I'd like to preface this by saying that I have no pictures for this trip report. I didn't bother bringing my camera as I'm only staying in Seattle for 3 hours before heading back to Alaska. Besides, it was cloudy almost the entire 1,448 miles down so unless you're the type who likes a picture of solid clouds, it would have been pointless anyway.

I am currently sitting in the AS Board Room in SEA, having just disembarked from AS 148, and awaiting the arrival of my 8-week old daughter and girlfriend on CO 1881 from EWR. Hauling an infant from Buffalo to Anchorage by way of Newark and Seattle is hard work no matter who you ask, so I decided to make this little jaunt down to SEA and meet them so I could help her on the last leg back to Anchorage.

Also, I probably won't bother doing a trip report on the return flight to ANC, as it's a redeye and there shouldn't be much to report, other than taking off, landing, and three and a half hours of darkness.

Now, on to the details:

AS 148
ANC-SEA
Departure gate: C2
Arrival gate: D1
Aircraft: 737-400
Seat: 7F

This flight was supposed to be on a 73G, but AS evidently subbed it out for a 734 for some reason or another. The inbound was about 20 minutes late arriving from the lower 48. There is a big storm brewing in the Gulf of Alaska, and as a result all inbound flights to ANC from the south are experiencing higher-than-normal flight times, hence the slight delay.

As such, I hung out in the AS board room at ANC, watching the usual bevy of heavy cargo activity. When I first arrived, ANC was using both 14 and 25L/R for departures, so I had great views of aircraft departing both to the south and to the west. Once my aircraft arrived, I moseyed on down to C2 and was onboard shortly thereafter. The load for this flight was unusually light for an ANC-SEA section; I would estimate it at 60 to 70%. The middle seat in my row was empty, leaving me with lots of extra room.

The new leather seats in coach on AS are quite comfortable. AS has some of the most generous Y legroom in the domestic industry, and these leather seats make it that much better. We pushed back at 3:25, about 15 minutes behind schedule. Flight time was announced as 2 hours, 54 minutes. By the time we pushed, the wind had picked up strongly from the south, and all movements at ANC were now restricted to runway 14. We passed by the usual assortment of FedEx and UPS aircraft at their respective hubs, along with an AN-224, HP A319, NW 752, various AS aircraft, and some other smaller planes.

We held short as a Hageland Aviation Grand Caravan maneuvered his way down the approach path for the runway. The small aircraft was getting tossed around visibly by the strong wind. We did a rolling takeoff and were airborne shortly due to the strong wind.

I fired up my iPod at 10,000 feet, and the FA's began passing out the Dig-E-Players. I passed on the Dig-E-Player, choosing to save the $10 in my wallet for a buy-on-board sandwich and an Alaskan Amber. My life has been a world full of stress lately due to work, and it was nice to just stretch out, relax, and rock out on the iPod for three hours.

After passing out the IFE, the FA's began the in-flight service. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I got an Amber, along with a roast beef sandwich. This was the first chance I've had to try the "Northern Bites" program on AS, and I was actually rather impressed. I'd rather pony up $5 for something halfway decent as opposed to getting second-hand slop for free. My only recommendation might be to offer a vegetarian option. I'm no vegetarian (I grew up on a ranch, for crying out loud), but having a salad would provide a nice balance. Currently the choices are a roast beef sandwich or a hot turkey sandwich.

Alaska's decision to start selling Alaskan Amber on its flights was one of their best ideas in years. I nursed this nectar from the Gods for the better part of 45 minutes, enjoying my music and relaxing. The FA's made two more passes through the cabin with the beverage cart, and soon enough we passed over Victoria, BC and began our descent into Seattle.

Darkness hit almost as soon as we started coming down, and we made a long, graceful turn over Tacoma and the south sound and greased runway 34C (or is it still 34L?) at 7:43 PM, 15 minutes behind schedule. Taxiing to gate D1 took some time as a couple of UA aircraft were in our way.

All in all, a pretty standard Anchorage-Seattle run on AS. Again, I apologize for no pictures, as those are the best part of any trip report, but I'd still welcome your comments!

Now, if y'all will excuse me, I'm going to mosey over to the B concourse and say hi to my kid