Alaska Airlines - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

suburb of SeaTac, Washington

SeaTac, Washington

SeaTac is an American city in southern King County, Washington, and an outlying suburb of Seattle, Washington. Incorporated in February 1990, the City of SeaTac is ten square miles in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census...

in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways

McGee Airways

McGee Airways was an American airline, founded in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1932 by Linious "Mac" McGee. Starting with a single three seat Stinson airplane, the company grew and the fleet of aircraft expanded to seven Stinsons....

. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service

Star Air Service

Star Air Service, later Star Air Lines and Alaska Star Airlines was an American air service in Alaska from 1932 to 1944. With financial help from a wealthy Alaska miner, three pilots who had started a flying school and charter business in Seattle, shipped an open-cockpit biplane by steamship to...

, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944. It has expanded greatly since its founding and now has service not only within the state of Alaska but also throughout the Continental United States, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Mexico and four Hawaiian Islands. Alaska Airlines carries more passengers between the state of Alaska and the contiguous United States

Contiguous United States

The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....

than any other airline.

Classified as a major carrier

Major carrier

Major carrier or major airline carrier is a designation given by the United States Department of Transportation to U.S.-based airlines that post more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year.As of 2010, there were 19 major carriers....

, it is the seventh-largest US airline in terms of passenger traffic. Alaska currently operates hubs

Airline hub

An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...

at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Inter-terminal:...

, and Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...

. It also operates a secondary hub

Airline hub

and Mexican gateway at Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

.

Alaska Airlines' sister carrier, Horizon Air

Horizon Air

Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....

, is closely integrated into Alaska's operations, with Alaska and Horizon sharing many routes. Both airlines are owned by the same parent company, Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group Inc., is an aviation holding firm / corporation based in SeaTac, Washington which owns two certificated airlines operating in the United States: Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. In 1985, it was formed and a year later the holding company acquired Horizon Air and Jet America...

. In 2011, J. D. Power and Associates recognized Alaska Airlines as the top "Traditional Carrier" in customer satisfaction for the fourth year in a row.

The airline's frequent flyer program

Frequent flyer program

A frequent flyer program is a loyalty program offered by many airlines. Typically, airline customers enrolled in the program accumulate frequent flyer miles corresponding to the distance flown on that airline or its partners. There are other ways to accumulate miles...

is called Mileage Plan, and their lounge is called Board Room. Alaska Airlines is not part of any of the three major airline alliance

Airline alliance

An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...

s, but has codeshare agreements with airlines that are prominent members of Oneworld

Oneworld

Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...

, such as American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

, as well as prominent SkyTeam

SkyTeam

SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...

members like Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

Early years (1932-1945)

The airline traces its roots to McGee Airways

McGee Airways

, which was started by Linious "Mac" McGee

Linious "Mac" McGee

Linious "Mac" McGee , an Alaskan aviation pioneer and founder of McGee Airways, which, through a long series of mergers and acquisitions became Alaska Airlines.-Biography:...

in 1932. The airline flew its inaugural service between Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...

and Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...

with a Stinson

Stinson Aircraft Company

The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.-The Company:The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business...

single-engined, three-passenger aircraft. In those days, there weren't any scheduled flights; a flight took place when there were passengers or a load of cargo.

It was the middle of the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

and the airline was always on the brink of failure. In the next few years the airline did many mergers and acquisitions that produced changes in the name and saw business expand throughout Alaska. The first of these mergers was in 1934, when McGee Airways merged with Star Air Service

Star Air Service

. With a fleet of fifteen aircraft, Star Air Service was now a dominant airline in Alaska. But Star continued to struggle financially because of high maintenance costs for its wooden planes.

In 1937, Star Air Service purchased Alaska Interior Airlines and was incorporated as Star Air Lines. The following year, federal regulation began when Congress created the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). The CAB awarded the airline most of the routes that it wanted in Alaska, but the coveted route between Seattle

Seattle, Washington

and Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...

was awarded to Pan American Airways

Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...

.

In 1941, Star Air Service was purchased by Raymond Marshall, a businessman from New York. In 1942, the airline purchased three other airlines in Alaska, Lavery Air Service, Mirow Air Service, and Pollack Flying Service as well as a hangar at the Anchorage airport

Merrill Field

Merrill Field is a public-use general aviation airport located one mile east of downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by Municipality of Anchorage....

. That year, the airline's name was changed to Alaska Star Airlines. The name Alaska Airlines was adopted on May 2, 1944 having narrowly beaten a competitor applying for the name. In the 1940s Alaska's headquarters were in Anchorage, Alaska.

When the US entered World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

in December 1941, Alaska Airlines faced a shortage of pilots. Even so, Alaska Airlines purchased the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar, its first multiengine aircraft, in 1943. Also, that year the company's stock was traded on the American Stock Exchange

American Stock Exchange

NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the...

for the very first time. Unfortunately, the airline lacked funds and equipment, and pilots were often forced to buy fuel for their planes out of their own pockets. Presidents came and went throughout the early 1940s, too.

Expansion after WWII (1945-1949)

In 1945, Alaska Airlines hired its first stewardesses. In 1947, James Wooten became president of the airline and he began to expand the airline greatly. Under his leadership, the airline purchased many surplus military aircraft from the government that were used during WWII. The airline purchased Douglas DC-3

Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...

s, Douglas DC-4

Douglas DC-4

The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...

s, and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commandos.

Worldwide charter flights

The airline used its new aircraft to expand its charter business, and by 1948, it was the world's largest charter carrier. The airline had charter flights from Anchorage to Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

as well as a flight to Chicago with a stop in Seattle. Flights on this route were technically not scheduled, but they were flown regularly.

Alaska Airlines also flew in other parts of the world, and participated in airlift

Airlift

Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...

s such as the Berlin Airlift in Germany and Operation Magic Carpet

Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)

Operation Magic Carpet is a widely-known nickname for Operation On Wings of Eagles , an operation between June 1949 and September 1950 that brought 49,000 Yemenite Jews to the new state of Israel. British and American transport planes made some 380 flights from Aden, in a secret operation that was...

in the Middle East. In the 1948 Berlin Airlift, the airline flew supplies to Allied West Berlin

West Berlin

West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...

after the Soviets built the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...

around West Berlin. It also contributed to several other airlifts, including evacuating Chinese Nationalist forces during the 1949 Communist Revolution

Communist revolution

A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism, typically with socialism as an intermediate stage...

in China.

Alaska Airlines played an important role in organizing an airlift of Jews from Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

to Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, in Operation Magic Carpet

Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)

from 1949 to 1950. Alaska Airlines, along with many other airlines, helped fly Jews to Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

in the newly-created country of Israel. This was not an easy task, however. Airplanes couldn't land in Arab territory, so they had to be fitted with extra fuel tanks in order to fly nonstop between Yemen and Israel. The airplanes also had to fly over hostile territory and were often shot at by Arabs. The airport in Tel Aviv was frequently bombed, so they could not keep aircraft there overnight. There were no aircraft destroyed or lives lost. The airline later played a similar role in airlifting Jews from Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

to Israel.

Alaska Airlines' large charter business made it profitable, and the airline moved its base of operations to Paine Field

Paine Field

Paine Field, also known as Snohomish County Airport is a public airport located in unincorporated Snohomish County, between Mukilteo and Everett, Washington...

