inter Island Flight on Hawaiian Airlines. Today, our American Airlines First Class flight had two rows of First class in a 2-2 configuration, for a total of 8 first class seats. I guess that’s one way of getting rid of top tier complimentary domestic upgrades or loyalty award redemptions; shrink the cabin to non-existence.

American Airlines First Class A319 Seats

Aside from the tiny cabin, the seating was in next generation slim line first class seats. The cabin itself was quiet, intimate and mostly comfortable for a two and a half hour flight up the West Coast.

A View of the Leg Room and the Seat Back, with Duty Free Stashed under the Seat

Pre – Departure Services:

An open bar pre – departure beverage was offered. Today it was a continuation of Gin and Tonics that we had started earlier in the United Club Lounge. It was served in a plastic cup, along with a with lime. I have to applaud the American Carriers for offering an open bar pre-departure beverage. It is certainly a great way to start a flight.

We were quite delayed in departing the LAX rush hour. We waited for over one hour on the ground before we even got clearance for take off. We had an apologetic cabin public address from both the pilot and the cabin crew about the delay.

We eventually got underway for our two and a half hour flight from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

The Meal: A Dinner Service

Today’s dinner service started with warmed nuts and a pre-supper drink. I went with white wine, which was presented unnamed and unidentified.

The nut service was followed by the main course. The main course offered was chicken with quinoa, along with a terrific salad with oil and vinegar dressing After all that time in Tahiti, it was great to actually get some greens. It was a lot more generous than the usual Alaska Airlines First Class meals, but not as tasty or exotic as our recent Delta First Class meals.

Chicken and Quinoa, with a Crisp Greek Salad with Cibatta Dinner Roll

For dessert, it dinner was followed by a warmed chocolate chip cookie on a Coke Napkin. The dessert presentation wasn’t the best, but the cookie tasted great.

In Flight Entertainment:

There wasn’t a lot of entertainment directly on board. There are no monitors in the seat backs of this particular aircraft. If you had a smart phone or tablet with you, there were movies available via the American Airlines App. There was also in flight wifi with internet available for $10.

The flight itself was mostly uneventful. We eventually landed into a dark Vancouver without any delays on the approach and parked at Gate E84.

Arriving to Vancouver International Airport Gate E84

Vancouver International Arrivals Hall Welcome Totem Poles

A Lost Checked Bag:

While I was waiting at baggage claim in Vancouver, my checked bag never turned up. Despite having a seven hour connection in Los Angeles, American Airlines lost my bag or simply decided to leave it off the plane due to weight, as it never made it to Vancouver. I last saw it when I placed it on the connections conveyor belt at the Tom Bradley International Terminal connections desk in Los Angeles after our Air Tahiti Nui Poerava Business Class Papeete – Los Angeles flight. MrsWT73’ bag, on the other hand, arrived safely.

Despite assurances from the American Airlines app that my bags were in Vancouver, it turns out they were not.

A Bag Falsely Reported as Being in Vancouver

In the end, it took about seventy two hours before I was reunited with with my checked baggage. This was attributed mostly to slack organization on the part of the ground agents in Vancouver. Thanks to technology and the American Airlines in – app Bag Tracker, the bag was flown up the next day but somehow lost in Vancouver. It was eventually putt into a taxi after the third night after I telephone hassled them. It’s funny how two checked bags can be side by each on the conveyor belts in Los Angeles and one makes it and the other one doesn’t. This has been the fourth checked bag lost between us in five years. It assured me that I’m doing the right thing by continuing to carry on as a primary bag, with secondary stuff in checked bags.

My Thoughts on American Airlines First Class:

The Americian Airlines First Class service to Vancouver was pretty much the same as other carriers. The main drawback is that American Airlines doesn’t offer lounge access for it’s flights to and from Canada; something that Delta Airlines in Sky team and Air Canada / United Airlines in Star Alliance does offer despite a minimal difference in fare. While we also experienced a one hour flight delay and a loss checked bag, the flight itself was otherwise reasonable.

If you’ve flown American Airlines on a Transborder Flight, is the fact that no lounge access is available on this type of flight a deal breaker for you ?

Tags: AA 1723, LAX, One World, YVR

Review: United Club – Los Angeles Terminal Seven, United States

Posted on January 13, 2022 By World Traveller 73 in Fiji, French Polynesia & New Zealand via Fiji Airways & Air Tahiti Nui Business Class + Lounges + Trip Report + United Club

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While I hadn’t previously come to expect too much from a United Club, the airline has been on a modernization campaign worldwide. Over the past several years, United Airlines has improved, expanded and updated many of it’s lounges in North America. United operates a pacific hub in Los Angeles and had recently relocated and expanded it’s United Club. We would get to experience a five hour extended layover of which we had the opportunity to fully test out it’s features.

