Alaska’s new Elite Leave protects your status during parental leave
Ask any new parent and they’ll tell you – the newborn period is rough. You’re tired, you’re stressed, and you probably have a mountain of paperwork to complete. If you’re a new parent who’s a frequent flyer, you may also find yourself a tad nervous about what’s going to happen to your elite status while…
Alaska’s newest Charity Miles partner brings dreams within reach for Black students
UNCF was founded in 1944 to help Black students attend and graduate from college. Since then, the organization has helped to nearly double the number of minorities attending college.
Different works: uniting two airlines to create one great flight experience
4 p.m., Dec. 14, 2016 update: Photos and b-roll of the Dec. 14 press conference in San Francisco are available for download at the bottom of this post. Bacon on a donut. Electricity and guitars. Labradors and poodles. Men in Black’s Agent J and Agent K. Throughout history there have been countless tales of unusual…
Who run the world? In Cordova, Alaska, it’s the salmon
For the 24 hours leading up to the Copper River salmon season opener each year, the fishermen of Cordova, Alaska may as well be 5-year-olds waiting for Christmas. The season doesn’t officially open until 7 a.m. on the mid-May morning chosen by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (this year on May 16), but…
Flying with Luly: How to pack a wedding dress
Over the next two years, internationally known Seattle fashion designer Luly Yang will redesign uniforms for more than 12,000 Alaska Airlines employees. Between design sessions, Yang will share her favorite fashion-related travel tips. As a wedding and couture gown designer, one of the questions I am asked most frequently by my brides is, “How do…
How to make the most of a stopover in Iceland
Iceland is a tiny island surrounded by icy ocean; its nearest neighbors are icebergs and whales. Given that, it would be easy to miss Iceland completely, except that the country is perfectly placed midway between the United States and Europe. This makes it a perfect stopover for those journeying across the Atlantic. And, if you’re…
How to book a stopover on your next award
Would you rather relax on the beach or explore an urban jungle? With stopovers, you can do both on your next award trip. You’re all set to redeem your Mileage Plan miles – but wait! Did you know that Alaska Airlines allows you to include a free stopover on many award tickets? They allow you…
The ins and outs of in-flight connectivity
Aug. 22, 2017 update: Alaska Airlines has selected Gogo to provide next-generation satellite-based inflight Wi-Fi service across its entire Boeing and Airbus fleet. Gogo’s broadband 2Ku service provides the significantly faster connection speed needed to stream content from services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO GO while in the air. Utilizing this advanced technology, guests can…
Always innovating: Alaska testing electronic bag tags
Travel can be a hassle. Nobody knows that better than the members of CX Labs, Alaska Airlines’ customer research and development team, who spend their days at the airport looking for travelers’ pain points and brainstorming ways to soothe them. Since the department’s creation in 2013, the team has tested all kinds of new products…
The savage beauty of winter in Iceland
During the deepest darkest parts of winter most people dream of a vacation somewhere warm and tropical. But me, I dream of clear cold days and dark long nights in one of the northernmost countries in the world. I’m not alone either. While Iceland’s high season still centers around its brief summer, more and more…
Strategies for booking international award tickets
If you read Mileage Plan 101 on the basics of booking award travel, then you should know that Alaska Airlines has 16 different partners that can help you get almost anywhere in the world. However, award space can be limited, and the sheer number of possible itineraries on these longer trips can sometimes make it…
Mileage Plan 101: The basics of booking award travel
Earning Mileage Plan miles is as easy as adding your member number to your ticket or when booking with Mileage Plan partners. Redeeming miles is just as easy, but if you’ve never done it before, you might not know where to start. Fortunately Alaska’s easy online search tool can find and book almost any Mileage…