, an airport north of Seattle. It kept a branch office in Anchorage, however. Despite its success, Alaska Airlines' worldwide charter business was short-lived. In 1949, the CAB tightened its regulations and completely shut down the airline for safety violations. The airline was also prohibited from operating worldwide charter flights, causing president James Wooten to leave the company.

New leadership (1950s)

Alaska Airlines started the 1950s without its worldwide charter business and operations restricted to the state of Alaska. In 1950, it purchased two smaller Alaskan airlines, Collins Air Service and Al Jones Airways.

Though the airline had grown much under the ownership of Raymond Marshall, the CAB forced him out in 1951 due to continuing financial troubles. Also, Marshall had owned Alaska Airlines with the intent of getting money for himself, and he was not concerned about the long-term stability of the company. That year also saw the CAB award Alaska Airlines with the long-coveted routes from Anchorage and Fairbanks in Alaska to Seattle and Portland in the continental United States.

In 1952, the CAB appointed Nelson David as president, and he began to improve the financial stability of the airline. By 1957, with the airline in a better financial situation, David left and Charles Willis, Jr. became the airline's new president and CEO.

A pilot during WWII, Willis introduced several marketing gimmicks that set the airline apart from other airlines of the day. Under his leadership, the airline became the first to show inflight movies. The airline began service of the Douglas DC-6

Douglas DC-6

The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...

, the airline's first pressurized

Cabin pressurization

Cabin pressurization is the pumping of compressed air into an aircraft cabin to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for crew and passengers when flying at altitude.-Need for cabin pressurization:...

plane, enabling flights above clouds and weather disturbances. On these DC-6's, the airline introduced "Golden Nugget" service, which included an on-board saloon and piano.

The jet age (1960s)

In 1960, Alaska Airlines was able to drop some routes between tiny towns in Alaska.

The airline moved to the jet age when it introduced a Convair 880

Convair 880

The Convair 880 was a narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller and faster, a niche that failed to create demand...

in 1961. The airline later introduced the Boeing 727

Boeing 727

The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...

, and that airplane became Alaska Airlines' signature aircraft for the next 25 years. It also became the first carrier to fly the Lockheed L-100 Hercules (the civil version of the C-130), which hauled oil drilling rigs to Alaska's North Slope

Alaska North Slope

The Alaska North Slope is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western side of Point Barrow, and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern.The region contains the...

and later to Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

.
During this time, Alaska Air faced some tough competition with other airlines such as Pan Am, Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...

and a regional carrier called Pacific Northern Airlines (later merged with Western Airlines

Western Airlines

Western Airlines was a large airline based in California, with operations throughout the Western United States, and hubs at Los Angeles International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, and the former Stapleton International Airport in Denver...

). To set itself apart from the competition, it turned to some cheap but imaginative gimmicks such as having safety instructions read as rhymes, fashion shows in the aisles, as well as bingo games.

In the early 1960s Alaska Airlines had its headquarters in what is now the Belltown area of Seattle. Alaska also owned two Lockheed L-1649A Starliners from 1962 to 1968, which were used for Military Air Transport Service

Military Air Transport Service

The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...

operations.

In December 1962 Air Guinée

Air Guinee

Compagnie Nationale Air Guinée was the national airline of Guinea. The airline had its head office in Kaloum, Conakry. Founded in 1960, the airline had flights from Conakry International Airport...

signed a contract with Alaska Airlines which saw Alaska Airlines providing management expertise, in addition to two Douglas DC-6

Douglas DC-6

s. The deal would have seen Alaska Airlines contracting with the airline over a seven-year period; however, the contract ended after only six months, leading to the United States Agency for International Development

United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...

paying a US$700,000 debt owed by the Guinean airline to Alaska Airlines.

Throughout the 1960s, Alaska Airlines worked to promote tourism to Alaska by offering charter flights to the continental United States. In an attempt to increase the state's appeal, Alaska Airlines conducted a promotional tour of Japan in 1963.

In 1967, as the state of Alaska celebrated its centennial, Alaska Airlines introduced a promotional "Gay Nineties" theme with stewardesses dressed in Edwardian outfits. That year, Alaska Airlines expanded to southeast Alaska with the introduction of service to Sitka, Alaska. This led to the purchase of two smaller airlines—Alaska Coastal Ellis

Alaska Coastal Airlines

Alaska Coastal Airlines was formed in 1939 as a result of the merger of Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways. On April 1, 1962 Alaska Coastal Airlines merged with Ellis Air Lines, trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines in...

and Cordova Airlines—in 1968.

Economic hardship (1970s)

In the beginning of the 1970s, Alaska Airlines began charter service to Siberia in the Soviet Union. The airline was able to fly more than two-dozen flights in 1970, 1971, and 1972.

However, the airline was not in good financial shape at that time. Like much of the airline industry, Alaska Airlines was hit with rising fuel and operating costs that nearly caused the airline to go bankrupt. Also, work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

The Trans Alaska Pipeline System , includes the Trans Alaska Pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. TAPS is one of the world's largest pipeline systems...

was delayed, and cargo planes sat idle and decreased revenues. The airline took another blow on September 4, 1971, when a plane crashed

Alaska Airlines Flight 1866

Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 was the first fatal jet airliner crash of Alaska Airlines, an airline registered in the United States. The aircraft crashed into a mountain near Juneau, Alaska on approach for landing on September 4, 1971. 111 people were killed. There were no survivors...

on landing in Juneau, killing 111 people and resulting in the worst single-plane crash at the time.

Because the airline was struggling financially, the airline's board ousted the president and CEO Charles Willis. Former board member Ronald Cosgrave succeeded him. The airline was $22 million in debt when Cosgrave took over, so Cosgrave began to make major cuts. The airline's cargo business was dropped completely, as well as many flights and employees. Cosgrave also sought to improve the airline's tarnished image of "Elastic Airlines." The logo was changed to an image of a smiling Eskimo

Eskimo

Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....

, which remains today. As a result of these efforts, the airline made a profit in 1973 and continued to be profitable thereafter.

Post-deregulation expansion (1978-1990)

Alaska Airlines was one of only three US carriers that supported the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act

Airline Deregulation Act

The Airline Deregulation Act is a United States federal law signed into law on October 24, 1978. The main purpose of the act was to remove government control over fares, routes and market entry from commercial aviation...

, knowing that they would reap significant growth and other benefits from deregulation. After deregulation, the company's real-estate division was spun off into its own company, with Cosgrave becoming its chairman. Leadership of the airline was passed to Bruce Kennedy, a close associate of Cosgrave. Cosgrave made an alliance with Alaska Airlines to purchase competitor Wien Air Alaska

Wien Air Alaska

Wien Air Alaska was formed from Northern Consolidated Airlines and Wien Alaska Airways. The company was famous for being the first airline in Alaska, and one of the first in the United States.-History:...

, but this ultimately failed and resulted in fines for Alaska Air and its leaders for improprieties during the attempted acquisition.

At the time of deregulation, Alaska Airlines served ten cities in Alaska and one in the continental US, the city of Seattle and it had only ten planes in its fleet. Immediately after deregulation, the airline began to expand. The airline added the cities Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

and San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

to its routes. Soon later, the airline resumed service to the Alaskan cities Nome

Nome, Alaska

Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...

and Kotzebue

Kotzebue, Alaska

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,082 people, 889 households, and 656 families residing in the city. The population density was 114.1 people per square mile . There were 1,007 housing units at an average density of 37.3 per square mile...

and also introduced service to Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...

