My head was buzzing with ideas none of which was grabbing me big time. All of a sudden an email plopped into my Inbox from my travel buddy Chris, who many will remember travelled with me on my sojourn throughout South East Asia last year. He is MVP Gold with Alaska Airlines and had a companion fare due to expire on March 1st. Moreover another one was due to be issued on March 2nd and would I be interested in going to Alaska? Is the Pope a Catholic?!!!!!!!! Is Barack Obama President of the USA? Is David Cameron Prime Minister of Britain? Is the Irish economy in deep doo-doo? Of course I did! 
A few years ago we had raised the possibility of taking a cruise to Alaska ex-Seattle among several friends but it had come to naught so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands! Dates and itineraries were discussed, discarded, negotiated and finally agreed upon. He would book the flights and I would book the hotels with a couple of exceptions where he wished to use points and US government rates. Suited me. We’d done this before and we’re still on speaking terms. Our eventual itinerary was SEA-JNU-ANC-FAI (with a trip to Denali National Park)-ANC-SEA and all our seats were in Economy apart from the ANC-SEA leg which, for reasons best known to himself Chris had booked in First. Mine not to reason why.... A few days before I left Ireland an email arrived in my Inbox from him with two messages from Alaska Airlines, one with a list of timetable changes most of which were only by a few minutes, and, oh joy of joys! another one to say we had both been upgraded to First! Nice!! Very nice indeed!! 
We left early in the morning as Chris had decreed that we would go to the airport by public transport, taking the express bus to downtown Seattle and thence the new light rail system to Sea-Tac. As I hauled my case up the rather steep incline which led to the bus stop I grumbled to myself but to complain would be churlish and akin to biting the hand that was feeding me but after that the rest of the journey to the airport was accomplished satisfactorily. The light rail system is very pleasant and reminiscent of the Lúas light rail in Dublin but perhaps the drawback is the walk from the station to the terminals around the edge of the car park along a covered but draughty walkway with well-signed bridges to the main terminal and the airline check-in desks.
Check-in was quickly and pleasantly accomplished and soon we were welcomed into the Board Room, the Alaska Airlines lounge. I was granted admission not because I was travelling in First but because I was a MVP Gold member’s guest. The Board Room, while no Clubhouse was on two levels and overlooking the tarmac. We headed upstairs and to the far corner where desks were set up with power points and ethernet connections for anyone who needed one. We each bagged a desk for ourselves and went off in search of breakfast which was self-service. There was a good selection of breakfast cereals, breads and bakery items as well as the usual variety of coffees one comes to expect in America but the star of the show was the pancake making machine. You merely pushed a button, placed a plate at the end of the machine and within minutes two pancakes were delivered, piping hot and begging for the maple syrup which was in a jug nearby.
The pancakes were small so a second helping was required and this was washed down with champagne which was on offer from a tiny hatch in the wall! It felt like we were in the middle of Prohibition when ducking one’s head and requesting it and to compound that feeling there was a notice saying that only 3 beverages were allowed per person. 
Boo! Hiss! Well actually I only had two and a coffee. The area we were in was a quiet zone with signs requesting that if phones are to be used people should move out of this area and into the main body of the lounge. This did not stop one chap from yacking on his phone about his golf, his fishing, his this, his that, his the other in spite of dagger-like glares from the two of us for the twenty minutes of the call! 
When it was time for boarding we left the Board Room and took the train to the N gates where we found that boarding was almost complete and we were the last ones in First. We settled in 3D and F. The plane was a 737-900 series and had four rows in F which were spacious and comfy. There were no pre-flight drinks but in any case the doors closed quickly after we and a few other stragglers had arrived and soon we were on our way as we pushed back on time and after a quick trundle around SEA we were soon airborne.
Once in the air and the 10,000 feet ding had rung (which seemed a lot later than on Aer Lingus or other european airlines) the flight attendant was quick to take drink orders and tell us that she would be serving a hot roast beef sandwich with fingerling potatoes which was fine by us and soon I was cradling a very nice G&T as well as the said sandwich. However before the latter happened we flew over some majestic peaks of the north of Washington State and Canada.
The meal, when it arrived was delicious.
When the flight attendant came to collect the tray, she asked if I would like another G&T. Up to then she got full marks from me but really.........!!! Chris giggled and said something along the lines of “Ask a silly question....” and I replied that I wouldn’t say no, but no G&T was forthcoming. He opined that she had misunderstood my remark so a visit to the loo (which was next to the galley - so hygienic) was in order. She had indeed misunderstood me but when I exited the facilities, she smiled at me and announced that the crisis had been averted!
Incidentally the loo was very strictly policed and anyone trying to come from the economy cabin was quickly returned with a flea in their ear.Soon we were flying down the Gastineau Channel with mountains on both sides.
