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Take a virtual walk in the park
Watch & listen to live performances
Check out NYC’s best street art
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Our commitment to Next-Level Care means we’ve implemented 100+ ways to maintain the highest standard of safety throughout your travels. The safety of our guests and employees always comes first, and we want you to feel great about booking a flight with us. Here are some answers to questions related to masks & social distancing:
All Alaska and Horizon guests (and our employees) are required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times during travel, including throughout the flight, during boarding and deplaning, and while traveling through an airport. To keep our guests and employees safe and align with Federal guidelines, masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated.
Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 2 years old; passengers with breathing difficulties unrelated to COVID-19.
Guests will be required to wear a mask or face covering at all times when they are near an Alaska Airlines touchpoint, including the check-in lobby, Lounges, boarding gates, jet bridges, loading ramps and stairs, on the aircraft, during the flight and at baggage claim. Usage is also highly encouraged in high traffic areas such as security lines, restrooms and other areas throughout the airport.
Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law and may result in denial of boarding, removal from the aircraft, and/or penalties under federal law.
While guests are allowed to temporarily remove their masks when briefly drinking or eating or when taking medication, masks must otherwise be worn at all times, including between sips of beverages or bites of food.
Face coverings should cover a guest’s nose and mouth in alignment with best practice guidelines from the CDC and must meet the following requirements:
This policy goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. May 11, 2020. And will be in place until further notice.
Guests should bring their own face coverings, but we will have face coverings available, as supplies allow, in the check-in lobby and boarding gates for guests who forgot their mask at home.
Yes, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees, and our business partners, who cannot maintain six feet of social distance during interactions with guests or co-workers, started wearing face coverings May 4. This includes pilots, flight attendants and customer service agents.
If a guest arrives at the airport and refuses to wear a face covering, they will be denied boarding. If a guest is denied boarding while at the airport, they can rebook their travel with one of our agents at the airport or update their travel online at alaskaair.com or contact our Reservations team at 1 (800) 252-7522.
Yes. We’re installing social distancing decals to remind people to ‘Mind Your Wingspan,’ at each one of our airports where we fly. The stickers, spanning 6 feet apart, can be found at our ticketing counters, baggage drops, customer service centers and gate areas. The Alaska branded stickers will be deployed systemwide over the coming weeks.
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Take a mom-ent to give a shout out to the moms out there this Mother’s Day, and we’ll donate to people in need. Use both #GoingTheExtraMile and #iFlyAlaska in your social post (on Facebook & Instagram) to share a moment when your mom went the extra mile. For every post, we’ll donate 500 miles to our LIFT Miles Program for disaster relief, up to 500,000 miles.
From all of us at Alaska, we wish you a very happy Mother’s Day. Here are some of our favorite employee mom-ents:
Alaska gate lead Juanita has worked for Alaska for almost five years. She is a mother of three & “glam mom” of one. Her son, Bobbie says she brings high energy to her team and cupcakes on a weekly basis or things she’s cooked to keep everyone’s spirits up and show her support for everything everyone is doing during this tough time.
“My favorite thing about my mom is while I am working and in between her working she was still bringing in meals, and I’d be on conference calls and she walks in and says hi to everyone on the call. It just shows her support for me when I was alone during this time period. Because social distancing can be hard for people who are extroverts so it was comforting knowing that I could come up to my mom’s house and have that good time with her so we got to workout, we ran the trail every week, we tried to do some TikTok videos and she’s a way better dancer than I am. So it was just fun, just bonding with her.”
Katokula or “Kato” has worked for Alaska Airlines for 11 years at Anchorage’s Cargo facility. Her daughter Maata says her mom is proud to work for Alaska Airlines and that she never hesitates to pick up shifts, especially during COVID-19. She says her mom always goes the extra mile every day she goes to work and loves it.
“She wears so many hats there at the warehouse and has been recognized numerous times for her hard work. My mom is very caring, genuine and supportive. She supports everybody, family, friends, churches, even though she’s as busy as she is she still goes above and beyond for everybody, it’s amazing!”