. The cities Burbank

Burbank, California

Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

and Ontario, California

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

were added in 1981. Other cities in the continental US that were added to the airline's route map by 1985 were Oakland

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

and San Jose, California

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

; Spokane, Washington

Spokane, Washington

Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

; Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho

Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...

; Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

and Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

.

Deregulation also brought challenges to the airline, however. The airline was faced with increased competition and inflation that put tremendous pressure on costs, profits, and salaries. There were also tensions with unions, particularly mechanics and flight attendants. In 1985, the company had a three month long strike with its machinist

Machinist

A machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...

s. By June, it was able to end the strike by promising to reduce labor costs and maintain peace with unions.

In November 1985, the airline introduced a daily air-freight service called "Gold Streak." With service to and from Alaska, it turned out to be quite popular.

In 1985, Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group

was formed as a holding company

Holding company

A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...

for Alaska Airlines. In 1986 Alaska Air Group acquired regional airline Horizon Air

Horizon Air

. Horizon Air remained a separate brand from Alaska Airlines; it and Alaska Airlines are both subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group. In 1987 Alaska Airlines purchased Jet America Airlines

Jet America Airlines

Jet America Airlines was an airline that operated domestic flights in the United States between 1981 and 1987. It was headquartered in Signal Hill, California, near Long Beach.-History:...

.
In the 1980s, Alaska Airlines began acquiring McDonnell Douglas MD-80s to replace their aging 727s. Alaska's MD-82s entered the fleet via the acquisition of Jet America Airlines in 1987. However, Alaska was also the launch customer for the MD-83, and took delivery of the first airplanes in 1985.

There was also a big seasonal imbalance in travel to Alaska, which mainly took place in the summer. In an effort to compensate for this, the airline introduced service to Mexican resorts, where most travel takes place in the winter. In 1988, the airline began service to the Mexican resort cities of Mazatlan

Mazatlán

Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...

and Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...

.

By the end of the 1980s, 70 percent of Alaska Airlines' passengers flew south of Seattle and the airline served 30 cities in six states outside Alaska. The airline had successfully used the state of Alaska as a springboard to expand into larger, more profitable markets. And the airline remained committed to quality customer service, focusing on providing better food and more leg room on flights than any other airline.

New competition, new technologies (1990s)

The airline began the 1990s with plans to lease 24 Boeing 737-400s from International Lease Finance Corporation

International Lease Finance Corporation

The International Lease Finance Corporation is an aircraft lessor headquartered in Century City, Los Angeles, California.It is the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General Electric's GECAS unit, has more aircraft...

(ILFC). The airplanes remain in Alaska's fleet to this day.

In 1991, Alaska Airlines added several routes. In the Russian Far East

Russian Far East

Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...

, it added the cities Magadan

Magadan

Magadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...

and Khabarovsk

Khabarovsk

Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...

, as well as service to Toronto, its first Canadian city and the first city east of the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

. However, Toronto was later dropped in 1992.

As the airline marked its 19th consecutive year of profits in a turbulent industry and racked up many awards for customer service, Bruce Kennedy retired in May 1991 and was succeeded by Raymond J. Vecci.

However, Alaska Airlines also faced increased competition from low-cost carrier

Low-cost carrier

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...

s. One carrier that competed with Alaska was MarkAir

MarkAir

MarkAir was a regional airline. It had its headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It ceased operations and liquidated in 1995.-Former Code Data:* ICAO Code: MRK* IATA--BF* Callsign: MarkAir-History:...

. Since it began operating in 1984, competition had been reduced because it had worked out feeder agreements with Alaska Airlines. However, after Alaska Air declined to buy the airline in the fall of 1991, it unleashed intense competition on the airline. The airline offered low-cost service on the Anchorage-Seattle route and other routes in Alaska, where Alaska Airlines earned almost one-third of its revenues.

This really hurt Alaska Airlines; for the first time in 20 years, it posted a loss of $121 million. To save money, the airline canceled two proposed maintenance facilities and deferred a large aircraft purchase worth $2 billion. It was able to increase utilization on its existing planes, though. The airline also cut labor costs, but this ended up making relations with unions tense.

These cost reductions produced quick results. In 1993, their losses decreased to $45 million, and they made a $40 million profit the next year. Eight percent of these revenues were generated by record-setting cargo operations.

Alaska had more competition in 1993 when low-cost airline Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...

entered the Pacific Northwest by purchasing Morris Air

Morris Air

Morris Air was a low-fare airline based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It began operations in 1992. It was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $130 million. The airline officially became part of Southwest in Summer 1994.-History:...

. Nevertheless, Alaska airlines was able to keep its costs down, but it maintained its high level of customer service. The airline also promoted itself as "the last great airline" and with the motto "For the same price, you just get more," yet analysts felt that Alaska Air needed deeper cost cuts. At the same time, the company had many strikes by the flight attendants' union.

Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system, and to replace its aging and fuel inefficient 727 fleet. Meanwhile, the airline phased out its 727s, retiring their last 727 in 1993. The airline's MD-80 fleet peaked at approximately 45 aircraft in 1996.

Vecci was dismissed in 1995 and replaced with John Kelly, former Horizon Air CEO. The airline soon expanded West Coast routes to take advantage of an "open skies" agreement between the US and Canada. The airline also added a new destination in Russia.

Alaska Airlines also pioneered some new technologies through the 1990s. It added a head-up guidance system in 1989 to operate better in foggy conditions, becoming the first airline to use this technology. In 1995, the airline became the first to sell tickets on the Internet. The airline also installed self-service kiosks called "Instant Travel Machines" that printed boarding passes, allowing customers to bypass the traditional ticket counter. An X-ray device, an addition to the unit allowing passengers to check their own baggage was being tested in 1999 at Anchorage. By 2000, all the airline's planes carried automated external defibrillator

Automated external defibrillator

An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...

s, for use in in-flight emergencies.

The airline would also become the first airline in the world to integrate GPS

Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System

Ground Proximity Warning System

A ground proximity warning system is a system designed to alert pilots if their aircraft is in immediate danger of flying into the ground or an obstacle. The United States Federal Aviation Administration defines GPWS as a type of terrain awareness warning system...

(EGPWS) technology, adding a real-time, three-dimensional display of terrain. The system was operational in all the carrier's Boeing 737-400s by April 1999.

The late 1990s also saw the airline recording much profitability. The airline added new training and maintenance facilities. Also, the airline began buying new 737s, ordering the Boeing 737-700 and the Boeing 737-900. Alaska Airlines became the launch customer for the 737-900 when it placed an order for it in 1997.

Introducing flights across the USA (2000s)

On May 15, 2001, the airline took delivery of its first 737-900. Currently, the airline has 12 of these aircraft.

With the delivery of Boeing 737 Next Generation

Boeing 737 Next Generation

The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...

aircraft starting in 1999, Alaska began launching more long-haul flights. In 2000, Alaska started service between Anchorage and Chicago. In 2001, the airline was granted slot exemptions by the Department of Transportation to operate a nonstop flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...

(DCA) to Seattle, but it was halted after only a week due to the September 11, 2001 attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

. Service to Washington, DC was relocated to nearby Dulles International Airport, but the airline resumed service to Reagan Airport on December 4, 2001 to meet the demand. It continued service to Dulles Airport, however. In 2004 Alaska Airlines introduced non-stop service between Reagan National and Los Angeles.

