Alaska Airlines became the fourth US airline to fly the Boeing 737 Max when it took delivery of its long-delayed first model in January.
Boeing's troubled narrow-body was supposed to arrive at the airline in 2019 but the March 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 and the subsequent grounding of Max aircraft worldwide changed that.
Following the ungrounding in November 2020, Alaska quickly took delivery of its first model and began a flight testing campaign that spanned around 50 hours and 19,000 miles. And on March 1, Alaska finally began passenger flights with the aircraft.
Just over one month following the aircraft's arrival at Alaska, however, Boeing recommended that all four of the airline's models be grounded for an electrical issue. "The recommendation is being made to allow for verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system," Boeing said in a statement, with no timeline for the fix.
Read More:Boeing's infamous 737 Max plane has a new issue, and 16 airlines are being told to ground planes
The Max is Alaska's future with Boeing landing a frim deal for 68 aircraft to be bought and leased by the airline, with options for 52 more.
I flew on one of Alaska's Boeing 737 Max aircraft just three weeks before the grounding from Seattle to Los Angeles. Here's what it was like.
Alaska has kept its Max aircraft to West Coast routes flying to cities like San Diego and Los Angeles. On the day I was flying, two aircraft were flying eight daily flights up and down the coast.
Like most US airlines flying the Max aircraft, Alaska has vowed to be flexible with customers that don't want to fly the Max. But they'd have to know they were flying on the Max and it wasn't easy to find.
The only way to see what aircraft you're flying on with Alaska during booking is by clicking "details." Only then will the aircraft type reveal itself.
There was no subsequent warning that I'd be booking on the Max either, as other airlines like United did in the early days of the Max return to service. Alaska did, however, show the aircraft's name at the top of the seat map...
And it was displayed on the monitor at the gate.
Alaska operates the largest Max model currently flying, the Boeing 737 Max 9. It's the next-generation variant of the 737-900ER Next Generation, which Alaska also flies.
Immediately upon stepping onboard I could tell it was a modern marvel.
The first class cabin features 16 seats in a standard 2-2 configuration across just four rows.
The seats are large plush recliners with massive adjustable headrests. I was extremely dissapointed I couldn't sit up here for the flight.
Seat-backs feature large literature holders and while there are no in-flight entertainment screens, device holders are found attached to the tray table.
Flight attendants also left bottles of water and sanitary wipes at the seats for passengers. Neither was given to those in economy.
The rest of the aircraft's 162 seats are economy class in the standard 3-3 configuration.
The first eight rows of economy are what's known as "premium class" on Alaska.
These seats feature extra legroom, early boarding privileges, and complimentary alcohol. And until May 31, the middle seats in this section are kept open while the rest in economy may be filled.
I was closer to the back for this flight in seat 25A, a window seat.
There were still nine rows behind me, however, as this is one of the largest jets in Alaska's fleet.
Purple-ish mood lighting gave the cabin a relaxing futuristic feel, unlike anything I'd seen on other Max jets that use the dynamic lighting system.
At first, I was surprised by how big the backs of the seats seemed. But that was because they were chock full of amenities.
Located in the seat-back are a full-size tray table, device holder, and two in-seat power options including a USB charging port...
And a 110v AC power outlet.
The middle seat tray table also had two cup holders, ideal for when the middle seat is empty and its tray table can be used as a shared space for those in the aisle and window.
Seat width is only around 17 inches, an inch less than United's offering on the 737 Max. Alternatively, seat pitch on Alaska's Boeing fleet is also around 31-32 inches.
Source: SeatGuru
Legroom wasn't an issue but I felt the seats were somewhat narrower from what I've experienced on other Max aircraft. Overall, though, it was a comfortable seat.
Alaska doesn't offer seat-back screens on this aircraft, leaving passengers to their own devices for entertainment, literally. The Max fleet is also scheduled to offer WiFi but that won't be online for another few months, flight attendants informed us before departure.
That also meant no streaming content, which Alaska offers in-lieu of seat-back entertainment screens. Luckily, this was just a quick hop to Los Angeles and I had come prepared with downloaded movies and television shows.
Safety cards clearly identified this aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max.
Airlines have a different approach to the Max and safety cards. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines simply say "737" to conform with the rest of their Boeing 737 fleets.
A quirky feature of flying on the Max is that life vests are located above passengers in a compartment above each row. Most aircraft have life vests under the seat.
As our departure time neared, it was time to head south to Los Angeles. And luckily, I had the middle seat open.
We took to the runway and departed south from Runway 16L. This is a route that Alaska flies multiple times per day so I felt confident that the pilots would know it like the back of their hands.
The weather in Seattle was surprisingly fair and we didn't have too much trouble with turbulence.
All in all, it was an incredibly smooth departure that settled into a similarly smooth flight as we said goodbye to Washington.
I started up a movie on the device holder after takeoff. It really made for a better entertainment experience than having to hold my phone up and I didn't lose a percentage of charge thanks to the multiple power options.
Flight attendants came around shortly after takeoff to start the in-flight snack and drink service.
On Alaska, that includes a choice of soft drink and a snack, as well as a sanitary wipe for good measure.
Overall, the Max is a great product for Alaska that will represent it well moving forward.
The onboard product is comparable to those in use with United and American, and I wouldn't hesitate to fly on the aircraft again, once the necessary fixes are made.
The rest of the flight was uneventful. We climbed to the dizzying heights of 37,000 feet and pretty much flew in a straight line towards Southern California.
I had no doubts about the aircraft's capability at any time and truly enjoyed the flight, especially thanks to the quiet CFM International LEAP-1B engines.
Alaska hasn't yet announced where the Max will fly after the West Coast but the aircraft's strengths suggest it will fly transcontinental routes and flights to Hawaii.
It was truly a great day to fly and the Max performed beautifully.
It's unclear when Alaska's Max fleet will return to service but the grounding isn't likely to be as long as the prior 20-month grounding.