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Review: United Club Los Angeles – Terminal Seven, Los Angeles International Airport, United States of America.

Since there were no good connection options with reward seats available on One World from Tahiti to Vancouver, Canada, we had a nine hour connecting layover in Los Angeles. I thought about ending our award ticket in Los Angeles and paying for a seat to Vancouver on Air Canada or United, but the business class fares were over $500 each. I guess we’ll stick with finding that free award segment.

How we Ended Up at the United Club coming off Air Tahiti Nui:

We ended up having a 9 hour layover arriving on Air Tahiti Nui Poerava Business Class Papeete – Los Angeles at 11 AM and departing in the early evening at 8 PM American Airlines First Class Los Angeles – Vancouver on the last American Airlines flight of the day. After spending the day in the sun, and the muggy and rainy transit on Air Tahiti Bora Bora -Papeete, we were both busting for a shower on arrival in Los Angeles.

We tried and failed to get into the Admirals Club Los Angeles with our Air Tahiti Nui International Business Class boarding pass. American has a rule that doesn’t allow lounge access for flights to Canada, the Carribean or Latin America,, unless the flight is over 5 hours in length, or you are connecting from a One World carrier. Air Tahiti Nui is not a One World partner but is an AAdvantage partner. I tried explain that it was an American Airlines international business class ticket but they won’t budge, or make an exception on our behalf. We tried as the Admirals Club had showers, which we needed, but we were ultimately shut out. I know that rules are rules, but overall, the Star Alliance Lounge Access Rules are much more relaxed for us Canadians; allowing access regardless of destination for the most part.

Thankfully, I remembered that I had gotten two United Club one day passes with my Hyatt Diamond package last year and they were expiring at the end of June of that year. With promotional branding, Hyatt Diamond status was our saving grace and it became a perfect time to use them.

Locating the United Club Los Angeles:

After lunch at Shepard and the Tavern in the Tom Bradley International Terminal Los Angeles, we took the long zig zagged walk over to the United Club in Terminal 7. United Airlines operates out of of Los Angeles Terminal Seven and Eight which can be accessed from the Tom Bradley International Terminal on the secure side through a series of tunnels and passageways.

Locating the United Lounge in Terminal Seven
Map Courtesy of Los Angeles International Airports

Once at Los Angeles International Airport Terminal Seven, the lounge is located at the foot of the Terminal Seven Concourse. The entry is near Gate 71B.

The Lounge Access is at the Foot of the Concourse
Map Courtesy of Los Angeles International Airports

The lounge reception is accessible behind frosted class from the main concourse at Los Angeles Terminal Seven.

I assume these people are enjoying complimentary United Club Wi-Fi

Accessing the United Club:

The United Clubs have a variety of methods in order to gain access.

A boarding pass for travel in United Polaris business class: Customers in United Polaris business class may access United Club locations at departure, connecting and arrival airports, along their eligible same-day routing.

A boarding pass for travel in United Business (international): Customers traveling internationally in United Business may access United Club locations at departure, connecting and arrival airports along their eligible same-day routing. Customers traveling to and from Canada in United First are eligible for United Business access.

A boarding pass for travel in United Business (premium transcontinental): Customers on premium transcontinental flights may only access United Club locations at the origin and destination of their premium transcontinental flight. Premium transcontinental flights are only between New York/Newark and Los Angeles and New York/Newark and San Francisco.

A boarding pass for travel in first class on a Star Alliance member airline: Customers may only access a United Club location at the departure airport for their international first class flight. One guest is permitted.

A boarding pass for travel in business class on a Star Alliance member airline: Customers may only access a United Club location at the departure airport for their international business class flight.

Star Alliance Gold membership card: a valid Star Alliance Gold membership card and a same-day boarding pass for travel on a flight operated by a Star Alliance member airline and departing from the same airport or a same-day boarding pass showing Star Alliance Gold status, for travel on a flight operated by a Star Alliance member airline and departing from the same airport

A United Club Membership (including a Mileage Plus Credit Card Membership): A boarding pass for same-day travel with valid United Club membership number listed, or a valid United Club membership card and boarding pass for same-day travel, or a valid United Club membership number and boarding pass for same-day travel

A United Club One Time Pass: A valid mobile or paper United Club one-time pass and boarding pass for same-day travel, or a valid 15-digit one-time pass number and boarding pass for same-day travel.

Active duty US Military Members: Active duty United States military members with a valid military ID, boarding pass for travel within 24 hours on a United- or United Express-operated flight and one of the following:

Dressed in uniform
Leave orders
Rest and recuperation papers

Access is subject to United Club seating availability. Family members travelling on the same flight area are also permitted access.