In 2002, other long-haul flights from Seattle were launched, including flights to Orlando

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

and Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

, as well as service to Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

. In 2003, service to Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

began, as well as service to Dallas.
In 2005, due to the greater efficiency of the Boeing 737 Next Generation and rising costs for maintenance, fuel, and crew training, Alaska Airlines decided to phase out its remaining 26 MD-80s and trained its pilots to fly the newer Boeing 737-800s that were being ordered to replace them. According to the airline, the MD-80 burned 1,100 gallons of fuel per hour, while the 737-800 burns 850 gallons per hour. The last MD-80 flights flew on August 25, 2008, one flight from San Jose, California to Seattle, Washington, and another from Sacramento, California to Seattle, Washington. To mark this occasion, the airline unveiled a 737-800 painted in Boeing's house colors with the airline's Eskimo on the tail fin. The aircraft, called Spirit of Seattle, shows Alaska's commitment to Boeing and the fact that the airline now has an all-Boeing fleet.

In February 2007, Alaska Airlines introduced its first two Boeing 737-400 Combi's to their fleet in an effort to replace their aging Boeing 737-200 Combi aircraft. The -400 Combi's have 20% more passenger and cargo capacity than the aircraft they replaced. They can carry a combination of four cargo pallets and 72 passengers. The aircraft were originally introduced as passenger aircraft in 1992, but have now been converted by Pemco Air Services. Pemco Air Services also converted the Boeing 737-400F. The airline planned to introduce more combi aircraft towards the end of the year.

On September 9, 2007, Alaska Airlines introduced daily nonstop service between Portland, Oregon and Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Florida

and from Portland, Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts.

In late 2007, the airline began service to Hawaii. When the airline first began seasonal service to Hawaii, it flew to Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii

from Seattle and Anchorage. It would later expand service over the next few years to include Hawaiian cities Lihue, Kahului, and Kona

Kona District, Hawaii

Kona is the name of a moku or district on the Big Island of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii. In the current system of administration of Hawaii County, the moku of Kona is divided into North Kona District and South Kona District . The term "Kona" is sometimes used to refer to its largest town,...

, with service from Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

; Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

; Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

and even Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...

.

In 2008, Alaska launched service from Seattle to Minneapolis – Saint Paul and in 2009 began service to Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. Service from Seattle

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...

to Houston began on September 23, 2009 and from Seattle

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

to Atlanta

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...

on October 23, 2009.

On November 10, 2009 Alaska Airlines announced that it would begin service between San Jose

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

, CA and Kahului and Kona, Hawaii in March 2010. On March 26, 2010 Alaska began service between Sacramento

Sacramento

Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...

, CA and Kahului, HI. These latter non-stop additions, for which neither Oakland, Sacramento, Kona, or Kahului, are hubs or focus cities of Alaska, is a rarity in today's commercial airline industry where the tendency is for an airline to concentrate its flights around some sort of "hub and spoke" route system.

2010s

On June 17, 2010 Alaska Airlines announced that it would begin new service between Seattle and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is a Class B international airport serving Greater St. Louis. It is located approximately northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state with 250 daily...

. Service began on September 27, 2010.

In January 2011, Alaska Airlines placed an order for 15 737s, worth $1.3 billion in list prices. The order consists of two 737-800s and thirteen 737-900ERs (Extended Range). The 737-900ERs are a new addition to Alaska Airlines' fleet, and will be used on the airline's long-haul routes.

Thanks to its increased range, the 737-900ER will be able to fly transcontinental routes with more passengers, such as the Seattle-Orlando route. “Depending on the ultimate configuration, the larger 737-900ER will have between 21 and 27 seats more than our existing B737-800 aircraft and will be a perfect fit for our longer-haul and high-traffic West Coast markets,” Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden said in his company’s release. The planes will be delivered between 2012 and 2014.

The airline also recorded record profits for 2010, as well as record profits for the fourth quarter of 2010. The profit for 2010 was $251.1 million, up from $121.6 million a year earlier. Alaska’s fourth-quarter profit of $64.8 million was up from $24.1 million from the fourth quarter of the previous year.

Alaska Airlines continues pioneering new technologies today. In 2011 Alaska Airlines partnered with Boeing and Fujitsu

Fujitsu

is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....

to be the first to use a new technology called Component Management Optimization, which will streamline maintenance checks. It will do this by allowing mechanics to point a handheld device at little RFID tags attached to certain parts of the aircraft, which will display information about when parts were last replaced. This will allow mechanics to perform inspections quicker than conventional methods. The program is scheduled to launch in 2012. Also in mid-2011, the airline issued iPad

IPad

The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...

s to its pilots to replace 25 pounds of paper flight manuals that pilots are currently required to carry on flights. Alaska is the first major airline to use iPads on flights; all pilots had iPads by mid-June. This is the first part of the airline's initiative to do away with the flight bag; the airline is also considering using iPads for displaying aeronautical chart

Aeronautical chart

An aeronautical chart is a map designed to assist in navigation of aircraft, much as nautical charts do for watercraft, or a roadmap for drivers...

s.

Alaska Airlines launched a Facebook

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

app called FlyingSocial in late 2011. FlyingSocial lets its users share Alaska’s fare deals and discounts with their Facebook friends. Once you sign up for the app, the software takes a few seconds to hunt down all your friends on Facebook, and then pulls up a map with their profile pics, locations and any special deals involving that destination.

Since November 9, 2011 Alaska Airlines has flown 2 (expected to be 75) commercial passenger flights in the U.S. powered by biofuel using a 20 percent blend of sustainable biofuel made from used cooking oil that meets rigorous international safety and sustainability standards.

Corporate affairs

Employees

As of June 2011, Alaska Airlines employs 9,617 employees. Alaska's pilot group consists of approximately 1300 pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International

Air Line Pilots Association, International

The Air Line Pilots Association, International , is the collective bargaining representative for over 59,000 pilots of 39 U.S. and Canadian airlines. ALPA was formed in 1931 and is a member of the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress...

Alaska Airlines Foundation

The Alaska Airlines Foundation, headquartered on the grounds of Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...

, gives grants to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that are classified as charities in the U.S. states of Alaska and Washington.

Alaska Air Cargo

Alaska Air Cargo has regional operations in parts of the United States. It flies the Boeing 737 (400/700/800/900). It operates one B737-400F (freighter) and five B737-400C (combi). Alaska's cargo operations are focused primarily on the northwestern contiguous states and Alaska.

Destinations

Alaska's route system spans more than 92 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Some of the locations served in the carrier's namesake state include Prudhoe Bay, Anchorage, Adak, Cordova, Juneau, Kodiak, Kotzebue, King Salmon, Nome and Sitka, several of which are inaccessible by road. During the 1980s Alaska Airlines operated a unique interchange of aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

and aircrew

Aircrew

Aircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...

s to Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

with first, Braniff International and subsequently American Airlines, after the demise of Braniff in 1982. The airline began scheduled operations to the Russian Far East

Russian Far East

Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...

in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, but suspended the service in 1998 following the 1998 Russian financial crisis. The airline flew MD-80 aircraft on these routes.

Alaska has historically been one of the largest carriers on the US west coast as well as to and within the state of Alaska, with strong presences in Seattle, Portland

Portland, Oregon

, the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

and the Los Angeles Metro Area

Greater Los Angeles Area

The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...

(serving all five LA-area and four Bay Area major airports). With the delivery of 737 Next-Generation aircraft starting in 1999, Alaska began launching more long-haul flights across the USA. Now, the airline operates many such flights.

