Hello from Seattle!

I'm back in the Pacific Northwest for what might be the hometown airline's biggest day of the year.

More on that in a second.

I've been up since 3:30 a.m. — on purpose. It's one of my go-to jet lag strategies: Unless I'm away for more than a few days, I stay on Eastern time whenever I travel domestically.

That way, I can squeeze in a workout before the East Coast workday starts. (Because goodness knows the inbox and notifications start pouring in the moment it does.)

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

Alaska Airlines just unveiled three new business-class suites, four new lounges, five major loyalty updates, its first-ever premium economy cabin, and more.

The trip was well worth it for the scores of media and influencers Alaska invited to its Global Training Center.

Let's dive right in. Note that the new cabins and lounges won't start rolling out until late next year.

Alaska and Hawaiian are each getting a new signature business-class experience: Aurora Suites and Leihōkū Suites, respectively.

Aurora Suites are headed to Alaska's 787 Dreamliners, while every Hawaiian Airbus A330 will (finally) get direct-aisle-access pods in a 1-2-1 layout.

But the real showstopper was a new lie-flat product for premium transcontinental flying — also branded as Aurora Suites. At least 25 Boeing 737 MAX 10s will get 12 pods in a 1-1 layout.

Better yet, Alaska will become the only U.S. airline with window-facing suites on a single-aisle jet. (American, JetBlue, and United all went with suites that face the aisle.)

Alaska designed this configuration primarily for its routes between the West Coast and the New York City area. (Which is why Alaska's internal codename for the project probably won't surprise you.)

Alaska is also launching premium economy for the first time. Dubbed Premium Reserve, the cabin is coming to the 787, the A330, and the Aurora-configured 737s.

The seat itself will vary, with two different products depending on which plane you're flying.

Either way, Premium Reserve should give Alaska a nice revenue bump on long-haul flights.

My favorite feature, though? The 16-inch 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth connectivity.

Alaska's premium push isn't limited to the air.

The airline is opening four new lounges across its network, starting with its first-ever business-class-only club: the Aurora Lounge in Seattle. A new 500-seat signature Alaska Lounge is also coming to SEA's expanded Concourse C.

Honolulu and San Diego are getting showpieces of their own.

From what I've seen, the design and amenities look to be industry-leading. More on that in my detailed first look.

Unless you live on the West Coast, in Alaska, or in Hawaii, you might not fly Alaska or Hawaiian all that often.

But these Atmos Rewards updates make the program worth it for just about anyone.

Here's what's coming:

I broke down the loyalty changes in a quick one-minute video, and I'll dig into them further in the coming weeks.

The big takeaway: Atmos is investing in its members, and the program is becoming a valuable part of the points ecosystem, even if you rarely fly Alaska.

One reason you (probably) read this newsletter is for the updates no one else is covering. I love prodding executives for these nuggets.

Here's what I learned from Alaska:

Major changes are coming to U.S. passports.

It starts with a new online application process that lets you snap your photo with a smartphone. (Goodbye, CVS photo booth.) First-time applicants will be able to apply online through the government's new America.gov portal.

The new passport will also be standardized at 38 pages, with no option for a bigger book. I don't mind that, since more and more countries are moving to digital entry systems. (Like Europe and its EES mess.)

Then there's the controversy over the new design. I'd file this one under developing, since we still don't know exactly what the inside will look like. The new cover, though, is noticeably bolder than before.

Last night, I toured Boeing's Customer Experience Center.

It's the nondescript, warehouse-looking building a few miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) where airline executives go to pick their cabin interiors.

I saw the mockup of Boeing's 777X cabin, but that wasn't the highlight.

That honor goes to the retired Boeing 747-8 mockup. The planemaker no longer builds the double-decker jet, but it kept the mockup for posterity.

The nose is decked out with concept first-class seats that never made it to the sky. Upstairs, there's a VIP configuration with couches and beds up front and angled-flat business-class pods in the back.

Here's a video of this rare look inside.

A fellow reader has a category 1-4 World of Hyatt free night certificate that's about to expire.

The catch? It expires Oct. 11, so you need to stay by then.

I can't believe it's almost October. That means you have mere hours left to use your quarterly credit card credits.

The big ones expiring on Sept. 30 include:

Of course, don’t forget to use your monthly credits too.

As always, if you're in the market for a new credit card, please consider using my affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Using these links is the easiest way to support FTTT — and I only recommend what I actually use.

From the Tray Table is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where links appear. Not all financial companies or all available offers are included. The opinions expressed are mine alone. Content is not reviewed or endorsed by an entity.