Alaska Airlines E175 First Class Review

I've flown on a handful of flights in First Class on Alaska Airlines (AS) Embraer 175s between SAN & SFO, SJC, SLC, and LAS over the past few years. I never felt it was worthy of a review until they downgraded their aircraft between SAN & AUS from a B737 to an E175. I was hesitant to fly on a Regional Jet to Austin as it is almost a three-hour flight and I figured the meal service would be scaled back like it is on American https://www.patstravelreviews.com/post/american-airlines-american-eagle-e175-e170-first-class-review Delta & United's E175s. I was flying to Austin in April '26 and did a few searches to see if Alaska had ovens on their E175s. Surprisingly, I had a difficult time getting a definitive answer. By coincidence my sister had flown on this route a month earlier and told me she could smell something cooking from her seat behind First. That, not having to connect through DFW or IAH, and very competitive fares was motivation to choose AS to fly from SAN - AUS.

Alaska Airlines (AS) uses regional partners to operate its E175 fleet. Horizon Air, which is owned by Alaska, and SkyWest, an independent regional airline that also flies for AA, DL, and UA, both operate E175s on Alaska’s behalf. Alaska currently has a fleet of 91 Embraer's between SkyWest and Horizon Air. The aircraft are configured identically, with a total of 76 seats: 12 First Class seats, 12 Premium Class seats, and 52 seats in Economy.

There are four rows in First Class on the E175s in a 1x2 configuration. On AA and United's E170 & 175's the bulkhead seats have substantial more legroom. Whereas Alaska's E175's, legroom in Row 1 isn't nearly as generous. Still, seat 1A has always been my preferred seat on the Embraer's, and despite the reduced legroom there is still enough that you do not feel too cramped. The E175 (and the 170, 190, & 195) are considerably more comfortable aircraft than similar aircraft like the CRJ's (Canadair Regional Jet) 700 or 900. You can walk down the aisle on the ERJ's without having to duck or bend over and most importantly the overhead bins are large enough to accommodate a standard rollaboard carry-on, which isn't the case on CRJ's. This eliminates having to wait on the jet bridge for your carry-on to be off-loaded (not much fun if on a very hot or cold day, or a tight connection). In the First Class section of the aircraft the overheads over the two-side (C&D) are deeper than the rest of the aircraft. On the A side the overhead bin is quite small and is really only suitable for a purse or small backpack. The rest of the aircraft has the same bin space on both sides that can fit a carry-on suitcase sideways.

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 The seats are upholstered in gray leather and feature adjustable headrests. At 20 inches wide and with 36–38 inches of pitch, the seats are comfortable, though both the seat width and legroom are slightly less generous than Alaska's B737's. Besides having both direct aisle and window access, the single seat also has the bonus of having two overhead air vents and reading lights. Another nice feature of the Embraer is its larger windows. Making the cabin feel more spacious and offering better views during the flight. That said, be aware that the window at seat 1A can occasionally have scratches caused by contact with the jet bridge during boarding (a common issue on many single-aisle planes). There's a power plug (AC plug only) located underneath the center armrest or under the window side armrest if in a single seat. There is not much storage space in the seats other than the seatback pocket. Rows 2 to 4 have larger pockets than the bulkhead.

Boarding on Alaska is usually pretty organized and generally starts about 30 minutes before departure. First Class passengers (and Atmos Titanium members) board right after passengers in need of extra time or assistance, and before Group A (Atmos Elites, active military members, and families). In the past, there was usually a Boxed Water waiting at your seat when you boarded. I haven't seen that on any of my flights this year, so I think they've incorporated it into the pre-departure beverage (PDB) service instead. Like most U.S. airlines, Alaska's PDB service can be pretty inconsistent. Sometimes the flight attendant only offers the Boxed Water, while other times they'll offer a choice of water, orange juice, or coffee. And occasionally, if boarding is running late and there's not enough time before departure (or the flight attendant isn't in the mood), the service gets skipped altogether.

Aside from the one flight I took to Austin, most flights I've taken on the E175 have been on shorter routes to/from SAN and SFO, SJC, SLC, LAS & PHX. Like with any short flight on Alaska there is not much service beyond a beverage of choice served in a glass (PDB served in paper cup) and a selection of snacks from the basket. The snack selection usually features unique offerings from lesser-known brands, which is a nice change from the usual name-brand options. I will say that on my two most recent flights (both Horizon) I not only did not receive a PDB, but there wasn't any in-flight service either. The flight attendants were instructed to remain seated during the flight due to expected turbulence. As someone who flies frequently, I understand that safety comes first and these things happen. At the same time, as someone who flies frequently, I sometimes wonder if it is used as a way to cut costs. Both flights departed from the desert, where turbulence after takeoff is pretty common, but once we were in the air the rides were smooth. My guess is that this is a common occurrence.

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Despite the slight letdown on those two flights, my flight to Austin was everything I had hoped for when I booked my trip. The meal service was almost the same as on a mainline Alaska flight. I was able to pre-order my meal 14 days before departure (up until 20 hrs before the flight) and was happy to see that several of the six meal options were served hot. If you order on board, you would be limited to just two to three choices. A few weeks later, I flew to Chicago on an Alaska B737 and ordered the exact same meal (I guess I liked it ;)). The pre-order menus were identical, but a packaged refreshing towel was included with a Biscoff Cookie prior to the meal service. Plus, the Parmesan Scrambled Eggs with Bacon on the ORD flight came with yogurt and a small bowl of fruit, which wasn't included on the flight to Austin. I was still impressed with the meal despite it being trimmed down. I remember Delta serving hot meals on their E175s years ago, and I think SkyWest's E175s may still have ovens, DL, UA & AA simply choose not to use them. So, I believe Alaska is the only US Airline currently serving hot meals on the Embraer's.

Alaska has joined other airlines in offering Starlink Wi-Fi, and its E175s are the first aircraft in the airline's fleet to be equipped with the new high-speed service. Best of all, it's free for all passengers (sponsored by T-Mobile). You don't need to be a T-Mobile customer or an Alaska Atmos member to use it. It's a major improvement over the previous system, with much faster speeds and gate-to-gate connectivity, so you no longer need to wait until the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet to get online. The only downside is that Alaska Beyond onboard streaming entertainment (last two photos below) is no longer available over the Starlink network. Instead, you're limited to watching content through your own streaming subscriptions. There are a few streaming services offering a trial, but for those that do not have these services will be limited to just browsing the internet.

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There are two lavs onboard. One forward for First Class and another in the rear galley. Premium Class occupies rows 6-9 and has basically the same leg room and seat pitch as their B737s (34" pitch to 35" & 18" to 17" seat width). In addition to the extra space, passengers also enjoy the same Premium Class perks, including priority boarding and complimentary alcoholic beverages. Like most airlines these days (especially North America) the flight attendants can be somewhat inconsistent, but by and large, they are friendly, professional, and helpful.

Overall, I've always liked the E175 for its convenience and comfort, and despite the reduced legroom in the bulkhead, Alaska's E175s are still a great option. Add in the same catering you'll find on their Boeing and Airbus flights, along with the growing number of nonstops they fly from SAN, SFO, & LAX (plus PDX & SEA) I'll happily book an E175 whenever I can (just bought a ticket DEN - SAN). The only thing that makes me a little hesitant about Alaska (aside from not getting a snack or beverage on short hops) is that I've had two last-minute cancellations on its E175s. One to SFO and another to SLC and both were time sensitive. Thankfully, I was able to find alternate options on my own. Otherwise, I probably would have been stuck.