In February 2011, Alaska Airlines announced an agreement under which SkyWest Airlines

Skywest Airlines

Skywest Airlines Pty Ltd is a regional airline company based in Perth, Western Australia, Australia; servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia, Darwin, Northern Territory and Melbourne, Victoria; as well as charter flights to Bali, Indonesia....

would begin operating six of its West Coast routes starting in May 2011. They are operating five CRJ-700s purchased from Horizon Air under a capacity purchase agreement. This means that SkyWest would own and operate the aircraft, while Alaska Airlines would be responsible for marketing and selling tickets for the flights. The CRJ-700s are operating on routes that would not be feasible to operate with neither Bombardier Q400s nor Boeing 737s.

Codeshare agreements

Alaska Airlines does not participate in any major global airline alliance

Airline alliance

s, but the airline has codeshare agreements with several airlines. However, many of these airlines are members of global airline alliances.

Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...

(SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...

)
Air Pacific
Air Pacific
Air Pacific Limited, Fiji's international airline, operates international and domestic services around the Pacific and to North America and Hong Kong. It is also a partner with the frequent flyer programmes of Qantas, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines...
American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

(Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...

)
British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

(Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...

)
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...

(Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...

)
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

(SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...

)
Era Alaska
Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia
PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk , publicly known as Garuda Indonesia, is the flag carrier of Indonesia. It is named after the mystical giant bird Garuda of Hinduism and Buddhist mythology. It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia...

(future SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...

member)

Icelandair

Icelandair ehf is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, based on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and currently operates scheduled services to 31 cities in 13 countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean out of its hub at Keflavík International Airport...

Kenmore Air

Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, USA, north of Seattle...

KLM (SkyTeam

SkyTeam

)

Korean Air

Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45...

(SkyTeam

SkyTeam

)

LAN

LAN Airlines

LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...

(Oneworld

Oneworld

)

PenAir

Peninsula Airways, doing business as PenAir, is an American airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It is Alaska's second largest commuter airline operating an extensive scheduled passenger and cargo service, as well as charter and medevac services...

Qantas

Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...

(Oneworld

Oneworld

)

Since 2008, Alaska Airlines flights, as well as Horizon Air

Horizon Air

flights, have been part of oneworld

Oneworld

Global Explorer fares.

Current fleet

With the exception of Bombardier CRJ700

Bombardier CRJ700

The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are regional airliners based on the Bombardier CRJ200. Final assembly of the aircraft is at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Quebec, outside Montreal, Canada.-Development:...

s operated by SkyWest Airlines

Skywest Airlines

, Alaska Airlines has an all-Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

fleet with an average age of 8.3 years. As of October 2011, it consists of the following aircraft:

**Alaska Airlines fleet**
Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers			Notes
Aircraft	In service	Orders	P	Y	Total	Notes
Boeing 737-400	24	—	12	132	144	3 to be retired in 2012
Boeing 737-400C	5	—	—	72	72	Freight capacity of 4 freight pallets
Boeing 737-400F	1	—	Cargo			Freight capacity of 9.5 freight pallets
Boeing 737-700	17	—	12	112	124
Boeing 737-800	58	10	16	141	157	6 to be delivered in 2012
Boeing 737-900	12	—	16	156	172	Launch customer
Boeing 737-900ER	—	13	16	156	172	To be delivered between 2012 and 2014
Total	117	23

Since the retirement of its MD-80s in 2008, Alaska Airlines has been operating a fleet consisting of only Boeing 737s. Alaska Airlines became the launch customer of the Boeing 737-900 in 1997 and currently operates twelve of the aircraft. All of its 737-700s, -800s, -900ERs, have blended winglets, as well as 9 of its 12 737-900s.

In January 2011, Alaska Airlines placed an order for thirteen 737-900ERs, in which the "ER" stands for "Extended Range." The aircraft will be delivered between 2012 and 2014.

Fleet history

**Alaska Airlines Retired Fleet**
Aircraft	Introduced	Retired	Replacement/ Notes
Stinson Stinson Aircraft Company The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s.-The Company:The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, brother to Katherine Stinson. After five years of business... (various models)	1932	19??	McGee Airways McGee Airways McGee Airways was an American airline, founded in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1932 by Linious "Mac" McGee. Starting with a single three seat Stinson airplane, the company grew and the fleet of aircraft expanded to seven Stinsons.... operated various Stinson aircraft
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar	1943	19??	First Twin-engine aircraft
Douglas DC-3 Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...	1945	1953	Purchased from the US Army Air Force United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force.... after WWII
Douglas DC-4 Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...	1946	1963	Purchased from the US Army Air Force after WWII
Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando	1948	1961	Purchased from the US Army Air Force after WWII
Douglas DC-6B	1961	1963
Convair 880 Convair 880 The Convair 880 was a narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller and faster, a niche that failed to create demand...	1961	1966	First jet aircraft Jet aircraft A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft... ; replaced with Boeing 727-100
Convair 340	1962	1965
Lockheed L-1649A	1962	1968	used for MATS Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command... operations
Lockheed L-1049H	1964	1967
Lockheed L-100 Hercules	1965	1971
Boeing 727-100	1966	1985	Replaced with McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Convair 990 Convair 990 The Convair 990 Coronado was a narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics, a "stretched" version of their earlier Convair 880 produced in response to a request from American Airlines. The 990 was lengthened by 10 feet, which increased the number of passengers from...	1967	1968
Convair 240 Convair 240 The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner produced by Convair from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. While featuring a more modern design, the 240 series was able to make some inroads as a commercial airliner and also had a long development cycle...	1968	1969	Acquired with purchase of Alaska Coastal Airlines Alaska Coastal Airlines Alaska Coastal Airlines was formed in 1939 as a result of the merger of Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways. On April 1, 1962 Alaska Coastal Airlines merged with Ellis Air Lines, trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines in... and Cordova Airlines; replaced with Twin Otter De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
Grumman G-21 Goose	1968	1972	Acquired with purchase of Alaska Coastal Airlines Alaska Coastal Airlines Alaska Coastal Airlines was formed in 1939 as a result of the merger of Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways. On April 1, 1962 Alaska Coastal Airlines merged with Ellis Air Lines, trading for a while as Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines. Alaska Coastal Airlines was taken over by Alaska Airlines in...
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...	1969	1976
Boeing 720 Boeing 720 The Boeing 720 is a four-engine narrow-body short- to medium-range passenger jet airliner. Developed by Boeing in the late 1950s from the Boeing 707, the 720 has a shorter fuselage and less range...	1972	1975	Ex-United Airlines United Airlines United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental... aircraft
Boeing 727-200	1978	1993	Replaced with McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Boeing 737-200 Quick Change	1985	2007	Replaced with Boeing 737-400F and 737-400C
McDonnell Douglas MD-82	1987	2006	Acquired with purchase of Jet America Airlines Jet America Airlines Jet America Airlines was an airline that operated domestic flights in the United States between 1981 and 1987. It was headquartered in Signal Hill, California, near Long Beach.-History:... ; replaced with Boeing 737-800
McDonnell Douglas MD-83	1985	2008	Launch customer; Replaced with Boeing 737-800

Ever since the 1960s, Alaska has been using Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

aircraft for its fleet. Besides the current 737s Alaska has used, Alaska had operated the Boeing 727

Boeing 727

. Alaska had used the 727s largely during the building of the Alaska oil pipeline in the 1970s to haul equipment and passengers up to the North. The last 727 was retired in 1993.

In the 1980s, Alaska began acquiring McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...

