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Hoverboards cannot fly: Alaska bans self-balancing devices on airplanes

Hoverboards, gliders, electric skateboards—whatever name they come by, you have probably seen and heard of them. These self-balancing devices are the year’s hottest electronics as people everywhere are snapping them up and buying them as presents for their loved ones. In fact, you probably know at least one person with a hoverboard on their Christmas list.

As cool as they are, there’s one big problem: they are not safe to transport on an airplane.

At Alaska Airlines, we do not allow hoverboards as checked luggage or as carry-on. Hoverboards are usually powered by lithium ion batteries, which are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as hazardous materials. Internal short-circuits can occur with lithium ion batteries, which can then lead to a “thermal runaway” where the battery overheats and bursts into flame.

Read more: Gifts you can travel with, and gifts better left at home

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Giving spirit: Melinda Gates

As we celebrate this season of giving, all of us at Alaska Airlines are honored to feature Melinda Gates In the December issue of our inflight magazine and here on the Alaska Airlines blog. Melinda and Bill Gates have been incredibly successful in their lives – success that is perhaps only matched by their incredible generosity.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has become the world’s largest private philanthropic foundation. Their focus is on global health, global development, U.S. programs (primarily focused on education), and global policy. Their work is based on the simple, but important, principle that all lives have equal value.

Started in 1997, the Foundation has had a profound impact on people around the world. I hope you enjoy reading about it, and also reading about Melinda’s interest in helping women of all ages. Her philosophy of pushing “upstream” to find solutions to challenging global issues is proving as effective as it is inspirational.

While the scale may be different, this spirit of giving regularly comes to life at Alaska Airlines. We’re doing more and more from a company perspective to give back to the communities we serve. But it’s really the employees of Alaska that are leading the way. From our 6th annual Pack the Plane food drive this month, to thousands of hours volunteered with local charities, to innovative new approaches for helping those with physical challenges to more comfortably travel by air, our team is doing a lot of good. I am immensely proud to be part of a community here at Alaska Airlines that truly understands how to give back and serve others.

In their own words, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is “focused on the areas of greatest need, on the ways in which we can do the most good.” Theirs is generosity on a stunning scale, and their impact on the lives of people around the world is—and will continue to be—profound. Melinda, we are deeply honored to feature you and your work and are grateful to you and everyone at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for your amazing generosity.

To you, our customers, I hope you’ll be as inspired as I was by the article on Melinda. Thanks for flying with us, and our best to you and yours from all of us at Alaska and Horizon this holiday season.

Brad Tilden, Alaska Airlines CEO

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VIDEO: Pilot straps a GoPro to his private plane, captures scenes of rugged Alaska

Captain Will Turnage loves to fly, loves the state of Alaska and loves being outdoors. He combined all three of his passions last year by recording his flights throughout the state. Turnage flew over glaciers, across rocky coastlines, and on the edge of lakes with a GoPro attached to the rear of his Cessna 180.  The footage, which took him about two weeks to edit, came together as a sort of visual scrapbook of his year in the Cessna.

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An insider’s guide to Sayulita

Stephanie Yoder is a girl who can’t sit still! She is the Editor-in-Chief of Twenty-Something Travel. When she’s not out traveling the world Stephanie lives in Seattle, Washington.

Visitors are drawn to Puerto Vallarta by the sunshine, the sparkling sea and the food. Most people simply stop in via cruise ship or head to a big name resort, but those who step off the beaten path will be rewarded.  Venture just an hour through the northern jungle and you will emerge somewhere entirely different: the small but cheerful surf town of Sayulita.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of your trip:

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Weekend Wanderer: Anchorage to San Jose, Costa Rica

Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Jovell Rennie is a photographer who has a love for #SharingAlaska. When he’s not taking pictures, he’s trekking his way through the outdoors looking for his next shot. He just returned from an Instagram takeover in Costa Rica as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

Pura Vida!

That’s the phrase I was greeted with when I touched down in San José, Costa Rica.

I was excited to be there as Alaska Airlines’ Weekend Wanderer, especially because it’s so different from my hometown, Anchorage, Alaska. Feeling at first like a snowman in the oven, I was determined to see the sights and make the most of my time. I quickly adjusted to the warmth of the city and set out to meet with a few friends from back home who also happened to be in the area. Great timing! After meeting up and settling down, the six of us set out to explore. We started with an amazing breakfast of tamales and gallo pinto, then hit the road. Between Jaco, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Manuel Antonio National Park, my eyes were in heaven. Costa Rica was absolutely amazing, from the lush landscape to the beautiful tropical jungle and beaches. I recommend everybody make it out there. Here are a few tips for while you’re there.

  1. Set an early alarm, the sunrises are breathtaking
  2. Loosen your belt, you’ll be eating A LOT.
  3. Bring extra socks.This is not specific to Costa Rica, I just always advise it. This is especially important in places where you are doing a lot of walking or hiking.

