Proud of performance: Our 23,000 employees earn nearly a month’s extra pay

Photos by Ingrid Barrentine

Our people are the heart of our business, and the reason we’re an award-winning airline. Our people always go above and beyond—on nights, weekends and holidays—to take care of our guests, each other and our communities.

Today, we’re awarding more than $130 million in annual bonuses to recognize their passion, dedication and hard work. For most employees, this equates to more than 7% of their annual pay in 2019, about a month’s extra pay. Employees also earned an additional $20 million throughout 2019 for meeting monthly operational goals.

Each year we adjust our incentive pay plans to align with our annual business objectives. Last year’s performance-based payout was determined by meeting or exceeding specific company-wide goals for safety, operational and guest-facing performance.

“I’m so proud of all the great things this team accomplished together in 2019. It was a pivotal year for Alaska as we put the integration further into our rearview mirror,” said Alaska President Ben Minicucci. “For the 11th-straight year, we exceeded our annual targets for incentive pay, and I’m happy that all 23,000 employees will be sharing in that success. As more people fly Alaska, they get to know what we’re all about: We’re safe, on time, a great value, and our people care more. That’s a powerful combination – and I’m excited about where it will take us.”

Breakdown of our yearly bonus, called Performance Based Pay (PBP) in 2019 by region:

• About $70 million in annual bonuses — nearly 53 percent of the total — is being paid to Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees across Washington
• $31 million — or 23 percent of the total — is going to employees throughout California
• $13 million is being paid to employees in Oregon
• $9 million is going to employees throughout the state of Alaska