Around the World in First Class – SNA to SFO and Emirates First Class Lounge

Entire Trip

Alaska #3471 Orange County (SNA) to San Francisco (SFO) First Class and Emirates Lounge

Emirates #226 San Francisco (SFO) to Dubai (DXB) First Class

Emirates First Class Lounges

Emirates #352 Dubai (DXB) to Singapore (SIN) First Class

Crown Plaza Singapore Airport and Airport Terminal and Lounge

Singapore #223 Singapore (SIN) to Perth (PER) Business Class

Doubletree Perth Northbridge

Qantas #776 Perth (PER) to Melbourne (MEL) Business Class

Qantas First Class Lounge Melbourne

Qantas #93 Perth (PER) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Introduction

Alaska Airlines E-175

Seat:  2A

Cabin:  First

Date:  02/02/2020

Scheduled Departure:  8:55am

Scheduled Arrival:  10:32am

Arriving at John Wayne Airport in Orange County is incredible routine now for me and with TSA Precheck it is even more of a breeze.  I gave myself a fair amount of connection time in San Francisco because you never know what delays will pop up at that airport and I wasn’t going to miss my first class ride on Emirates.   Unfortunately, there are no Priority Pass options at SNA so all I can do is to pass time in the gate area.  Boarding began 30 minutes before departure and it was a fairly efficient process.  

Alaska flies Embraer 175s between SNA and SFO.  For a regional jet product it is great with a high number of premium seats given the overall capacity of the aircraft.  First class is in a 1-2 configuration and 2A is my preferred seat.  The flight attendant came through offering pre departure beverages although there were no water bottles at the seats when boarding.  She ended up handing them out later.  

The Sunday traffic at SNA was minimal and we were on the runway and airborne quickly.  The views were great over the Orange County coastline.

Service is minimal on this hour long flight and included drink service and the typical snack basket.  

The flight was uneventful until we landed early at SFO.  While being early can be good, that is only the case when a gate is available.  We waited 20 minutes for a gate to open up and then another 20 minutes for the jet bridge trainee driver to try unsuccessfully to get the bridge to the plane door.  In the end we got off the plane later than we were scheduled to.

I was able to meet up with a friend for brunch in the city at “Starbelly” and eat some good French toast before heading back to SFO when the Emirates check-in desk opened.  No one was in the first class line so I was quickly walking away with my boarding passes to Dubai and Singapore and headed to the Emirates Lounge which serves both business and first class passengers.  After clearing security, you head down the A gates a little ways and the lounge entrance is on your left.  The lounge is located downstairs from the main concourse level but that doesn’t matter as you board the aircraft directly from the lounge.  

The lounge itself isn’t very remarkable, but it is a great way to be somewhat secluded and relax prior to boarding.  There are three main areas, a general seating area, a dining area, and the bathroom/service area in the back.  The bathrooms include toilet stalls as well as a couple shower rooms.  Adjacent to that area is a business center with 6 computer stations.  The main seating area has couches and settees.  The dining area is mostly small tables and chairs around a couple buffet stations.  

The food options were a mix of Middle Eastern, Indian, and American cuisines.  There were mini shepherds pies, hummus, curry, as well as assorted cheeses, salads, and breads.  Soda, water, wine, and spirits were all self-serve.  

I grabbed a bowl of a rather delicious curried carrot soup and grabbed a chair with a view to our jet bridge and pretty soon my ride arrived.

By the time a boarding announcement was made, a line had already formed halfway through the lounge.  The line moved quickly and merged with the regular line at the gate.  Customs agents were stopping everyone board which added to a bit of a backup in the jet bridge.  I was walking swiftly up the ramp after that, greatly anticipating my journey in first class.