Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is a major US carrier built around the West Coast, with its main hub at Seattle-Tacoma and secondary bases in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Anchorage. It joined the oneworld alliance in March 2021, which connects its largely domestic and short-haul international network to long-haul partners such as British Airways, Qantas, Japan Airlines and American. The network leans heavily on transcontinental routes, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and a growing slate of leisure flying to Mexico, Hawaii and Central America.

The 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines reshaped the airline, adding widebody aircraft and long-haul reach that Alaska had never run before. Flying them is a fairly straightforward mainline experience: a two-cabin narrowbody fleet for most routes, a regional partner network feeding the hubs, and a well-regarded Mileage Plan programme. It sits in the upper tier of US domestic carriers without pitching itself as a premium long-haul brand.

The published cabin layouts here cover the core of Alaska's mainline and regional fleet: the Boeing 737-700, 737-800, 737-900ER, and the newer 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9, plus the Embraer E175 that carries much of the regional flying. Every one of these is a two-cabin aircraft with a small domestic First Class up front and a single economy cabin behind, so the choice between them is mostly about size and route length rather than product.

The standout is the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, inherited from Hawaiian and the only widebody in the published set. Its layout is clearly different from the rest of the fleet: a forward Business cabin in a staggered 1-2-1 arrangement of lie-flat suites with direct aisle access for every seat, then a large 3-3-3 economy cabin. On the 787, Extra Comfort marks the extra-legroom rows inside economy rather than a separate premium cabin.

On the narrowbodies and the E175, First Class is a recliner with a couple of inches of extra width and pitch, plus a free meal or snack service depending on route length. Economy is standard domestic fare, with a Premium Class extra-legroom section near the front and over the wings that buys more pitch and earlier service but the same seat. Power and streaming entertainment to your own device are the norm across the fleet; there are no seatback screens, and onboard wifi is widely fitted.

The 787-9 is the only aircraft here with a true long-haul product. Business is a lie-flat suite with a sliding door and aisle access from every seat, a noticeable step up from the domestic First recliner. Economy on the 787 is a 3-3-3 cabin at a tighter pitch, with the Extra Comfort rows offering more legroom for a fee. Service and catering on the widebody reflect its longer routes rather than the quick-turn domestic flying.

On the 737s and the E175, the front of economy and the over-wing rows are where the Premium Class extra-legroom seats sit, and they are worth the fee on longer transcontinental or Hawaii flights. Exit rows give more space for nothing if you can sit there, but check the published layout, since some exit-row seats have limited or no recline. The back rows fill last and sit closest to the rear galleys and lavatories, so expect more noise and foot traffic there.

On the 787-9, the staggered Business layout means alternating seats sit closer to the aisle or closer to the window; the window-side seats are the quieter pick for sleeping, while the centre pairs suit people travelling together. In economy, the forward Extra Comfort rows clear the cabin faster on arrival and put distance between you and the rear galley. Wherever you sit, cross-check the seat against the published cabin layout before you commit, since galley and lavatory positions decide how quiet a given row really is.