A new home for training excellence: Alaska Airlines unveils state-of-the-art Global Training Center
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Summary
New 660,000-square-foot facility brings training for multiple workgroups under one roof
$200 million investment strengthens the airline’s transformation into country’s fourth global airline
Thousands of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines employees will now undergo training in a new 660,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, which officially opened its doors today. The facility will be a hub for flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents and more, and will centralize operations into one space.
The Global Training Center is spectacular and worthy of our amazing frontline employees. This is the first time in our nearly 95-year history that employees across frontline workgroups will train under the same roof. I’m looking forward to this space being used by thousands of employees to build on our culture of safety, performance and care.”
The investment in training capacity and quality will continue to fuel the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan — the vision for the combination between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Frontline employees are at the core of Alaska’s transformation as the network expands globally and the premium guest experience is scaled. This facility is an investment back into the thousands of employees who care for Alaska and Hawaiian guests every day.
Expanded technology and capacity
In addition to the already rigorous training regimen Alaska employees undergo, the Global Training Center includes new technologies available to our employees:
- Five total mock bays used by flight attendants to train for emergency aircraft scenarios
- A fully functional aircraft galley to train flight attendants on service procedures
- A mock lobby and gate area for customer service agents, as well as four aircraft door trainers to practice normal, abnormal and emergency procedures
- Virtual reality rooms and equipment, a new 787 full-motion flight simulator and nine 737 full-motion simulators for pilot training
Design and amenities
The facility’s design takes inspiration from the Pacific Northwest’s natural beauty with wood elements and a paint scheme representing mountains, oceans and forest canopy. The remodel reused a significant number of existing materials, limiting landfill waste.
Offering an environment where employees can learn from one another, socialize and care for their wellbeing, the Global Training Center offers a number of amenities including a cafeteria, café and bar designed to be like Alaska’s famous Lounges. The facility also offers an auditorium for class graduations and events, a fitness center, bike storage and repair room and a one-mile walking trail.
Located in Renton, Wash., roughly five miles from Alaska’s headquarters, the building was formerly owned by Boeing and was purposefully built to house an aviation training facility. The facility was purchased from Unico Properties in 2024. The total investment in the Global Training Center is more than $200 million. Training at the new center will be augmented by existing pilot and flight attendant training facilities in Honolulu.
Global Training Center by the numbers
- Eight acres of land
- 664,629 square feet across three floors
- 10 full‑motion simulators
- Five inflight mock bays
- 89 classrooms
- Three virtual‑reality training rooms
- Nine break rooms
- 34 conference rooms
- 550 employees from 14 work groups working in the building
- Plus thousands of employees cycling through for regular training
About Alaska Air Group
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. We’ll serve Europe beginning in spring 2026. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska is a member of the oneworld alliance, with Hawaiian scheduled to join oneworld in spring 2026. With oneworld and our additional global partners, guests can earn and redeem points for travel to over 1,000 worldwide destinations with Atmos Rewards. Learn more about what’s happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as “ALK.”