MD-80s. Alaska's MD-82s entered the fleet via the acquisition of Jet America Airlines

Jet America Airlines

Jet America Airlines was an airline that operated domestic flights in the United States between 1981 and 1987. It was headquartered in Signal Hill, California, near Long Beach.-History:...

in 1987. However, Alaska was also the launch customer for the MD-83, and took delivery of the first airplanes in 1985. Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system, and to retire its aging and fuel inefficient 727 fleet. The MD-80 fleet peaked at approximately 45 aircraft in 1996. In 2005, due to the greater efficiency of the Boeing 737 Next Generation

Boeing 737 Next Generation

and rising costs for maintenance, fuel, and crew training, Alaska Airlines decided to phase out the remaining 26 MD-80s and trained the pilots to fly the newer 737-800s that were being ordered to replace them. The last MD-80 flights flew on August 25, 2008, one flight from San Jose, California

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

to Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

, and another from Sacramento, California

Sacramento, California

to Seattle, Washington.

Alaska also used eight Boeing 737-200 Combi/QCs to suit the unique needs of flying in the state of Alaska. These aircraft were valued for their ability to be rapidly reconfigured (hence the moniker QC or "Quick Change") to match the specific cargo and passenger loads for any given flight. In the all-freight configuration, the 737-200 Combis carried up to 6 cargo containers, known as "igloos." The palletized floor allowed for passenger seating to range from 26 with 5 cargo pallets to 111 in the all-passenger configuration. The 737-200s were also gravel-kitted, which allowed them to be used at airports such as Red Dog, Alaska (RDB), which formerly featured a gravel runway. Due to their fuel inefficiency and rising maintenance costs, Alaska decided to phase-out the 737-200s between 2005 and 2007, replacing them with six reconfigured 737-400s. Five feature a cargo/passenger arrangement, and one is a "freighter" carrying only cargo. Unlike the 737-200 Combi, the 737-400 Combis feature a fixed seating capacity of 72 seats. The last 737-200 Combi (short for combination) was retired in 2007 and is now displayed at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.

Livery

Alaska's first livery consisted of the words "Alaska" in gold on its tails. During the early 1970s, a painting of a native Alaskan

Alaska Natives

Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...

, still used by the carrier today, was added to the livery. There are numerous anecdotes linking the Eskimo face wearing a parka to different celebrities, including once to Chester Seveck by an Alaskan senator. In 1988, the airline hired a design firm and planned to replace the native face with a new logo, featuring a stylized image of a mountain, citing customer confusion with the original logo among its other markets in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

and Southwestern United States

Southwestern United States

The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...

. The plan was ultimately withdrawn after many Alaskans became upset with the idea of abandoning the original Eskimo design.

Today most of its aircraft are white with a blue and teal stripe running the length of the left and right sides of the fuselage, with "Alaska" in the company's present-day wordmark

Wordmark

A wordmark, word mark or logotype is a standardized text logo or graphic representation of the name of a company, institution, or product name used for purposes of identification and branding. A wordmark is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment as can be found in the graphic identities...

displayed prominently on the sides, and the native Alaskan portrait on the vertical stabilizer

Stabilizer (aircraft)

In aviation, a stabilizer provides stability when the aircraft is flying straight, and the airfoil of the horizontal stabilizer balances the forces acting on the aircraft....

. The carrier also has several special liveries:

Two aircraft feature special Disney paint schemes, all of which promote vacations to the Disneyland Resort
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...

:
- One 737-900 (registration number N318AS) is dubbed the "Spirit of Disneyland II," prominently featuring Mickey Mouse
  Mickey Mouse
  Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
  
  and other classic Disney characters. This aircraft replaced the original "Spirit of Disneyland" 737-400 retired at the end of November 2009.
- "Magic of Disneyland," a Boeing 737-400, features Tinkerbell
  Tinkerbell
  Tinker Bell , is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy. She has appeared in multiple film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 animated Walt Disney picture Peter Pan...
  
  and was painted to promote the Disneyland Resort's 50th Anniversary
  Happiest Homecoming on Earth
  The Happiest Homecoming on Earth was the eighteen-month-long celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Disneyland theme park, which officially opened on July 17, 1955...
  
  .
- "Spirit of Make-A-Wish" is a cross-promotion with the Make-a-Wish Foundation
  Make-A-Wish Foundation
  The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
  
  . It features the Genie from the Disney film Aladdin and was painted to promote the Resort's Year of a Million Dreams promotion. Its registration number is N706AS.
One 737-400 registration number N792AS is painted to look like a giant salmon, and is known in aviation circles as the "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon".
One 737-400 has been converted to a full freighter and features Alaska Air Cargo titles.
One 737-800 N548AS features a "reverse color scheme" livery with alaskaair.com painted on the sides.
One 737-800 N569AS, dubbed "Starliner 75", features Alaska's first color scheme, painted to celebrate the carrier's 75th anniversary. The aircraft features the carrier's 75th anniversary logo on the vertical stabilizer, as well as a Boeing logo from the same period on the fuselage below the flight deck windows.
Nineteen 737-800s feature a native Alaskan on the vertical stabilizer wearing a Hawaiian lei to indicate aircraft certified to fly to Hawaii.
One 737-800 N512AS, dubbed "Spirit of Seattle," is a hybrid of two companies' liveries, with the fuselage painted in Boeing's corporate livery, the "Alaska" wordmark near the aft end of the fuselage, and native Alaskan from Alaska's livery on the vertical stabilizer. This aircraft was painted to commemorate Alaska's conversion to an all-Boeing fleet, as well as the Seattle roots of both companies (Boeing was founded in Seattle and still accomplishes final assembly for all its commercial aircraft in the Seattle area
Seattle metropolitan area
The Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County within the Puget Sound region. The U.S...

).
One 737-400 N705AS, features a musher and sled dog, state ferry, Native Alaskan canoe, bear and whale, along with the statement, "We're all pulling together" to celebrate 50 years of Alaska statehood. The unique design dubbed "The Spirit of Alaska Statehood" was created by 16-year-old Sitka student Hannah .
The newest special livery is the Timbers Jet, which features the colors and logo of the Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams:*Portland Timbers, a Major League Soccer expansion team that began playing in 2011....

soccer team on a Boeing 737-700.
One 737-800 featured Apolo Ohno, encouraging people to support him at the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

.

On-board meals

Complimentary meals or light snacks are served to passengers in the first class cabin. In 2006 the airline launched its buy on board

Buy on board

In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....

meal program, known as Northern Bites, on most flights over three hours, including all transcontinental flights. As part of the buy on board

Buy on board

In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....

program, the airline offers various "Picnic Packs" for a charge in coach class on all flights.

On-board entertainment

Alaska Airlines is recognized by the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) as having an "historic first" in Inflight entertainment by introducing in October 2003 the first portable, hard-drive based, audio-video-on-demand (AVOD) players that deliver a variety of film, TV, and audio programs. The device, called the digEplayer

DigEplayer

The "digEplayer" is a product line of "digEcor." digEplayers are self-contained, portable audio video on demand hard-disk based digital entertainment devices...

was conceived and brought to market by an Alaska Airlines baggage handler

Baggage handler

In the airline industry, a baggage handler is a person who loads and unloads baggage , and other cargo for transport via aircraft...

named Bill Boyer Jr.

Bill Boyer Jr.

