Alaska Airlines and Virgin America move closer to finalizing merger
The process of merging two beloved airlines known for innovation and customer service just moved one step closer to completion. Today, the Department of Justice cleared Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Virgin America, an important hurdle on the way to closing the deal. While a specific close date for the acquisition of Virgin America has…
Alaska Airlines flies first commercial flight with new biofuel made from forest residuals
Alaska Airlines made history today flying the world’s first commercial flight using a new sustainable alternative jet fuel made from forest residuals from the Pacific Northwest – the limbs, stumps and branches that are left over after a timber harvest or forest thinning of managed forests on private land. The flight departed this morning from…
Samsung Galaxy Note7 banned from all U.S. flights
In a statement today, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued an emergency order banning all Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices from flying onboard any aircraft. The ban will be effective beginning Oct. 15 at 9 a.m. Pacific time for all airlines, including Alaska. Note7s…
Fire safety is top of mind at Alaska Airlines
Earlier this year, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air outfitted their entire fleets with new fire containment bags specially designed to reduce the danger of mid-flight lithium-ion battery fires. “When it comes to safety on board our aircraft, we need to act quickly,” said Tom Nunn, vice president safety for Alaska Airlines, estimating that it took…
Alaska Airlines wins Freedom Award from Department of Defense
Just in time for Independence Day, Alaska Airlines has won the 2016 Freedom Award. The honor was announced today by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given to employers by the U.S. government for their support of National Guard and Reserve members. Only 15 companies…
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…
Customer Q&A on Alaska Airlines and Virgin America merger
On April 4, 2016, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America announced their intention to merge, forming the West Coast’s premier airline. Since the announcement, many customers have had questions about the future of the Alaska Airlines and Virgin America brands. In her 14 months with the company, Alaska’s vice president of marketing Sangita Woerner has overseen…
Alaska Airlines and Virgin America: Uniting to create the premier West Coast airline
When it comes to flying, there are airlines that get you from point A to point B, and then there are airlines that get you. At Alaska Airlines, and at Virgin America, it’s always been about the latter. Today two of the country’s favorite carriers announced their intention to merge, forming the premier airline for…
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…