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Memberships: A valid Air Canada Maple Leaf Club membership card and a boarding pass for a flight operated by a Star Alliance member airline and departing from the same airport. Maple Leaf Club North America members can access United Club locations in the U.S. only. Maple Leaf Club Worldwide members can access all United Club locations.

Today’s United Club Los Angeles access was courtesy of a United one time pass that I received through Hyatt Diamond qualification.

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Inside the United Club Los Angeles:

After being admitted at lounge reception, we ascended the escalators to the upper floor where the main lounge space was located. We travelled up the escalator up to the top of the 3rd floor. Thankfully, there were no elevators. This is the only lounge in Los Angeles International Airport where riding an escalator is the primary way to access the lounge. I can’t say that I missed the usual lounge access elevator ride; it’s great to have escalators available.

The United Club Los Angeles opened in December 2016. It is easily the nicest United Lounge in the North American system, having replaced an outgrown United Red Carpet Club previously located on the lower floor concourse.

Arriving to the Lounge Levels from Reception Escalators

At the top of the escalators, there was another series of connection or re-booking desks. It’s a super convenient feature to have a cancelled flight re-booked directly in the lounge and something that I’ve even used in the past. It was totally empty on our visit.

Heading into the lounge, United has really upped their game in the United Clubs. Occupying an entire upper floor with windows in a purpose built space, this place was far better than the old United Club. It was bright and airy with windows on all sides.

Arriving to the United Lounge Seating Area

Tables and Chairs Near the Food Offerings

During our extended five hour visit, there was always capacity and places to sit. The places to sit included loungers, tables and chairs and communal tables. Despite a busy place, the lounge did not feel full or cramped thanks to a very spacious layout.

There were functional communal tables. There were plenty of desk spaces for working professionals. The tables featured functional and convenient plug in for laptops and devices.

Seating and Tables for Working Professionals

There was a much fancier bar than the old bars typically found in the United Clubs. Like in all other United Clubs, the bar was full service. A select number of house drinks were complimentary, whereas a number of other drinks were considered premium, and subject to additional charge.

A Modernized Bar Concept Made the Place More Appealing

There was also a pleasant cool outdoor space which was actually comfortable to be in. Facing east, it was not too hot temperature wise, and out of the glaring Los Angeles sun and heat. As a result of its small footprint, it was a little difficult to find a seat outside, but at last the option was available.

An Outdoor Patio With an Eastern Exposure

There were also great views out of the floor to ceiling windows, including this one of a United Boeing 787 parked at Gate 77A.

We also spotted our Air Tahiti Nui flight TN 8 taxing for take off Los Angeles to Paris about 3 hours behind it’s schedule. It certainly would have been a long flight flying Air Tahiti Business Class Papeete – Los Angeles – Paris for those flying straight through back to back.

Air Tahiti Nui “Huku Niva” departing for Paris Charles de Gaulle

Unfortunately, we didn’t get one of these transfer’s to our next flight

Unfortunately, I was unable to find those showers I was desperately seeking. This isn’t too much of a surprise, since United Clubs typically haven’t offered showers throughout the United Club domestic system.

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Food and Beverage:

The United Club Los Angeles food offerings have also been upgraded. The old cereal silos have been vanquished to never never land. I have to report that the cheese cubes are still around but the individually wrapped Tillamook cheese are no more. Today’s menu offered interesting green salads, chick peas, celery sticks and cut carrots.

Carrots, Celary and Tillimook Cheese Cubes

There were also a limited amount of baked goods, including a selection of fresh fruit.

The drinks were served in proper stemware and the gin and tonics that I had were in actual glassware!! I don’t know why this was so astonishing but it wasn’t something that I was expected from United Airlines.

The Bottom Line: The United Club Los Angeles

The United Club Los Angeles was actually a United Club that I would spend some time in and made for a comfortable extended layover. It has a nice and bright location with an outdoor space that makes for a great variety of seating options. Unfortunately, there are no showers at this location, which was the only draw back. MrsWT73 said we should have come here sooner!I can’t say that I would have ever heard that description of a United Club a few years ago!!

If you’ve visited the United Club’s, in your opinion, is the Los Angeles location the best United Club in the system ?

Tags: LAX, Star Alliance Gold

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Trip Introduction: Easter Island, Chile via LATAM Business Class and Alaska Airlines First Class.

Trip Background:

Trip Planning and Organizing:

Airfares:

Hotels:

If you’ve gotten to Easter Island, Chile, how did you maximize value in getting there ?

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Kahuilui Maui International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Alaska AirlinesFirst Class (U)OGG – SEA (Kahuilui International Airport – SeaTac Airport)AS 878August 24, 2017Booked: Boeing 737-900Flown: Boeing 737-900Departure: 9:55 PMArrival: 6:30 AM + 1

On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

Food and Beverage:

Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver

The Bottom Line:

Do you know what the five Hawaiian Islands are named and what the largest industry is on the Hawaiian Islands (past and present) ?