My mom is employee of the month almost every month and has had perfect attendance since she started working for AK Airlines.. cheers to the most hardworking person I know 🥂you deserve this award, I love you Queen 👸🏾🏆@AlaskaAir pic.twitter.com/Kgh2LrpOLW
— 🌻 (@Maata_____) March 24, 2020
Rachael is a Horizon Air passenger service agent at Paine Field. She’s worked for Horizon for nearly two years and has twin boys who are now in college.
Recently, Rachael organized a group of Horizon employees to create and donate nearly 800 masks for people in need, including students at Central Washington University.
“I’ve always liked the saying ‘see a need, fill a need,’ so seeing what was happening and noticing a lot of people were needing masks, I thought, ‘you know I have a sewing machine, I know the basics of sewing. I know there are a lot of people out there that have donations, that can’t sew, but they could donate supplies.’ I ran it by my manager and she loved the idea, so that’s how it was born.”
She says her family is quite lucky. “I honestly don’t know of anyone close to me who has been sick or affected personally by the virus. I feel like things could be a lot worse, but I’ve got it good.”
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While we cannot predict the future, there are two things we know for certain. First, we can’t wait to fly with you again when the time is right. And second, when you and your family or business are ready, our incredible employees will be there to offer you the care you know and love––at the next level.
Our president, Ben Minicucci, shares how we’ve prepared for our guests to join us when you’re ready to fly. A special thanks to the employees featured in this video who are working nonstop to keep things moving. From all of us at Alaska, thank you & stay safe.
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Have a taste using this recipe
See the Temple of Kukulcan up close
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You don’t need a copper mug to enjoy this sweet twist on the Mezcal Mule.
Easy to mix, this riff on the popular Moscow Mule, is designed to hit every note—sweet, tart, floral, hot, smoky—for any occasion. With a squeeze of lime, a ginger beer and Mezcal liquor, you can create the iconic Mezcal cocktail (if you’re 21+ or older that is) at home. Mezcal is a national spirit of Mexico made from any type of agave, it’s similar to tequila but has a slightly smokey flavor.
If you make it at home, shake up the Mezcal & lime juice in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Pour over ice, top off with ginger beer or ale, and stir. Garnish with a slice or wedge of lime and enjoy — add a little zing by sprinkling the lime wedge with Taijin or chile powder.
Don’t use a shaker if you’re making a non alcoholic version (use all the ingredients except the Mezcal) —the carbonation will have a party of its own!
Related cocktail recipes: moscow mule, ginger sunrise
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Last week, we announced guests will be expected to wear their own mask throughout the airport and flight experience starting May 11. To help with this, we tapped Seattle couture designer Luly Yang who’s behind our new uniforms, to show you how to make your own mask.
Luly’s got you covered with these simple steps below — no sewing machine necessary.
(Ensure that the pin does not show on the outer and inner-most layers.)
Once the mask is on, you can adjust the fit on your face by pulling the top and bottom slightly away from each other.
Want to sew your own mask? Try out Luly’s custom face mask pattern using this link.
Note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises: “the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.” – from the CDC website.
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Updated August 5:
These days Alaska Airlines may look a little different when you fly. From our check in counters to our aircraft, you’ll notice changes to ensure the health and safety of our guests and employees. From social distancing stickers on the floor to our guests & employees wearing masks, we want you to know our care is never cancelled.
To align with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and to keep our guests and employees safe, masks will be mandatory for all our guests. Additionally, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees who cannot maintain six feet of physical distance during interactions with guests or co-workers have been required to wear masks since May 4. This includes pilots, flight attendants and customer service agents.
Starting August 7, all Alaska passengers will be required to wear a cloth mask or face covering over their nose and mouth (except for children under the age of two) – with no exceptions. Cloth masks or face coverings will be required on all flights, at ticket counters, throughout gate areas and any other location where Alaska conducts business.
