Alaska Airlines San Francisco Minneapolis
This post is Alaska Airlines San Francisco Minneapolis. It highlights our experiencing flying Alaska from the Bay Area to Minneapolis.
The article is part of my San Francisco Foodie Adventure.
Trip Summary
Date: October 14, 2017
Flight: Alaska Air 3358 operated by Skywest
From: San Francisco – SFO
To: Minneapolis – MSP
Aircraft: E175
Seats: 2C, 2D
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Upgrade
My wife and I were upgraded to first class on our Alaska Air San Francisco Minneapolis flight about four days prior to departure thanks to my Alaska Air MVP Gold 75k status.
We selected two seats next to each other in the second row on the flight.
Delay
Our flight to Minneapolis was scheduled to depart at 7:00 PM; however, it ended up being delayed until after 11:00 PM.
Fortunately, we relaxed in the American Express Centurion Lounge located in the United Terminal which made the delay not so bad.
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Gate Area
Our flight on Alaska Air San Francisco Minneapolis departed from Terminal 2 from one of the Virgin America branded gates.
The gate signs did not note the flight to Minneapolis and they only reflected Virgin America. This could be confusing to some passengers if they did not know that the two airlines were together.
I was told that passengers received two vouchers for meals during the delay.
My wife and I stayed in the lounge so we did not receive the vouchers.
Boarding
After our extended visit in the lounge, my wife and I made our way to the gate area for boarding.
Boarding began about 20 minutes before the new scheduled departure time of 11:00 PM.
A gate agent was present at the gate and made announcements about boarding to the passengers who were excited to finally get to go on the flight after the extended delay.
The flight was originally scheduled to arrive after midnight but instead it turned into a redeye flight arriving after 5:00 AM.
We joined the line when the first-class cabin was called and the gate agent thanked us for patiently waiting when we reached the podium. We scanned our boarding passes and she invited us to board.
Boarding lasted about 15 minutes as there were not that many passengers on the flight.
The flight attendants prepared the cabin for departure.
A flight attendant greeted us and offered a drink while we were up in the air. We requested water. She also offered to take our meal order for dinner and said they had a Green Chicken Curry.
The dinner sounded good; however, at that point, my wife and I were tired and simply wanted to rest so we declined the meal. The flight attendant thanked us and asked us to enjoy the flight.
There was a short taxi to the runway before we were up in the air.
Seat
We had seats on the 2 side of the first-class cabin.
The seat was a standard first class seat with recline.
The seat offered a power outlet.
No pillows or blankets were provided on the flight even though it would be an overnight one.
In Flight Experience
Once the plane was up in the air for Alaska Air San Francisco Minneapolis, my wife and I reclined our seats and napped for the majority of the flight.
The flight attendant provided additional water bottles while we were resting at our seat.
I woke up briefly when the meal was being served and noted that it smelled great.
It was relaxing napping during the flight but it was a bit cold since no blankets were offered.
Landing
Our flight on Alaska Air San Francisco Minneapolis went by quickly. My wife and I woke up shortly before landing as the flight attendants were preparing the cabin for landing.
The plane landed well ahead of schedule and there was a short taxi to a gate.
We arrived at a Delta gate in the C terminal.
The flight attendant thanked us as we departed the plane.
We made our way to baggage claim to pick up our bags and found that they were delivered within 15 minutes of arriving at the airport.
Overall
The flight on Alaska Air San Francisco Minneapolis had a significant delay. It would have been nice if more communication was made from Alaska Airlines regarding the delay. Fortunately, we got to spend our time waiting in the American Express Centurion Lounge which provided an excellent experience. The flight attendant was friendly and polite and it was nice she gave us extra water bottles. We would have appreciated a blanket and pillow for the flight. Nonetheless, it was a quick flight overall and we made the best of the delay.