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From the archives: How Alaska Airlines evacuated 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel ‘on the wings of eagles’

In 1949, the world was continuing to recover from the end of one of the most horrific wars in human history. After the horrors of the Holocaust, Jewish refugees scattered throughout the world were looking to start over in Israel, but the process was not easy. Not only did many groups face logistical challenges, but they also faced a great deal of violence. In addition to Europe, many lesser known Jewish communities resided in the Middle East, in predominantly Arab countries. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, many of them were facing real danger and had to flee. Some 850,000 Jews had to escape from various countries around the Middle East, making their way to Israel in unorthodox ways.

For about 49,000 Yemenite Jews, help would come from an unlikely place – Alaska Airlines.

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Weekend Wanderer: Portland to Minneapolis

This is a photo of the Minneapolis skyline viewed from across the Mississippi River.

As a native to the Rose City, photographer and Portland expert, Thomas Guy brings the best of Portland to life. With a feed full of local hot spots, epic views, and incredible adventures, it’s easy to see why he won our hearts. He just returned from an Instagram takeover in Minneapolis,  as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, be sure to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

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Travel alert: Hurricane Norma

Both Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are keeping very close watch on Hurricane Norma and its potential impact on flights and airport operations along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Based on the current forecast, Hurricane Norma is predicted to make landfall on Sunday and we will be evaluating the impact to the schedule as this weather situation continues to develop.

As of Friday afternoon, Alaska and Virgin America have not canceled any flights in or out of Loreto (LTO) and Los Cabos (SJD).

Both airlines have flexible travel policies in place to help guests who need to change, cancel or postpone their flights into airports that could be impacted. The latest on Alaska’s travel policy for Hurricane Norma can be found here.

Currently, Alaska operates 12 flights to/from Los Cabos each day, operates one flight twice weekly to/from Loreto and Virgin America operates one daily flight to/from Los Cabos.

Video: Alaska Airlines supports Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Residency program

This is a group photo of this year's participants in the Residency Program. They are holding a giant Alaska Airlines ticket to Phoenix and are standing with Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

Update November 29, 2017:

Alaska Airlines surprised all of the participants  from The Residency program with a trip to Phoenix to see Macklemore perform live. See highlights from their trip below:

 

Original story:

The W Seattle Sound Suite is a hip-hop artist’s dream – chic leather couches, professional sound-recording equipment, posh decorations, and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Seattle’s skyline. It’s easy to picture Grammy award-winning artists, like Macklemore, recording their next big hits in this space.

And on Aug. 16, the beats coming out of the suite sounded like something you’d hear on the radio or streamed on Spotify, but while the city continued to bustle below, it was students in the Residency program who were up above in the suite, recording their first professional tracks.

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Travel alert: Hurricane Irma

Update: Sept. 12 at 11:30 a.m. PDT

Due to the impacts of Hurricane Irma, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have extended flexible travel policies to airports that were impacted by the storm.

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Alaska Airlines doubles donation to American Red Cross for disaster relief efforts

Alaska Airlines is doubling our support for disaster relief efforts, with another $100,000 cash donation to the American Red Cross.

That brings Alaska’s total relief donations to $200,000 and 1 million Mileage Plan miles.

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Hey Congress, let’s upgrade our skies

This is a photo of an Alaska Airlines jet taxiing on a runway.

It’s September, kids are headed back to school and Congress is heading into session about to vote on an FAA bill to reform our nation’s air traffic system. You say, why does it matter to me? Here’s three reasons why Air Traffic Control (ATC) Reform will help today’s travelers and why Alaska Airlines is strongly urging flyers to visit www.ontimeflights.org to encourage support of the bill. (It’s easy and only takes a minute. There’s even a pre-written email which auto-populates your congressperson’s name and email once you put in your address.)

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A day in the life of an Alaska Airlines social care representative

This is a photo of the Alaska Airlines social care team wearing Mariners gear. The team is based in Seattle.

Feature photo: Alaska Airlines’ social care team is based in Seattle and is responsible for monitoring Alaska’s social media channels and responding to customer service needs 24/7.

Social media never sleeps, and neither does Alaska Airlines. Whether it’s assisting a guest with a mileage request or responding to inquiries about a storm on the East Coast, Alaska Airlines social care is a 24/7 operation. It’s a team of 12 people, with rotating shifts, responding to hundreds of inquiries throughout the day and the night – all in 140 characters or less, and all in a social media minute.

To many, this may sound like a near-impossible feat, but for an Alaska Airlines social care representative, it’s just another day on the job.

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Local Wanderer: Wichita

Wichita dweller, Andrew Kemp, knows the best ins and outs of the city. With shots of local hot spots as well as some of his favorite destinations, he knows how to bring Kansas from life to our news feeds. He is being featured as part of Alaska’s Local Wanderer series. Follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram as Andrew  gives you a glimpse of Wichita through his lens.

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5 of the best views in New York City

View looking south from a top-floor building in Manhattan, with the skyline, including the Empire State Building, in the distance.

There’s nowhere in the world quite like New York City.  At once gritty and glamorous, its brash, busy streets filled with a mixture of people from all walks of life, give it a flavor like no other city you’ve been to. From the parks, to the markets, to the unlimited possibilities for art and culture, there’s something to occupy even the most restless spirit.

But the Big Apple also has something else going for it: incredible views. Stunning both architecturally and topographically, there are loads of beautiful panoramas of the city to be had— whether by land, air or sea.

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Now available: More elite benefits for Alaska flyers on Virgin America flights

This is a photo of a First CLass boarding line at the Seattle Airport.

Alaska Mileage Plan MVP, MVP Gold and Gold 75K members now receive enhanced elite benefits on Virgin America flights, putting Alaska flyers on par with its Elevate elite-level flyers.

New benefits include complimentary access to preferred main cabin seating, complimentary Main Cabin Select upgrades and access to advance purchase First Class upgrades.  Mileage Plan Gold and Gold 75K members also receive waived changed fees when traveling on Virgin America flights.

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Alaska offering support to hurricane victims

Alaska Airlines has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross and offering additional support to relief organizations to assist in helping victims of Hurricane Harvey, a devastating storm that hit the Houston region Friday night and continues to batter the city with heavy rain and floods.

Flights have been grounded at both Houston-area airports. So far, Alaska has canceled its seven scheduled flights from last Friday through Tuesday, and is planning to cancel another scheduled flight on Wednesday.

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