Guests will be expected to bring their own mask and will be required to wear it throughout the airport and flight experience. Additional supplies will be available for those who forget their face masks. Specific details about the face mask requirements will be shared with guests in pre-trip communications before their date of travel. The temporary policy will be reevaluated periodically as guidance evolves.
Safety is our most important value at Alaska Airlines, and thanks to our employees we have an incredibly safe operation. In light of COVID-19, we’re in a new era and are continually updating our safety standards to better protect our guests and employees. For now, this includes wearing masks, which is another layer of protection that can reduce the spread of the virus,” said Max Tidwell, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of safety.
Our planes have never been cleaner.
We’ve always had robust cleaning processes on our aircraft and will continue using disinfectants that use of high-grade, EPA registered disinfectants to sanitize critical touchpoints like tray tables, seat belts, overhead bins, armrests and lavatories, etc.
As an extra level of precaution, we’ve implemented an enhanced aircraft cleaning process between our flights that are on the ground longer than an hour at our hubs. We’ve also expanded the use of electrostatic sanitizing spray to disinfect aircraft at all of our hubs.
We’re installing decals to remind people to ‘Mind Your Wingspan,’ at each one of our airports where we fly. The stickers, spanning 6 feet apart, can be found at our ticketing counters, baggage drops, customer service centers and gate areas. The Alaska branded stickers will be deployed systemwide over the coming weeks.
Through July 31, 2020 and beyond, we’re limiting the number of guests on our flights and blocking select seats. Families or large groups may request to sit together. Learn more here.
Finally, we’ve also updated our onboard service to limit the interaction between our flight crews and guests. You’ll also notice we have removed all seatback contents, except for the safety card, to limit the spread of germs.
Safety remains our top priority at Alaska Airlines – for you, and for our employees. We will continue to evaluate best practices to ensure the health and safety of our guests and employees.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and see you soon.
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Since making the difficult decision to reduce our flying due to the coronavirus, we’ve been looking at other ways to utilize passenger aircraft to carry essential goods to people and businesses who need it most.
On any given day before the coronavirus dramatically changed travel, we carried about 400,000 pounds of cargo per day in the “bellies” of passenger aircraft – where luggage is stored. By utilizing passenger aircraft as freighters we’ll be able to backfill some of 45% loss in capacity across Lower 48 and Hawaii where passenger flights have been reduced by 80%.
“We’re determined to make sure our nation’s supply chain stays robust and resilient, connecting critical cargo quickly to the communities we serve,” said Torque Zubeck, managing director of Alaska Air Cargo. “Our teams have been working hard to identify the safest and most effective processes to increase our cargo capacity as quickly as possible.”
Trying to pull off a passenger-to-freighter operation is no easy task. A team of 40 people have been working on the effort since March. If approved by the FAA, we could begin flying passenger aircraft dedicated to cargo within the United States as early as May.
We aim to utilize the passenger cabin on five Boeing 737-900 aircraft – placing cargo boxes, mail and other items on and under seats, in overhead bins and in closets – creating room for an additional 13,500 pounds of cargo than a traditional passenger flight. In total, each flight will carry up to 30,000 pounds, including belly capacity.
The crew for these cargo flights will consist of two pilots and two flight attendants. The flight attendants will be seated in the main cabin to make sure the cabin is safe and secure and provide fire suppression if required, as passenger cabins do not have automated fire suppression systems like cargo compartments.
Our cargo customers depend on us as much as we do them to fuel our supply chain with life-saving medical treatments, medical supplies and perishable foods that have a short shelf life,” said Rick Bendix, cargo marketing and business development program manager. “With the decrease in cargo capacity, this innovative approach allows to meet the demand of cargo customers whether “mom and pop” businesses or large freight forwarders who are working tirelessly to keep the critical goods moving.”