Best of luck, safe travels, and Pura Vida!

Ready to book? Find flights to Costa Rica.

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A welcome home for Vietnam-era veterans

It was a welcome home ceremony 50 years in the making.

Alaska Air Group and the USO Northwest officially honored Vietnam-era veterans during a celebration this fall at the Seattle hangar.

“On behalf of a grateful nation, we want to officially welcome you home,” said Greg Mays, vice president of maintenance and engineering.

The event was one of many 50th anniversary commemoration events around the United States to thank and honor those who served. About 40 veterans, including some Alaska and Horizon employees, entered the Seattle Hangar through a lineup of cheering family members, welcome-home signs, and Patriot Guard motorcycle riders who held American flags.

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Honor Flight: Alaska flies veterans from Washington, Oregon and Alaska to memorials in Washington D.C.

Some arrived in wheelchairs. Others were aided by walkers or canes. Some came on the arm of a guardian. But all of the veterans who arrived at Alaska Airlines terminals in Seattle, Portland and Anchorage this fall stood tall. The veterans, men and women who served their country during World War II, the Korean War and the Alaska Territorial Guard, enjoyed once-in-a-lifetime visits to Washington, D.C. to visit the national monuments named in their honor, compliments of Alaska Airlines and Honor Flight.

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How to view and photograph the Northern Lights

When the cruise ships and tour buses leave, and the weather starts to cool, the night sky in Alaska comes alive with bands of green, and sometimes red, lights. This phenomenon is known as the aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights.

While the Northern Lights are often visible from various parts of the state, Fairbanks has the reputation for being one of the best places in the world for aurora viewing. Its far north location and nearly constant darkness in the winter months, combined with its accessibility, make it an ideal location for watching the Northern Lights. According to the Fairbanks Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, a three-night stay in Fairbanks during the winter months (October – March) gives guests an 80 percent chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

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Flying Blind: Alaska event allows blind and low vision customers to familiarize themselves with flying

Many travelers take the process of flying for granted. Making a reservation, going through security, finding the correct gate, boarding a flight, and finally arriving at their destination may be a routine process, but for those who are blind or have low vision, flying is a much different experience.

“When you’re visually impaired, flying is like going from a seat in one building to a seat in another building that happens to go 500 miles per hour,” said Jake Koch, outreach alumni representative for Guide Dogs for the Blind, an organization that prepares guide dogs to serve those who are blind or have low vision.

Alaska Airlines, along with Guide Dogs for the Blind, Vision Loss Connections, and Washington State Department of Services for Blind, partnered last week to bring a little more ease and familiarity into that experience. They invited a group of people, service dogs, and dog trainers to board a Boeing 737 aircraft at the Alaska Airlines hangar in Sea-Tac for a mock flight demonstration, where they were given verbal information about the flying process and allowed to touch portions of the aircraft. The event was founded by Alaska flight attendant Shirley Purkey, three years ago at the urging of a friend who teaches braille locally.

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10 Disneyland tips for family-friendly travel

Marie LeBaron is the editor of Make and Takes, a popular parenting site featuring kids’ crafts, home projects, recipes, parenting tips and more. She lives in Seattle with her family, and loves to travel.

My daughter and I recently visited Disneyland, the happiest place on earth! From start to finish, our trip was all about Disney adding to the magical experience. To make the most of our vacation, I followed these Disneyland tips to get us through it all:

1. Make a family plan

It’s important to make a family plan before you get to the hotel and the park. Disneyland is a big place and you can make the most out of it by making a list of what’s most important to each person in your family. Set the expectation that you might not get to everything, but that each person will get to do 1-2 things on their list. Disneyland Fast Passes can help with this. They are available for most of the big rides and will help cut down on lines and give you more time. Be sure to grab one for each rider; they are worth it.

Ready to plan your trip? Fly to Disneyland.

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Travel advisory: Flight operations returning to normal after overnight computer systems outage

Updated 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015:

Alaska Air Group flight operations are operating normally today after the airline experienced several issues with its computer systems overnight Wednesday.

Alaska started to experience intermittent network issues at about 9 p.m. PDT. The issues continued for roughly three hours, contributing to about 60 delays overnight for Alaska and Horizon.

We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.

Our Information Technology Systems team is investigating the cause of the system issues and the outage.

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TRAVEL ALERT: Hurricane Patricia and Puerto Vallarta

Updated  9:40 a.m., Oct. 24, 2015

Alaska Airlines resumes flights out of Puerto Vallarta

Alaska Airlines will fly all five of its scheduled flights today out of Puerto Vallarta.

The airport in Puerto Vallarta is open and operational Saturday morning after Hurricane Patricia made landfall Friday night. Alaska plans to fly five planes down to Puerto Vallarta to pick up customers and bring them to the U.S.

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