An Intra-California Alaska Airlines adventure

For those keeping track, I made it less than a month of living in San Francisco before I was itching to take a short trip somewhere.  I knew that I’d be starting my new job soon and I wanted to visit Los Angeles and see some friends.  There are a lot of flight options between the San Francisco Bay Area’s three airports and the Los Angeles area’s five airports.  In theory, the routing with the least ground transportation for me on this trip was Oakland to Long Beach or LAX, which are both flown by Southwest.  I ended up booking one way on Alaska Airlines because it is now part of Oneworld and the other way on Southwest because of the convenience (and price).  This would be my first intra-California flight as a California resident since college. 

I arrived at San Jose airport about two hours before my flight, which was way more than necessary, but I had a business call that I needed to take before the flight.  Alaska/Oneworld doesn’t have a lounge at San Jose, so instead, I relied on my Priority Pass to gain entry to ‘The Club’. 

I set myself up at the business area, which consisted of several desks in a row separated by glass from the main lounging area.  There was a second room that consisted of dining tables.  Ordering was done via a QR code, and food was brought out relatively quickly.  I started with a sandwich and the chick peas, as well as a cocktail.

The chickpeas were well-seasoned, and the sandwich was as expected.  The portion was a bit small, so I decided to put in a second order for a bowl of soup and another sandwich.

The soup was probably microwaved, as it wasn’t very hot, and the temperature wasn’t consistent throughout.

My flight was delayed by about a half hour, which was fine by me because I knew I’d be having to wait at LAX for a while before getting picked up.  When we finally started boarding, I boarded with First Class and took seat 4A.  This was my first time in many years flying Alaska Airlines, and my first time flying one of their E175 aircraft.

This E175’s first class seat was standard for the type in the US.  The flight attendant began by passing out small boxes of water, which I always enjoy.  After takeoff, I ordered some sparkling wine, which was served in a can.  Sparkling wine in a can poured into a plastic cup is very much a regional aircraft vibe, and I approve.

This was a short daytime flight, so I took the opportunity to enjoy the views out the window.

After the drinks served, the flight attendant came around with the snack basket.  Like most regional flights in the US, there is minimal service. I selected some popcorn, which was pretty good actually!

Since the flight is so short, after the service finished, it was time to prepare for landing.  Since my ride wouldn’t arrive until later, I took advantage of one of the best perks of having Oneworld status: lounge access on arrival.  I transferred myself from terminal 6 to terminal 4 to visit the American Airlines Flagship Lounge.  The lack of meal on the Alaska Airlines flight was made up for by the great food in the Flagship Lounge.

I visited the buffet first, which had standard fare for the Flagship Lounge (and is a way better offering than an Admirals Club)

Then I grabbed a glass of real champagne, instead of a can of sparkling wine.

This was a relatively extended way of getting to LA from SF, but it was about as luxurious a regional flight in the US could be.

In summary, my first intra-California flight as a California resident (excluding my time in college) was comfortable and uneventful at a good price point.  The ground experience in San Jose was decent with my Priority Pass (3/5).  The ERJ-175 first class seat is great for a short regional flight but was feeling a bit dated (4/5).  The meal service on the flight was minimal, but that was expected (3/5).  Similarly, service was great but not special (4/5).  The IFE was standard as well (3/5).  It’s hard to stand out on such a busy route with so many flights and so much competition but without the duration and premium demand to have a proper premium service like California to New York (17/25).

This flight came in pretty cheap at $119, which I put on my Amex Platinum Card to earn 5x points/$.  I credited the flight to British Airways, which should earn me 625 Avios and 40 tier points.  The total points are worth around $17, for a return of about 14%.  However, the points didn’t post properly to British Airways, so I’m currently in the process of trying to get credit for the flight.  I finally did in October.  British Airways has been having substantial problems recently with flights not posting correctly.