After a good hour and a half in the Alaska Airlineslounge, I make my way to the gate for my flight to Phoenix.

Boarding

I arrived at the gate about ten minutes before boarding. While waiting for boarding to begin, multiple announcements were made to encourage passengers in zones 5 to 9 to check their hold baggage. Two staff sticket holders were turned away from zone 1, much to my delight, by the boarding agent.

The boarding agent started boarding on time, with the ConciergeKey passengers, then the zone 1 passengers, including myself, were invited to board.

Cabin and welcome

The Domestic First cabin is traditionally configured as a 2-2, and this medium-haul aircraft was no exception. However, the cabin was very small, with only two rows of recliners. A first for me at American.

The welcome was courteous and provided by a crew close to retirement.

A welcome drink was offered during boarding, and I had a Jack Daniels on the rocks. Boarding ended a little early and the welcome drinks were cleared away.

Service and catering

Service began about ten minutes after we reached cruising altitude.

The flight attendant came to take my order, and I ordered the charcuterie plate. I regretted not taking the pasta (which my neighbor ordered), as it was a bit stingy. But the charcuterie was of high quality, which is not frequent in the United States.

I sipped a few Jack on the Rocks during the cruise and watched the superb sunset.

Arrival and disembarkation

We arrived at the gate in Phoenix on time, despite a long taxi time, and disembarked without a hitch, but at a brisk pace to catch my connecting flight to Boston.

Bottom line

A very good, solid flight, with a real meal service.

Itinerary

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

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