Review: Alaska First Class Boeing 737 MAX (FLL-SEA)

For the first segment of my quick trip to Japan & Korea, I flew Alaska’s Boeing 737 MAX 9 first class on the 5hr50min midday flight from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Seattle (SEA). While I had reviewed Alaska’s Boeing 737-900ER first class before, this was my first time flying on one of the carrier’s MAX aircraft.

While of course not as good as a flat bed product (like JetBlue Mint), I otherwise consider Alaska first class to be as good as it gets in the United States when it comes to “standard” first class. The airline has more legroom than competitors, and on balance has better food, drinks, and service. While Alaska doesn’t have seat back entertainment, I appreciate the airline’s reasonably priced and fast Wi-Fi, plus the streaming entertainment.

So while it obviously isn’t to the level of business class on Asian or Middle Eastern carriers, Alaska is my first pick in the United States among non-flat bed products.

How I booked my Alaska first class ticket

This portion of my trip was about positioning to Vancouver, so I could catch my Korean Air Boeing 787-10 flight from Vancouver to Seoul Incheon. Since I was booking last minute, the best value was paying cash. So I booked the following in first class for $674.98:

10/05 AS517 Fort Lauderdale to Seattle departing 10:15AM arriving 1:59PM
10/05 AS1305 Seattle to Vancouver departing 2:59PM arriving 3:59PM

I’d consider that to be quite a good deal, given the distance of travel, plus that I was booking last minute. I also had an Alaska voucher to use, so my out of pocket was even lower than that. For what it’s worth, I credited these flights to American AAdvantage.

Alaska first class lounge & boarding

I arrived at Fort Lauderdale Airport at around 9AM. I headed through security, which took just a few minutes (thanks to TSA PreCheck), and found gate C9, where my flight would be departing from. My plane was already on the ground, as it had spent the night there, having flown in the evening before (12 hours is a long time on the ground!).

Boarding for my 10:15AM flight was scheduled for 9:35AM, 40 minutes before departure. Sure enough, that’s when boarding started, with first class being invited to board first.

I should mention that ordinarily Alaska first class tickets (paid with cash or miles) on nonstop flights of 2,100+ miles offer access to Alaska Lounges. However, there isn’t one of those in Fort Lauderdale. The good news is that thanks to this ticket I could use the excellent Alaska Lounge Seattle prior to my connection to Vancouver.

Alaska 737 MAX first class cabin & seats

Alaska’s Boeing 737 MAX 9 first class consists of a total of 16 seats, spread across four rows, in a 2-2 configuration. I’d say Alaska’s 737 MAX cabins feel fairly modern, though they’re definitely on the sterile side in terms of finishes. I selected seat 4F, the window seat on the right side in the last row (it was the last seat available to assign, though fortunately aligns with my preferences).

Alaska offers the Recaro CL4710 seat (since rebranded as the Recaro R5 seat) in first class, which is a pretty standard domestic first class seat. What sets this apart is how spacious it is — the seat has 41″ of pitch, is 21.3″ wide, and offers 5″ of recline.

As a point of comparison, other US carriers typically have 37-38″ of pitch in first class, and a few extra inches can make a big difference. In terms of seat comfort, two things come to mind. I appreciate how the seat has an adjustable head rest, which makes it easier to get comfortable. However, I do have to say that the padding in these seats isn’t as good as you’ll find on Alaska’s “classic” 737s, as those seats are very well padded.

Alaska doesn’t offer seat back entertainment, and instead on the seat back you’ll find a literature pocket plus a pouch for storage.

Underneath the pouch is a foot rest, which is such a simple but rare feature on a US airline, as I find it can help with getting comfortable if trying to rest in a seat like this.

In this configuration, the tray table folds out from the side armrest. You have to flip it over in order to extend the whole thing.

Alternatively, if you just extend half of it, then it can double as a personal device holder, for your own entertainment. I wish Alaska had installed a seat back device holder instead (or in addition to the one on the tray table).

Along the center armrest there are two cupholders, a small counter space, and also a pouch along the side of the seat.

Each seat has both a USB-A and AC power outlet, conveniently located along the front side of the center console.

As far as separation between cabins goes, there’s not a proper bulkhead between economy and first class, but instead there’s a partition above the seats, plus a curtain that’s used inflight.

As you’d expect on a 737 MAX, there are also individual air nozzles at each seat, plus large overhead bins.

While this product is hardly competitive globally, this is my favorite non-flat bed first class offered by a US airline, thanks to the extra seat pitch.

Alaska first class amenities

Waiting at each first class seat upon boarding was a blanket, which was pretty substantial. I like how Alaska offers these in first class, since many US airlines no longer do.

Furthermore, once settled in, pre-departure drinks were offered, with the choice of water, orange juice, or coffee. I had a cup of coffee, which was Alaska’s special Stumptown blend. I know this sounds silly, but I also love how Alaska has little creamer “sticks,” after taking three flights in a row in Latin America where there was no milk or cream.