Bill Boyer, Jr. is a 50% owner and former CEO of Hawaii's Mokulele Airlines. In March 2009, he was replaced as the airline's CEO and was put in charge of expanding sales and marketing efforts after Republic Airways became a 50% shareholder...

Alaska Airlines received the "Airline IFE Service of the Year" award at the March 2004 IPEC/LARA Inflight Online Awards Dinner based upon the implementation of the digEplayer

DigEplayer

The "digEplayer" is a product line of "digEcor." digEplayers are self-contained, portable audio video on demand hard-disk based digital entertainment devices...

, which was awarded "IFE Product of the Year."

digEplayer

DigEplayer

The "digEplayer" is a product line of "digEcor." digEplayers are self-contained, portable audio video on demand hard-disk based digital entertainment devices...

s are available for rent on most long-haul flights for a fee, although they are complimentary to passengers seated in First Class.

On-board internet access

Alaska launched trials of in-flight In-flight Wi-Fi internet service in 2009.

On April 24, 2010 Alaska decided on offering the AirCell Gogo land-based Internet Service for all its planes after it finishes testing it on a 737-800. It was initially testing the competing Row44 satellite-based system. Service is now available on flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

As of November 2011, almost all of its aircraft feature Wi-Fi internet access during flights. There are only nine aircraft without Wi-Fi, those being its three of its 737-400s as well as the 737-400 freighter and combi aircraft.

This service is fee-based for all passengers, depending on the length of the flight.

Lounge

Board Room is the Alaska Air Group airport lounge

Airport lounge

An airport lounge is a lounge owned by a particular airline . Many offer private meeting rooms, phone, fax, wireless and Internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance comfort such as free drinks and snacks...

, and are located in five west coast airports: Anchorage

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport

-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Inter-terminal:...

, Los Angeles

Los Angeles International Airport

, Portland

Portland International Airport

, San Francisco

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...

, and Seattle

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

. Board Room Members also have access to Delta Air Lines Sky Club at airports across the country, and Delta Air Lines' Sky Club members have access to Alaska Airlines's Board Room lounges. Memberships start at $45 for a single-day pass, up to $875 for a new three-year membership. MVP members receive a 50% discount on the initiation fee and MVP Gold members have their initiation fee waived. Both MVP and MVP Gold are still responsible for the actual annual membership fee.

Mileage Plan

Mileage Plan is the frequent-flyer program of the Alaska Air Group, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air

Horizon Air

. The program's airline partners also include Oneworld

Oneworld

member airlines American Airlines

American Airlines

, British Airways

British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

, Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...

, LAN

LAN Airlines

, and Qantas

Qantas

; SkyTeam

SkyTeam

member airlines Air France

Air France

Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...

, and Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

; as well as Air Pacific

Air Pacific

Air Pacific Limited, Fiji's international airline, operates international and domestic services around the Pacific and to North America and Hong Kong. It is also a partner with the frequent flyer programmes of Qantas, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines...

, Era Alaska, Icelandair

Icelandair

, Kenmore Air

Kenmore Air

Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, USA, north of Seattle...

, Mokulele Airlines

Mokulele Airlines

Mokulele Airlines, is an American commuter airline headquartered in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and charter flights primarily among Hawaii's smaller airports.-History:...

, and PenAir

PenAir

.

The Mileage Plan program has no membership fee, and accumulated miles never expire. However, if a Mileage Plan member does not accumulate mileage within nine months of becoming a member, or a member's account remains inactive with zero miles earned or spent for a consecutive 24 month period, Alaska reserves the right to cancel the account and dissolve any unused miles. Cancelled accounts can be reinstated within one year of their deletion for a $75 fee.

MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K are Mileage Plan's elite tiers for frequent travelers. Higher-tiered members are provided with increased travel benefits such as bonus mileage, priority boarding and complimentary upgrades to first class. Delta and Alaska Airlines offer reciprocal benefits; SkyMiles members who are Gold, Platinum, or Diamond Medallion, as well as Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K members, have reciprocity in priority boarding, check-in, seat assignment, and upgrade benefits. Delta Silver Medallion and Alaska Airlines MVP members have a reduced level of reciprocal benefits. Reciprocal elite benefits are not available for other airline partners.

MVP is achieved or retained when the member flies 20000 miles (32,186.8 km) on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, 25000 miles (40,233.5 km) on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, or LAN, or 30 one-way segments on any combination of Mileage Plan members in a single calendar year. Membership benefits include 50 percent bonus mileage, priority check-in at First Class counters, priority seating on board Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights, as well as a 50 percent discount on Board Room membership. Members booked in fare class Y and YAS, also known as Full Flex fares, can be upgraded to First Class at any time, and all other fare categories with in 48 hours of flight.
MVP Gold is achieved or retained when the member flies 40000 miles (64,373.6 km) on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, 50000 miles (80,467 km) on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, or LAN, or 60 one-way segments on any combination of Mileage Plan members in a single calendar year. Membership benefits include 100 percent bonus mileage, priority check-in at First Class counters, priority security at select airports, and priority seating on board Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights. Members booked in fare class Y, S, B, M, H, also known as Value and Full Flex fares, can be upgraded to First Class at any time, and all other rate categories within 72 hours of flight. Companions also receive this benefit, and members are given four complimentary upgrade certificates for guests annually.
MVP Gold 75K is achieved or retained when the member flies 75000 miles (120,700.5 km) on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, 90000 miles (144,840.6 km) on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, or LAN, or 90 one-way segments on any combination of Mileage Plan members in a single calendar year. Membership benefits include top priority on the First Class waitlist when purchasing a qualifying fare in fare class Y, S, B, M, H, also known as Value and Full Flex fares, the ability to upgrade five days before departure when purchasing a non-qualifying fare, opportunity to nominate a friend or family member to MVP Status, 50,000 bonus miles when attaining the MVP Gold 75K level, dedicated MVP Gold 75K customer care and reservations phone lines, complimentary DigEplayer when flying in the main cabin, discounted Board Room Membership plus four complimentary day passes, 100 percent bonus mileage, priority check-in at First Class counters, priority security at select airports, and priority seating on board Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights. Companions also receive this benefit, and members are given four complimentary upgrade certificates for guests annually.

Awards and recognitions

Alaska Airlines has won many different awards over the past decade for a wide variety of things, such as being the best airline in customer satisfaction, having best maintenance, or for pioneering innovative technologies. They have won a few of their awards for several consecutive years.

The airline has been recognized several times for its exceptional service. The magazine Conde Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...

rated Alaska Airlines No. 1 for Best Domestic Carrier in its 2005 Business Travel Awards. In 2007 and 2008, the airline was voted Best Domestic Airline by travel agents throughout the western United States. In 2011, J. D. Power and Associates ranked Alaska Airlines highest in customer satisfaction for traditional North American airlines. This is the fourth consecutive year that Alaska Airlines has won the J. D. Power Award.

The airline has also received various Freddie Awards
Freddie Awards
The Freddie Awards, named after Sir Freddie Laker in honor of his accomplishments in marketing travel during the 1970s, is the "oldest and most prominent" recognition award for frequent traveler reward programs....

, which are considered the most prestigious consumer-based awards in the airline industry. The awards they have received include Frequent Flier Program of the Year from 2002 to 2004, and in 2007 and 2008; Best Elite Level Frequent Flier Program from 2005 to 2008; Best Frequent Flier Program Web Site in the years 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2006–2008; and Best Frequent Flier Program Member Communications in 2001, 2003–2006, and 2008.

