Comparing The First

Comparing the Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines E175 first class products by flying the Seattle-Boise route and back.

This is a trip report to see about making an apples-to-apples comparison on the same Embraer E175. Same route. Same seat - different airlines.

Little did I recognize that I would also be sitting in the same kind of seat on both airlines’ first class products. Complete with the same kind of tray and seat placement.

On the other hand, the E175 is the United States’ most popular regional jet. The E175 occupies a Goldilocks-esque position in regional aviation – quiet yet long-range, very popular with passengers, not overdemanding on regional airports nor young pilots, and not too big as to require renegotiating mainline pilots unions’ scope contracts. Alaska Airlines’ mainline pilot union has perhaps been the most prolific in winning a strong scope clause in recent negotiations.

With that, on to the trip experience. I was able to leave my friend’s house and board the very first Sound Transit Link Light Rail to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport saving me some time and money. As I was packed for only a day trip, the walk from the station was manageable to my Spot Saver reservation I was 15 minutes early for.

Already as of June 29, over a million spot saver reservations have been made leading to breezy reservations to a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check and reduced stress.

However, after going through the TSA checks – which I delayed by covering my iPad with one of my bags – I walked to the Alaska Airlines Concourse D Lounge I wanted to review, only to find that the lounge was at very reduced capacity, so I decided to not spend the $30.

I will say though in Alaska Airlines’ defense that I prefer their lounge access policies to Delta Air Lines’ policies which are increasingly restrictive. I also believe my $30 fee on top of my first class ticket goes towards the Alaska Airlines Lounge’s unlimited use of the pancake machine, reasonable access to beverages, and airport views – all things any airport could and should offer at a charge to all so all passengers can provide ancillary revenue to the airport.

Although I could have easily gone to the previously reviewed Concourse C Lounge, I wanted views of the sunrise looking into the east upon Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The photo ops by staying in the general area were indeed worth the early wake-up call as you can see below.

One should also note with recent, er, turbulence with Alaska Airlines flight attendants that first, this regional flight was provided by a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) business model with Horizon Air – a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group – operating and maintaining the E175 with its own flight attendants while Alaska Airlines is responsible for scheduling, marketing, branding, and pricing. Hence, the current standard livery de-empathizing Horizon Air – for now.

Eventually, I had to board my flight. I still had the thrill of boarding first and getting some airport action pictures without extra glass while boarding.

After a decent walk up a ramp, I was able to get settled into my seat. I found the first class seat – 3A – to be like a sofa seat. The overhead bins though, seemingly could barely accommodate my 17.32” x 11.8” x 7.5” camera backpack before measuring with straps on. According to Alaska Airlines, the carry-on limit is now 22" x 14" x 9".

That said, I found the legroom to be luxurious. But I really wish the big window was closer to my head for aerial photography – had to stretch a bit to make the photography work out.

The flight itself was very nice, with aerial views along the way and smooth flying by a co-ed flight crew. Unlike the Q400 going up to 23,000 feet or so at a ground speed of slightly over 300 knots – the E175 N643QX regional jet was able to take her passengers up to 35,000 feet and a ground speed of around 440 knots. That’s a higher difference of 12,000 feet and 161 miles per hour.

A primary male flight attendant professionally served me. He made sure I was given my coffee the way I wanted – Canadian-style with two sugars and two creams – and got a refill. I was served in a sustainable cup.

I did decide not to spend the $8 on WiFi on this flight, but I did appreciate the free flight tracking that Alaska provided on the WiFi homepage. Just one slight touch Alaska Airlines does provide.

The landing was quite pleasant, and disembarking was enjoyable again being able to photograph the E175 airside on the hot apron one last time. Very nice arrangement by Boise Airport.

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After a powerful Gowen Thunder airshow and a graciously offered free ride back to the Boise terminal, I happened to have a very long walk from the airport terminal entrance to my gate to await Delta Air Lines' Delta Connection provided by SkyWest via contract.

According to Boise Airport’s Shawna Samuelson, the long walk is a simple matter of Delta Air Lines getting from Boise Airport leased gates on a preferential basis. Additionally, the Boise-Seattle flights provide the most traffic to Boise.

Nonetheless, as you can see above I did walk around Boise Airport and get some pictures of the commercial flight action. I also caught a $25 (after tax and tip) bacon cheeseburger meal at the Cross Grain Brewhouse while waiting for my flight – and resting sore feet while attempting to watch Southwest and United flight operations through windows with too many metal bars.

There was an 81-minute delay with my Delta Air Lines flight due to a “maintenance” issue. Neither Delta Air Lines nor SkyWest Airlines, which operated the regional flight were able to provide details on the delay. Nonetheless, both the gate agent and pilots apologized and got us on our way in an orderly and appreciable manner.

Getting back into seat 3A was easy - even more so with a Skybridge this time instead of an exciting airside walk. I couldn’t access very well the E175 WiFi so being tired, I gave up after an aggressive, enjoyable take-off over Boise. I did though get to enjoy some views, take a quick nap, and also drank from some glassware by Alessi to have soft drinks on the way back to Seattle thanks to a kind male flight attendant.

One last nice touch that I appreciated was the captain insisting repeatedly that those with connections, regardless of seating class, be allowed to disembark first. This way, all connections could be honored after the delay. I had no problems with the arrangement, even though I would have to wait a few minutes to disembark. We ended up being about 50 minutes late upon arrival.

Of course, dear reader, you must be wondering: Which airline is better?

To which the response is what does Dear Reader prefer? If you prefer Affirm over PayPal Pay in 4 to pay for your flights incrementally, then you prefer Alaska. If you prefer Alaska Airlines miles over Delta SkyMiles, then you prefer Alaska. If you prefer recyclable cups over glassware in First Class, then you prefer Alaska Airlines.

Or perhaps one airline promises to meet your schedule or price point better than the other. So personal preferences are really key to grading the two airlines.

I know this is not the conclusive review to settle the Alaska vs. Delta rivalry. But both airlines offer very comparable services and first class luxury on the same E175.

What are your impressions? Please share with civility in the comments.

Journalist - When not reading and writing about aviation, Joe is photographing it. Joe Loves educating the public about aviation, and generating enthusiasm around flying while supporting all those who work in aviation. Based in Skagit County, United States