Review of Alaska Airlines flight from Puerto Vallarta to San Diego in Domestic First

Introduction

Hello and welcome to the return flight in this short series of reviews. We once again flew Alaska Airlines in Domestic First class, though on an international itinerary…so technically it was Business class. Oddly, Alaska still market the premium cabin as "First" on international flights, unlike most other US carriers which market "First" only domestically and call the same cabin "Business" on international routes. 

For my son's spring break from preschool, we decided to go on a few days' beach holiday to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Alaska Airlines offer the only nonstop flights between San Diego and Puerto Vallarta—convenient for us as oneworld flyers.

Some may find going on a beach holiday funny considering that San Diego is a great beach town, but let me tell you…the ocean is absolutely freezing in California most of the year, except for August through late September where the water temperatures at San Diego's beaches may reach or slightly surpass 70F/20.5C (which I still find cold, personally). 

After a nice and relaxing few days, it was time to head back home to San Diego. 

Routing

Check-in & Lounge

We arrived at PVR by taxi about 2.5 hours before departure. We were glad to have arrived so early as the check-in lines for Alaska Airlines counters were huuuuge! It was basically the only airline in the check-in hall that had massive queues. It seems Alaska had several flights leaving around the same time. 

Even the First class/Elite fast-track lanes had a long wait. Another reason for the slow-moving lines was the need for agents to perform passport checks for these international flights. Although we didn't have any bags to check, we still had to stand in line for document checks, as it was not possible to check-in on the app for the return portion to the US. 

In the end, it took a little over a half hour to get checked in—I can't imagine how much longer Economy passengers had to wait considering the much longer queues there. 

After receiving our boarding passes, we headed upstairs to go through the security checkpoint. 

Security went very quickly as the airport is equipped with newer scanners which allow passengers to keep all liquids, gels, and electronics inside cabin baggage. This somewhat helped make up for the slow check-in. 

Conveniently, the only Priority Pass lounge in the international section of the terminal happened to be right by our gate!

Upon entering the lounge, it appears to be on the smaller side, with just a bar area and some tables…

with views of the terminal, rather than the tarmac.

A nice feature of many lounges in Mexico is table service. Granted I have limited experience with lounges in Mexico, but in my experience, all 3 or 4 of them have had waiters. 

It turned out the lounge was actually much larger than it initially appeared, with a very nice space one level down accessed through stairs near the bar. 

The lower level of the lounge is larger than the upper level with more seating. It was much quieter as well, as it appears many people were not aware this other level existed. 

There's a self-serve bar with snacks and drinks downstairs, like upstairs, as well as table service, available on both levels. 

Boarding

Being that the gate was right there by the lounge, we left the lounge right at boarding time. Boarding had already begun so we were able to go right on. 

Our 737-900ER, a 2017 build, was 5 years younger than the 737-800 from the flight down, but they both have the same old cabin. 

While the seats are an older design, they are very comfortable as they are much better padded than newer designs. These seats will soon be replaced as Alaska will be refurbishing the entire 737NG fleet between now and 2026/27. They'd previously refurbished the whole ex-Virgin American A320 fleet, but ended up selling them all just a few years later. 

Seats in both cabins are equipped with individual power and USB ports. 

Legroom is very good, and consistent throughout the 737 fleet. Alaska's 40-41 inch seat pitch is more generous than other North American carriers in the Domestic First/Short-haul Business class category, which generally offer 36-38" seat pitch in Domestic First. 

The modern bins and sculpted ceilings of the Boeing Sky Interior contrast with the older design of the seats and bulkhead. 

A Canadian at the next gate over. 

In the seat pockets there were drinks menus as well as information on the Wi-Fi and free in-flight Entertainment. 

The Wi-Fi and entertainment are available from gate-to-gate and accessed through the same portal at AlaskaWiFi.com

The streaming on-demand entertainment and instant messaging through the Wi-Fi are free for all passengers. 

Full streaming-capable high-speed Wi-Fi can be purchased for $8

$8 is a decent price, especially compared to American Airlines' outrageous prices. But luckily for me, I don't have to pay at all as I receive free Wi-Fi for the duration of the flight as a T-Mobile customer. 

There's a ton of content on the streaming entertainment with over 800 movies and TV shows, according to Alaska. 

The Flight

Unlike the flight down from San Diego, boarding wrapped up well ahead of time and we pushed back from the gate 10 minutes early. 

Taxi time was quick and we took off towards the Pacific Ocean with amazing views of the Puerto Vallarta beaches and surrounding mountains.

Though there is a rudimentary flight map on the Wi-Fi portal homepage, I much prefer to use Flightradar24 with the free Wi-Fi. 

With our early departure, we were due to arrive well ahead of schedule. 

As we reached cruising altitude, the service began with drinks and warm nuts. 

A short time later, cabin crew brought our pre-ordered meals. Meals can be ordered online or in the Alaska app between 2 weeks and 20 hours before departure. Being able to select meals ahead of time ensures your choice of meal, plus there are more options available for pre-order than on the plane. Normally there are 5 options online, while there are 3 options to chose from on the plane for those who didn't order ahead of time. 

Because Alaska don't offer special meals, there's never an option for me to reserve a child meal for my 5-year-old, which is a shame. I usually end up ordering him the fruit and cheese plate, which he generally likes, but isn't particularly exciting for a kid. Good thing we're French and like cheese 🧀
🤣

Signature Fruit & Cheese Plate
Beecher's Flagship cheese, Tillamook sharp cheddar, brie,
Partners crackers, Seattle chocolate truffle

As for me I pre-ordered the burger as I'd had it a few weeks before and enjoyed it. Though I did hesitate with the Thai Curry which sounded really good as well. 

Tillamook Burger
Grilled angus beef, Tillamook sharp cheddar, on a sesame seed bun
Served with crisp lettuce, sliced Roma tomatoes, bread & butter, pickles, and a tangy burger sauce

Nice scenery over the Gulf of California during the meal. 

Arrival

The flight went by quickly and we began our descent near the northernmost part of the Gulf. 

The usual smog around Tijuana. 

It cleared up as we crossed the border into the U.S.

And we flew right over my neighbourhood on approach as arrivals into SAN normally do. 

It's always cool to see my house when flying in or out of SAN. 

Flying past the Naval Shipyard. 

The Coronado Bridge

And of course there are always amazing views of downtown San Diego when sitting on the left side. 

With the airport so close to the city centre, it always feels like we're skimming the tops of buildings on landing.

We landed well ahead of schedule, which is always nice.

With SAN now having 2 daily British Airways flights between April and October, I saw the first flight, operated by a 777-200ER, being moved out to a hardstand, to free up the gate for the second BA arrival. 

This BA 787-8 pulled in to the gate just seconds before our plane. 

And look, here's the daily Lufthansa A350 about to pull in to the gate. It's international arrivals rush hour!

Better hurry to immigration & customs before all these guys get ahead of us in line, haha

As we didn't have any bags to collect on arrival, we were out in minutes thanks to Global Entry.

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to ask any questions in the comments section below!