After 50 years with ‘AS’ tail numbers, Alaska will start using AK on new deliveries

Alaska Airlines has run out of “AS” tail numbers and will start using “AK” on new deliveries starting this month. The first plane with the new label – a 737-900ER registered as N224AK – is scheduled for delivery next week. FAA registration numbers are similar to a car’s license plate. In the U.S., each civilian…

Chasing the shadow of the moon: To intercept eclipse, Alaska Airlines adjusts flight plan to delight astronomers

There’s no luck in physics. When the sun and the moon and the Earth aligned this week, an Alaska Airlines jet was in the right place at the right time to catch the total solar eclipse. The March 8 rendezvous over the Pacific Ocean was not luck, but a precisely planned equation. The calculations began a year…

A welcome home for Vietnam-era veterans

It was a welcome home ceremony 50 years in the making. Alaska Air Group and the USO Northwest officially honored Vietnam-era veterans during a celebration this fall at the Seattle hangar. “On behalf of a grateful nation, we want to officially welcome you home,” said Greg Mays, vice president of maintenance and engineering. The event was…

Sneak peek: Russell Wilson stars in new ads for Alaska Airlines

The newest Alaska Airlines commercials featuring Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson launched today, just in time for kickoff of football season. The theme is “Alaska Airlines Company Retreat,” a camp where employees are pushed to greatness by Wilson, who plays a role that’s part counselor, part drill sergeant, part guru. “These are some pretty creative commercials,” Wilson said…

The Milk Run is a hop, skip and a jump along Southeast Alaska’s coast

It’s called “The Milk Run,” but could just as easily be known as “The Salmon Run” or “The Grocery Run.” If you’re looking out the oval window of a 737, you might call it the “Peak-and-Glacier Run.” The Milk Run refers to the daily circuit of Alaska Airlines flights that hop between towns in Southeast…

Under our wing: PDX Rose Festival team honors Make-A-Wish teen with parade float, flight to Hawaii, meetup with Mariota

After a year of treatment for a rare form of cancer – 14 rounds of chemotherapy and two major surgeries – the only thing 18-year-old Payton Williams wanted was a family vacation somewhere “warm and tropical.” Thanks to Alaska Airlines and Make-A-Wish Oregon, the teenager’s wish will come true when he flies to Hawaii later…

Flying fish: This is how Alaska Airlines delivers the catch of the day, every day

To help kick off the summer fishing season around Bristol Bay, Alaska Airlines on Sunday will resume its daily Boeing 737 flights to deliver hundreds of sport fishermen and commercial seafood processors to the tiny Alaska towns of Dillingham and King Salmon. Every year, Alaska launches seasonal jet service to support the workers and tourists…

Follow the fish: Copper River salmon season is here

Update: 10 a.m. local time Friday in Seattle A 53-pound king salmon was the catch of the day for three top chefs who competed for the best salmon recipe in this year’s sixth annual Copper Chef Cook-off. Congratulations to this year’s winner Ethan Stowell of Staple & Fancy and Tavolata. Stowell competed against defending champion…

Seattle hospital patient requests special meal from North Pole – Alaska delivers

As Phil Pope recovered from a stroke at a hospital near Seattle, the retired Alaska Airlines captain had a hankering for one particular thing: Chinese food from Pagoda Restaurant in North Pole, Alaska. That’s where he and wife Jackie Pope, an Alaska Airlines flight attendant, planned to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary Feb. 11, near the rustic…

Fly away: 5 tips for fans at spring training, from Robinson Cano and friends

Spring training is the perfect time for fans to soak up the warm Arizona sunshine as they get close to big baseball stars in small baseball parks. Through April 4, half the teams in Major League Baseball, including the Seattle Mariners, will play their spring games in the Phoenix area. Now is the time to…

Alaska Airlines helps students build a plane, learn to fly

Inside a small hangar, the parts and components of a two-seat plane are starting to come together, piece by piece, built by teenagers, guided by mentors. Alaska Airlines supports these next-generation aviators through a fledgling program that teaches high school students how to build a plane and learn to fly it. Called TeenFlight Puyallup, the…

How’d they film that? Alaska Airlines’ Disney airplanes star in new air-to-air video

In the world of aviation photography, the money shot looks like this: Alaska Airlines’ bright-blue Disney plane soars through billowy white clouds, perfectly spotlighted by midmorning sun. The Boeing 737-900 banks slightly to showcase its colorful fuselage painted with the “Fab Five” – Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy – along with…

Cole Cosgrove