Alaska 737 MAX first class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Alaska’s Boeing 737 MAX 9s don’t have seat back entertainment, but they do otherwise have a good setup. For one, Alaska has Viasat Wi-Fi on these jets, and a full flight streaming pass costs $8.

Perhaps this is a hot take, but I’ll take Alaska’s $8 Wi-Fi over Delta’s free Wi-Fi any day. Why? Well, because the speeds are much better, since not as many people use it. I do value being able to stay productive, so I’ll gladly pay $8 for better speeds, compared to an airline where almost everyone connects, and that greatly slows down speeds.

Alaska also has a large selection of streaming entertainment, with movies, TV shows, and more. While I can’t say I use streaming entertainment options often, I know others do value this.

Alaska 737 MAX departure from Fort Lauderdale

The boarding process was pretty efficient, despite a full flight. Boarding wrapped up by 10:10AM, at which point the main cabin door closed, and the captain added his welcome aboard, informing us of our flight time of 5hr50min.

Unfortunately it was a rainy morning in Fort Lauderdale, which made it difficult to take pictures out the window. We pushed back at 10:15AM, at which point the manual safety demonstration was performed.

We then started our taxi at 10:20AM.

The taxi out to runway 10L wasn’t very long, though we had to wait for several planes to land before we were cleared for takeoff. We finally got underway at 10:35AM. It was a long takeoff roll and a smooth climb out.

Despite the lack of turbulence ride, the seatbelt sign stayed on for roughly the first 40 minutes of the flight.

Alaska first class food & drinks

On this flight, lunch was the primary meal. Alaska allows meal pre-orders in first class, and you can find the selection for this flight below. Some of the options are only available via pre-order, and I appreciate the large variety of options available.

I also like how Alaska specifically publishes a drink list for first class (located in the seat back). Unlike American, Alaska has a legitimately interesting drink list, with everything from Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned, to Crater Lake Hazelnut Espresso Vodka, to wines from the Pacific Northwest.

After takeoff, the flight attendant took drink and meal orders. I had a Diet Coke to drink, which was served with a pretty flavorful snack mix in a disposable ramekin.

The main meal was then served a little over an hour after takeoff. I had the linguine and shrimp, with linguine tossed in lemon, dill, and caper sauce, topped with grilled shrimp and green peas. This was served with a side salad that had mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, and pesto, plus a bread roll. In terms of quality and presentation, I found this to be a significant cut above what I get on most US airlines.

After the meal, I decided to order an Old Fashioned. I’m not usually a drinker on domestic flights, but it was a Sunday afternoon, so why not. 😉

Once all passengers had finished lunch, the flight attendant came around with dessert, which was Salt & Straw ice cream, with the flavor being cinnamon snickerdoodle.

For the remainder of the flight, the flight attendant made multiple passes through the cabin with a snack basket, which had a variety of sweet and salty snacks.

Alaska 737 MAX first class lavatory

After the meal I checked out the lavatory. The first class lavatory is at the front of the cabin, and is tiny, as is standard on 737 MAXs.

Alaska first class inflight service

The flight attendant working first class on this flight was great — she was friendly and constantly checked on passengers, so that’s about all you can hope for on a flight like this. I do find Alaska flight attendants to be a bit better than their counterparts at most other US airlines, and I find they’re often a bit more personable.

Beautiful views enroute to Seattle

I spent most of the flight working and gazing out the window. I always select window seats when possible, since I’ll never take for granted just how gorgeous the world is from above. Crossing the United States on a daytime flight is such a lovely experience, watching the landscape evolve with each mile…

Alaska 737 MAX arrival in Seattle

This flight passed by surprisingly fast. At 12:45PM Pacific time, the captain was back on the PA to announce that we’d be landing in around 45 minutes. Around 20 minutes later, the seatbelt sign was turned on.

I’m sad I was seated on the right side of the aircraft, as the passengers on the left had an amazing view of Mount Rainier, which might just be the most gorgeous view in the lower 48.

At 1:25PM we touched down on runway 34L.

From there we had a roughly 10-minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 1:35PM, around 25 minutes ahead of schedule.

Once off the plane, I briefly visited the Alaska Lounge, and then took the quick flight up to Vancouver. I won’t be reviewing that flight, since there was no inflight service due to how short it is. So this series will pick up at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, where I’d spend the night.

Bottom line

Alaska Airlines’ 737 MAX first class is a pleasant way to fly within the United States. The airline offers a bit more legroom than competitors, along with a foot rest and adjustable head rest. Alaska also has above average food, drinks, and service.

Obviously this product isn’t competitive globally, if you compare it to what you’d get on a comparable flight in some other regions. However, within the United States, Alaska is my favorite airline in markets without flat beds.

What do you make of Alaska first class on the Boeing 737 MAX?