Alaska has won several awards for pioneering new technologies. Alaska Airlines received the "Airline IFE Service of the Year" award at the March 2004 IPEC/LARA Inflight Online Awards Dinner based upon the implementation of the digEplayer
DigEplayer
The "digEplayer" is a product line of "digEcor." digEplayers are self-contained, portable audio video on demand hard-disk based digital entertainment devices...

, which was awarded "IFE Product of the Year." The digEplayer was conceived by an Alaska Airlines baggage handler. In 2005, the magazine Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...

named their online check-in service in their annual compilation of 100 best people, places, and innovations of America. Air Transport World
Air Transport World
Air Transport World is a monthly trade magazine covering the airline industry published by Penton Media. They also provide an online version with daily air transport news. The publication covers airline operations, market conditions, management, and related issues...

also awarded Alaska Airlines the 2011 Airline Technology Leadership Award recognzing the airline's commitment to pioneering new technologies. This is the second time Air Transport World, a leading magazine covering the global airline industry, awarded the airline with this award.

In 2010, the airline received the On-Time Performance Award from FlightStats.com for #1 on-time performance out of many other North American airlines. The airline's on-time performance for 2010 was 87.36%, while the average on-time performance was 79.18%.

In 2011, Alaska Airlines received the Federal Aviation Administration's Diamond Award for the tenth consecutive year. This award is for exemplary aircraft maintenance and training procedures and is the FAA's highest award for maintenance.

In 2010, the airline was voted the Most Pet-Friendly Airline by Smarter Travel. It had no pet deaths in 2009, and the lowest fee for pets in the industry.

In 2009 and again in 2010, the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card was named "Best Loyalty Credit Card" in North America.

In 2009, the airline was ranked 7th among 100 best companies to work for, according to the Seattle Business Magazine. It was the only airline listed in the rankings. The airline also received a similar award in 2010 from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the airline's treatment of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

employees, investors and customers.

Incidents and accidents

On November 30, 1947, an Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...

(Registration NC91009), flying as Flight 009 with routing Anchorage-Yakutat
Yakutat Airport
Yakutat Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Yakutat, a city in the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...

-Port Hardy-Seattle, crash landed while attempting to make an ILS approach at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...

in Seattle. The plane went off the runway, rolled down an embankment, struck a ditch, and continued onto the intersection of Des Moines Highway and South 188th Street where it struck an automobile, catching fire and spilling gasoline all over the area. Of the 28 occupants on board, there were 8 fatalities, plus the person driving in the car. The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error.
On January 20, 1949 Flight 8, a Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...

, was on routing Homer, Alaska
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 5,364. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road"...

-Kenai, Alaska
Kenai, Alaska
Kenai is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 7,464...

when the plane struck the side of Ptarmigan Head 9 miles (14.5 km) E of the center of the airway to Kenai. Of the 6 passengers on board, there were 5 fatalities. The cause was determined to be the action of the pilot in straying off the designated airway.
On August 8, 1954, a DC-3 operating the routing of McGrath, Alaska
McGrath, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 401 people, 145 households, and 99 families residing in the city. The population density was 8.2 people per square mile . There were 213 housing units at an average density of 4.4 per square mile...

-Colorado Creek, Alaska crashed into the side of a mountain about 25 miles (40.2 km) northwest of McGrath. Both crew members perished.
On August 27, 1954, an Alaska Airlines plane crashed during a take-off at Seldovia killing the pilot and three passengers. There were two survivors. The fatal accident was the 7th in a series in Alaska which started July 21, when a Korean airlift plane with 38 aboard disappeared on flight to Tokyo.
On March 2, 1957, an Alaska Airlines Douglas C-54B
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...

(Registration N90449) operating as Flight 100 routing Seattle-Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...

-Seattle "hit a mountain 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from Blyn while on approach to Seattle. All 5 occupants perished. The Captain intentionally entered an area of low overcast in mountainous terrain.".
On July 21, 1961, Alaska Airlines Flight 779
Alaska Airlines Flight 779
Alaska Airlines Flight 779 was a Douglas DC-6 operating under contract to the United States Air Force's Military Air Transport Service. On July 21, 1961, it crashed at Shemya, Alaska, killing all six on board.-Synopsis:...

, a DC-6A
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...

(Registration N6118C) operating Seattle-Shemya
Shemya
Shemya or Simiya is a small island in the Near Islands group of the Semichi Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of 5.903 sq mi , and is about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.The Russian vessel Saint Peter and Paul wrecked at...

"crashed short of the runway due to the fact that the air traffic controller in the tower had forgotten to turn on the runway and approach lighting systems during a landing at night." All 6 on board were killed.
On September 4, 1971, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866
Alaska Airlines Flight 1866
Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 was the first fatal jet airliner crash of Alaska Airlines, an airline registered in the United States. The aircraft crashed into a mountain near Juneau, Alaska on approach for landing on September 4, 1971. 111 people were killed. There were no survivors...

, a Boeing 727-193
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...

operating Anchorage-Cordova
Cordova, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,454 people, 958 households, and 597 families residing in the city. The population density was 40.0 per square mile . There are 1,099 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile...

-Yakutat-Juneau-Sitka, crashed into a mountain in the Chilkat Mountain Range about 18.5 miles (29.8 km) from the airport while on approach to Juneau. All seven crew members and 104 passengers were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be misleading navigational information given to the flight, the failure of the crew to use all navigational aids and not performing the required audio identification of the navigational facilities.
On April 5, 1976, Alaska Airlines Flight 60, a Boeing 727-81 (Registration N124AS) operating Juneau-Ketchikan, overran the runway while landing in Ketchikan after the Captain decided to attempt a go around at the last moment. One passenger died of a heart attack following the accident. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error for initiating a go-around after commitment to landing and the pilot's "unprofessional decision" to abandon the precision approach.
On March 13, 1990, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-227 (Registration N271AF) operating Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

-Tucson, struck and killed a pedestrian during the takeoff roll. The man had apparently wandered away from a nearby mental hospital. How he made it onto runway 26L was not determined. (Runway 26L is now 25R)
On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Alaska Airlines Flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft, experienced a fatal accident on January 31, 2000 at the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California. The two pilots, three cabin crewmembers, and 83 passengers on board were killed and the aircraft was destroyed...

, an MD-83, plunged into the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu, California
Point Mugu, California
Point Mugu , California is an unincorporated area and geographical promontory on the Pacific coast in Ventura County, near the town of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian term Muwu, meaning beach, which was first mentioned by Cabrillo in...

while preparing to attempt an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

en route from Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...

, Mexico, to San Francisco and Seattle, killing all 88 people on board. In its final report, the National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...

(NTSB) determined the cause of the accident to be failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew acme nut threads due to insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly by Alaska Airlines. NTSB further determined that the insufficient lubrication resulted from Alaska's extended lubrication and inspection intervals and from the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

's (FAA) approval of those intervals. NTSB also found that the lack of a fail-safe mechanism for the failure of the acme nut threads on the MD-80 design contributed to the accident. This incident, along with the earlier ValuJet
ValuJet Airlines
ValuJet Airlines was an American low-cost carrier, headquartered in unincorporated Clayton County, Georgia, that operated regularly scheduled domestic and international flights in the Eastern United States and Canada during the 1990s...

crash, led to closer FAA oversight of airline maintenance operations. The accident was also the subject of episode 8, season 1, of the documentary series, Mayday
Mayday (TV series)
Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...

.

External links

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