I’m A Pilot — Taking My Mom To Japan On Alaska Airlines’ New Boeing 787 First Class Was The Trip Of A Lifetime

When I started working for Alaska Air Group in 2017, Alaska Airlines was in a really unique spot. The Virgin America merger was being wrapped up, and slowly, the small West Coast carrier was starting to show that it could push back against Delta in Seattle. The Bombardier Q-400s went away, the Airbus A320 family went away, and I thought I was going to fly 737s for the rest of my working career.

When the Hawaiian Airlines merger was announced, I was shocked. Could we really be a transpacific and, dare I say, global airline? Nine years after I started flying Alaska Airlines jets, I finally had an answer in the form of two business class seats to Tokyo with my mom on a brand-new Alaska 787.

Visiting The Alaska Lounge In Seattle

Our journey starts at Portland International Airport (PDX), which has amazingly become a beautiful hub. My mom, who is an architect, commented on how modern and stunning the interior design looked. Even though I fly in and out of this airport two or three times a week, I absolutely agree. After security, our first flight is on a Horizon Air E-175, my baby, the first jet I had ever flown. I’m amazed at how lightning fast Starlink is. Shame it’s only a 30-minute flight. My mom didn’t notice, her eyes were glued to the window looking at stunning, clear views of Mount Hood, Mount Saint Helens, and Mount Rainier.

We had booked our business itinerary from PDX, and the first class seat on the E-jet was incredibly comfortable, although there was no service on this quick skip to Sea-Tac.

When we arrived in Seattle, an airport far less beautiful than Portland, we ran to the North Satellite to go to the Alaska Lounge on the second floor. This is an amazing lounge, and a massive improvement from other lounges in Alaska’s network. I can really tell they’re focusing on premiumifying the network.

That’s where I first saw her. The newly planted Alaska Airlines 787. I’ll admit, when I first saw the rendering of the Aurora Borealis livery, I was not very impressed, especially considering how absolutely stunning the 787 looked in Hawaiian livery. Seeing one up close in person, however, is a different story. The blues and greens have an incredible depth to them, and there’s even a sparkle to the paint. I’ve seen the northern lights a handful of times, especially flying red-eye flights from Anchorage. I believe Alaska did a great job capturing their likeness. It almost looks like those Auroras can dance just like the real deal.

While I skipped most of the lounge food, I did happily imbibe in the Summit Sunrise signature cocktail, which is exclusive for Atmos Summit Card Holders. Absolutely delicious, the combination of ginger, honey, lemon, and Amaro made the drink feel slightly medicinal. I wonder if it was crafted to prevent air sickness.

Flying First Class To Seattle

Now for the main event, Mom and I eagerly get in line to board. We are welcomed by friendly ‘Alohas’ as we make our way up to the front of the cabin. Our seats are 2C and 2G. We are absolutely floored by the amount of space and storage around us. I appreciate the herringbone layout, which allowed my mom and me to speak very easily to each other.

I go to Japan pretty frequently, typically squeezed into a middle seat, flying a Japanese carrier on a standby pass. This would be my first time flying a lie-flat seat across the Pacific, and I could not have been any more thrilled with the massive apartment we shared going there.

While the aircraft says Alaska on the outside, the interior tells a different story. The joyfully upbeat ukulele music and the beautiful hula dancers and island imagery coming from the IFE remind you that this is still Hawaiian Airlines. To my delight, Mai Tais and Macadamia nuts were served as a pre-departure snack.

Note: I took this flight in late March, only a few days after Alaska announced its new suite of Pacific Northwest amenities to ‘Alaskafy’ these aircraft.

These seats used to be called Leihōkū suites, which translates from Hawaiian to “lei of stars,” which I think perfectly suits the cabin ambiance. I love the colored LED lights and the appearance of stars in the cabin overhead.

After a long Seattle taxi, we were in the air on the way to Tokyo. Let’s talk about the biggest elephant in the room: there’s no WiFi on board. That was painful, especially after being tantalized by Starlink on our quick flight from Portland.

Thankfully, there was an ample amount of entertaining stuff on the IFE. I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t connect my AirPods to the screen, and the provided headset did not come with noise-cancelling.

Spotted: Alaska Airlines’ 1st Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Rolls Out In Fort Worth

The first Alaska Airlines Boeing 787 will soon enter service, complete with the new Aurora livery.

The Service Was Exceedingly Good

When my mom and I booked our flights, we had three meal options: vegetarian, Japanese-inspired, and Hawaiian-inspired. I chose the Japanese-inspired meal, and I was surprised by how delicious the food was. Fish, rice, miso soup, and a variety of appetizers. I’ve eaten so much plane food at work that I’ve started to dread crew meals, so I was shocked by how dramatically more delicious this meal was. Inspecting the menu, I was surprised to see it had been put together by a chef named Dell Valdez. Maybe he’s a cousin of mine? While I ate, I watched arguably the best movie ever made, Speed Racer from 2008.

After pulling out the comforter, we fully reclined our seats and drifted off to dreamland. We woke up as the cabin lights slowly came up, signaling it was time for breakfast. I apologize for not getting any snaps of the meal. I don’t remember much about it, but I’m pretty sure there were more mai tais involved. I am on vacation after all.

As we neared Tokyo, I did what every pilot would do. I pulled up the in-flight map and, to my surprise, the IFE displayed the original Pualani livery.

After a few cups of coffee and an absolutely stunning landing, we deplaned and thanked the crew for their amazing service. I’m still utterly in shock that I can fly across the Pacific Rim on my company’s metal. This is truly a new era for Alaska and Hawaiian.

Short-Lived: Alaska Airlines Removes Hawaiian’s Livery From All 4 Boeing 787-9s

Alaska’s Dreamliners now sport its Northern Lights-inspired ‘Global’ livery.

Why This Trip Meant So Much

As a side note, my mother once told me it was always a dream of hers to see Japan, especially during cherry blossom season. We started planning this trip almost a year in advance. When Atmos first came out, we both signed up for cards to get the massive signup bonus, and we booked these tickets in October. It took us 275,000 points, which included a 25K Global Companion Award. Sadly, no employee discounts here.

We happened to perfectly time the peak bloom for the cherry blossoms. We spent two incredible weeks riding bullet trains, eating amazing food, and appreciating the kindness of Japanese hospitality. Truly, once in a lifetime.

Growing up, I was a pretty tough kid to raise. I am the middle child of a first-generation American family. I was terrible in school for anything that wasn’t aviation adjacent, and I moved to the complete opposite side of the country — from Miami to Portland — as soon as I could sustain myself on a flight instructor’s salary. When I told my parents I was going to work for Alaska Airlines, they both must have thought I was crazy. It’s likely they had never even seen an Alaska jet.