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Activity: With the Turtles in Kapalua Bay, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

My Thoughts on Walking in Lahania:

If you’ve visited the isolated beaches of Maui, do you have any secret’s your’ willing to share publically ?

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Activity: Under the Banyan Tree on the Boardwalks of Old Town Lahania, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

Marvelling at the Banyan Tree:

Wandering down Lahania’s Main Street:

Picking up Fish Taco’s:

My Thoughts on Walking in Lahania:

If you’ve visited Lahania, Maui, USA did you find it a charming tourist destination worthy of a visit ?

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Review: Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, Lahania, Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

Booking the Sheraton Maui:

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunties:

Getting to the Sheraton Maui:

Arriving to the Sheraton Maui:

2605 Kaanapali Parkway, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 96761 USA

The Room: Ohana Doubles Suite, 2 Double, Alternate bed: Murphy/wall bed, Ocean view

The Living Room:

The Bedroom: Two Doubles

The Bathroom:

Around the Hotel:

The Black Rock / Na Hoku Executive Lounge

Coral Reef Restaurant:

Around the Property:

Beach Loungers:

Walking the Kaanapali Beach Trail:

Nightly Black Rock Torch Lighting:

Snorkelling at Black Rock House Reef:

The Bottom Line:

If you’ve stayed at the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa on a family trip, did it fully meet your expectations for a family stay?

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Review: Alaska Airlines B737-9, Portand International Airport – Kahuilui Maui International Airport

Alaska AirlinesEconomy Class (T)PDX-OGG (Portland International Airport – Kahuilui International Airport)AS 809August 18, 2017Booked: Boeing 737-900Flown: Boeing 737-900Departure: 12:22 PMArrival: 3:10 PM

On Board Alaska Airlines:

Departing Portland:

The Meal: A Buy on Board Lunch by Tom Douglas

In flight entertainment:

A Welcome Mai Tai Beverage:

Arriving into Kahuilui Maui International Airport:

The Bottom Line:

How do you keep yourself entertained on a long trip to Hawaii ?

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Review: Alaska Horizon Airlines Q400, Seattle Tacoma International Airport – Portland International Airport

Alaska AirlinesEconomy Class (T)SEA-PDX (SeaTac Airport – Portland International Airport)AS 2077August 18, 2017Booked: Bombardier Q400Flown: Bombardier Q400Departure: 11:04 AMArrival: 11:50 AM

On Board Alaska Horizon Air:

Food an Beverage:

The Bottom Line:

If you fly frequently between Seattle and Portland, is Alaska Horizon Airlines meeting your travel needs ?

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Review: Alaska Airlines Lounge, Seattle Tacoma “C” Concourse, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.

Locating the Alaska Board Room:

Accessing the Alaska Lounge:

Inside the Alaska Airlines Lounge:

The Bar and Beverage Area:

Views from the Lounge:

Food and Beverage:

Our Experience with the Alaska Airlines Lounge:

If you had the opportunity to visit this smaller Alaska Airlines Lounge in C Concourse, did you find it worth the trip past your gate ?

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Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-9, Vancouver International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Getting to Vancouver International Airport:

Navigating the Long Security Lines:

Alaska AirlinesFirst Class (U)YVR-SEA (Vancouver International Airport – SeaTac Airport)AS 964August 18, 2017Booked: Boeing 737-900Flown: Boeing 737-900Departure: 06:02 AMArrival: 6:47 AM

On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
OGG – SEA (Kahuilui International Airport – SeaTac Airport)
AS 878
August 24, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 9:55 PM
Arrival: 6:30 AM + 1

Alaska Airlines
Economy Class (T)
PDX-OGG (Portland International Airport – Kahuilui International Airport)
AS 809
August 18, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 12:22 PM
Arrival: 3:10 PM

Alaska Airlines
Economy Class (T)
SEA-PDX (SeaTac Airport – Portland International Airport)
AS 2077
August 18, 2017
Booked: Bombardier Q400
Flown: Bombardier Q400
Departure: 11:04 AM
Arrival: 11:50 AM

Alaska Airlines
First Class (U)
YVR-SEA (Vancouver International Airport – SeaTac Airport)
AS 964
August 18, 2017
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
Departure: 06:02 AM
Arrival: 6:47 AM

American Airlines
Compass Airlines Operated as American Eagle
First Class (U)
LAX-YVR (Los Angeles – Vancouver International Airport)
AA 1723
June 20, 2017
Booked: Embrauer RJ 175
Flown: Airbus 319
Departure: 7:50 PM
Arrival: 10:40 PM