Last month, Alaska Airlines debuted a fresh new cabin look for its fleet of Airbuses which previously belonged to Virgin America. Remember, Alaska acquired Virgin America in 2016. And its this final part of the Virgin America takeover, that has Alaska Airlines feeling like an entirely new airline.
Collaborating with BMW Design Works on the layout for the cabin, Alaska opted for neutral colors in the cabin and light and dark greys on the seats done by Recaro Aircraft Seating, which a marked change from Virgin America’s all-black seats in the main cabin and a posh cream color in first. Virgin's mood lighting remains but the colors have changed from sultry pinks and purples to calming blues that will change intensity depending on the time of day and are meant to either induce rest or boost productivity. And very sadly, Alaska has also done away with Virgin America's catchy in-flight saftey video.
That said, there are a few new things to get excited about, most notably that Alaskas now has three distinct cabin classes—first, premium and main. Here’s what to expect in each class:
FIRST CLASS: Alaska bumped up the first class cabin from two rows to four. The Recaro seats feature a pitch of 40”, a width of 21”, memory foam, a six-way adjustable headrest, and footrests, which are kind of a bummer compared to the full leg rests that Virgin’s first class used to have. For what it’s worth, JetBlue’s Mint class is far superior compared to this product. Each pair of seats has a console with custom-cup holders and power outlets (USB & 110V). The tray tables that fold out of the armrests feature custom-made, adjustable device holders for either tablets or phones. Yes, that’s right. Alaska has done away with the in-flight entertainment system entirely. It’s BYO-Device throughout.
PREMIUM CLASS: Premium class now includes 24 seats and is about the first four rows beyond first class. (Virgin used to have Main Cabin select in the bulkhead and exit rows.) These seats have a width of 17” and a pitch of 35”, and a special cup-holder built into the seat tray. The seatbacks also feature power ports and a nifty device holder, again that’s meant to hold either a tablet or a phone.
MAIN CABIN: The main cabin seats feature seat pitches of between 31” and 32” with the same width as premium class of 17”. There’s no nifty drink holder here but the seatbacks look the same as premium and Alaska was keen to hype up the super stretchy mesh pocket for storing things…like bottles and a fat packet of wipes. #amiright
Alaska is also adding high-speed satellite WiFi from Gogo 2Ku with streaming services from Netflix and HBOGo (you will have to pay for this though.) Their goal is to have 50% of their main fleet outfitted with this by 2020.
And since the entire plane is BYO-Device, Alaska is reminding passengers via confirmation letters, at check-in, while boarding, and in seatback materials to download the GoGo Entertainment App before takeoff to access the airline’s extensive library of movies, TV shows and music. There is a really good selection of kids stuff but we'd still advise you to preload your devices with your tried and true games and shows!
Lastly, we checked out the lavatories—located in the front, center and back of the plane—and all are equipped with baby-changing tables. There's even mood-ligthing in here! Whee!
Other changes onboard include a rotating seasonal menu with locally-sourced ingredients and snacks from West Coast brands like Luke’s Organic, Fremont Brewing, Beecher’s Cheese, and Salt & Straw, the popular ice cream brand which is served only in first-class. Plus, the flight attendants will start sporting new looks from Luly Yang later this year too.
The Airbus fleet, which includes A319, A320 and A321 aircraft, will be updated in phases throughout the year at an average of four planes a month. Alaska expects 85% of the fleet to be finished by the end of the year and by early 2020, 36% of the mainline fleet, including the Boeings, will have the new look.
The unveiling of the new cabin interior comes just in time for Alaska as it gets closer to opening its new flagship 15,800-sq.ft. lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport this summer. Alaska is also opening a new 8,500-square foot rooftop lounge at San Francisco International Airport in Terminal 2 next year. A smart move as 10 of the airline’s Global Partners operate out of SFO.
Lounge renovations are also happening Anchorage, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, just another sign that Alaska is doubling down on its mission to be the best in the West. We still miss Virgin America though. Sob.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
