Video: Alaska pilot donates kidney to flight attendant
March 16, 2017 update: The surgery to transplant a kidney from Alaska Airlines Captain Jodi Harskamp to Flight Attendant Jenny Stansel was performed successfully Monday at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, and both women are well on their way to recovery. Following the four-hour surgery, the women’s conditions were listed as satisfactory and they were…
Like father, like daughter: Pilot team flies together on Father’s Day
This Father’s Day, a special pair of pilots is scheduled to fly together for Alaska Airlines: Captain Nick Cosmakos and First Officer Niclina Cosmakos plan to work as a father-daughter flight crew on Sunday. They are scheduled to fly together all month. Niclina credits her love of flying to her father, and fondly remembers flying…
A day in the life of an Alaska Airlines social care representative
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…
Pilot mentors young man who wanted to fly – and 20 years later, they’re both captains at Alaska
Alaska Airlines Captain Chris Cice, left, helped mentor Todd Swenson, right. In February, Swenson became one of Alaska’s newest captains. When Alaska Airlines Captain Chris Cice started chatting with a guest on a flight from Seattle to Oakland about 20 years ago, he had no idea that he’d inspire a new captain. Fast forward to…
Leading the West Coast with 50% women on our board
Alaska Air Group’s female independent board directors. From left: Phyllis Campbell, Patricia (Patty) Bedient (seated), Helvi Sandvik, Susan Li and Marion Blakey (seated). ‘It starts at the top’ Alaska Airlines Lead Director Patty Bedient is proud to serve on our board with 50 percent women, arguing diversity and inclusion starts at the top of an…
Hawaiian Airlines Marks 15 Straight Years as Most Punctual U.S. Airline
Hawaiian Airlines remained the nation’s most punctual carrier in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), marking the 15th straight year its guests have enjoyed the best on-time performance in the U.S. industry…
Fun fact: Alaska was first U.S. airline to sell tickets online
This news release was originally issued on Dec. 27, 1995, and is reposted here in its entirety in honor of Internet Day Oct. 29, which commemorates the day when computers at UCLA and Stanford first made a host-to-host connection.  Alaska was the first airline in the U.S. to explore the uncharted world of the Internet, with a…
Havana inaugural isn’t Alaska’s first flight to Cuba
When Alaska Airlines began service to Havana on Jan. 5, it wasn’t the first time the airline had flown to Cuba. In the early 1970s, Alaska flew U.S. Military Airlift Command charter flights to the base at Guantanamo Bay, as well as charters to Caribbean locations such as Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Panama. Some of…
Tahoe City: Come for the world-class skiing, stay for the small-town vibe
I’d only been to the Tahoe House Bakery two times before, but the women behind the counter addressed me by my first name when I ordered a bacon cheddar scone and a decaf latte. “Good morning, Jo.” I smiled honestly, but nervously, caught off-guard by the familiarity and the friendliness. As I waited for my…
Video: Alaska’s quirky 1980s ads that landed director in Advertising Hall of Fame
Pausing from a TV commercial shoot back in the day is Director Joe Sedelmaier (front, center). Can you guess who was Alaska’s then-CEO in this photo? The unconventional Alaska Airlines TV ads from the 1980s and ’90s got a little fresh air at this year’s American Advertising Hall of Fame ceremony. The commercials were directed…
5 must-do’s on Maui, Hawaii’s Valley Isle
I’m an island girl. I love the sun, sea, and sand. And I’m lucky—because I work for an airline, I can run off to Hawaii for the weekend, which I’ve done more than 20 times. Maui is my favorite getaway. There are so many beautiful beaches within easy reach. And if I get the urge…
An adventurous Kauai “babymoon”
“You’re brave,” a teenaged boy with elaborate dreadlocks and a tattoo of a dinosaur told me as I hoofed it up one of the steeper sections of the hike to Hanakapi’ai beach along the Na Pali Coast. I shot him a smile. “Oh this is nothing,” I bowed my head with false modesty. The truth…
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