This week, a team of employees tested loading an aircraft, securing the shipments and mapping a safe and viable process for leveraging passenger cabin space to ship critical cargo. Protecting the areas of the passenger cabin where cargo will be stowed was incorporated in the test to ensure the passenger aircraft can easily return to carrying our guests when needed.
According to Anthony Johnson, Alaska Airlines senior engineer, the overhead bins are designed for stowage of carry-on luggage and are durable. However, we need to protect the seats by removing the life vests from under the seats and covering the leather with a protective fabric.
We’ve been delivering cargo to the state of Alaska for 88 years since our founding as McGee Airways. For some pilots, such as First Officer Bill Jacobson, flying the freighters is especially rewarding because he gets to see the impact cargo has on Alaska communities.
“Cargo is hugely important in the state of Alaska. We’re really the lifeline to many communities and bring things necessary to everyday life, like groceries, medicine and machine parts, just to name a few,” Jacobson said. “You usually meet the plane at one of our cargo buildings. When we’re walking through the cargo facilities, I’m often in awe of the variety of goods we’re hauling all over the state.”
These remote communities aren’t always connected by roads to the outside. When the grocery store is out of fresh produce or milk in remote communities in the state of Alaska, residents look to Alaska Airlines to deliver the supplies.
“Our cargo customers depend on us as much as we do them to fuel our supply chain with life-saving medical treatments, medical supplies and perishable foods that have a short shelf life,” said Rick Bendix, cargo marketing and business development program manager. “With the additional aircraft, we’ll be able to move these goods, as well as e-commerce orders, quickly and efficiently across the country keeping supply chains flowing and supporting our logistics and freight forwarding customers.”
By the numbers:
Typical cargo includes:
Key customers:
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This is a difficult time for many, and food security is a challenge across our communities. Last week, the United Nations projected that because of COVID-19, the number of people facing severe food insecurity worldwide could double to 265 million. And here in the United States, unprecedented levels of job displacement and supply chain disruption have created a crisis for countless families, many seeking help for the first time in their lives.
Supporting the growing demands on our local food banks is a critical need and isn’t new for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Every year, our employees rally together in a “Pack the Plane” food drive and collected enough donations to fill an equivalent of over 20 cargo aircraft (providing almost a half-million meals) last year. During our inaugural “Week of LIFT” of volunteering in our communities last October, our employees worked at several West Coast food banks to pack meals and sort goods to help feed those in need.
So, when we found ourselves with fresh food on hand following the suspension of our inflight service last month, we worked with our kitchen partners to donate 273,000 meals to community food banks in 16 states, like our hometown partners Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline.
That sparked an idea about how to further support families have the food they need to thrive. Last week, the Alaska Airlines Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, pledged $200,000 to provide 896,000 meals to 14 local food banks across Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. Together, we’ve donated over 1 million meals, but hope to double our impact by inviting our employees and guests to join us, if they can.
“This crisis has changed so much in our country – but the values of our employees have not. They and our partners, including our Chief Football Officer Russell Wilson and Ciara, Starbucks, and many others inspire us to do more,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines Vice President of External Relations. “Between now and the end of May, we’re encouraging our guests, partners and employees to join us in the #MillionMealsChallenge to help fuel another 1 million meals for local food banks feeding our communities.”
The Alaska Airlines Foundation was founded in 1998 as a way to support the communities we serve through ups and downs – including during lean times like these. “We’re thankful to have foundation funds to be able to directly support people who need it most,” said Birkett Rakow, who also serves as chair of the Alaska Airlines Foundation board of directors.
Give to your local food bank or one of our nation’s hunger relief partners. Here are some of ours:
Alaska Community Foundation
Armed Services YMCA of Alaska
Fairbanks Community Food Bank
Lutheran Social Services of Alaska
Southeast Alaska Food Bank
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
Hawaii Foodbank
Hawaii Foodbank Kauai
Maui Food Bank
The Food Basket
Food Lifeline
Northwest Harvest
Philanthropy Northwest – WA Food Fund
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Soar above hoodoos & desert vistas
Bundle up for a guided glacier tour
