Alaska unveils 13 daily departures to 8 destinations from Paine Field

UPDATE 1/22/19: We’re postponing our scheduled start of service from Paine Field until March 4, 2019. Our latest post has all the details. UPDATE 10/17/18: Alaska Airlines service out of Paine Field is expected to begin in early 2019. We’ll be sure to provide an update as soon as we have more information to share. ORIGINAL POST…

What’s an ATC delay? Here’s what can cause them – and what Alaska Airlines is doing behind the scenes

Few things are as frustrating as sitting on an airplane waiting out an “ATC delay.” ATC is airline-speak for Air Traffic Control, a program governed by the Federal Aviation Administration. It manages the flow of planes as they arrive and depart airports. ATC’s top priority: safety. That includes maintaining a safe amount of separation between…

Taking new roads in the sky: NASA and Alaska Airlines are making it happen

Have you ever been stuck in traffic and thought: “There has got to be a better way to get where I’m going”? Pilots often think the same thing up in the air. In the hours before takeoff, airline dispatchers specifically plan flights and file flight plans using the best information available at the time. But…

Information on Horizon Air Incident

Update: 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2018Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air appreciate the thorough investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into the incident on Aug. 10, 2018. The FBI found this was an isolated, unanticipated incident by one individual. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) investigated the incident separately and determined there are no…

We apologize to our guests who had an un-merry travel experience at Sea-Tac Airport

As of Sunday afternoon, all bags left behind at Sea-Tac Airport have been sent to their intended destinations. Our teams worked quickly to make sure that happened, understanding how problematic and frustrating it has been for our guests not to have their belongings – especially during holiday travel.

Travel advisory: Operations restored in northern Alaska

Image credit: David Schneider / Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Survey Update: 12:30 p.m. PDT, March 30, 2016 Operations have been restored to six northern cities in Alaska as ash clouds from the Mount Pavlof eruption have dissipated. Regular flights have resumed to and from Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Barrow, Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay today and Alaska’s…

Isobuta-what? Alaska partners with Gevo to bring biofuel to commercial flights

Alaska Airlines today operated the first commercial flights using a 20 percent blend of renewable alcohol-to-jet biofuel produced by Gevo, a renewable chemical and biofuel company. The two flights originated in Seattle with destinations of San Francisco and Washington D.C. Alcohol-to-jet biofuel was just approved for use by ASTM International in March 2016 and is…

Alaska Airlines’ beloved ‘Spirit of Alaska Statehood’ airplane officially retires

When Alaskans celebrated 50 years of statehood in 2009, Alaska Airlines decided to honor its namesake state by painting a special Alaska-themed paint theme on a Boeing 737-400. But with a state so vast and unique, the company had difficulty coming up with a design that was inclusive of everything from the ice in the…

Travel alert: Alaska Airlines prepares for PNW storm

Updated Sunday, Oct. 16, 9:30 a.m. No additional cancellations are planned for today. Updated Saturday, Oct. 15, 2:40 p.m. Alaska’s system operations continues to closely monitor the Pacific Northwest storm and developing weather system. In severe weather situations like this one, Alaska will only operate flights when it is safe to do so. This afternoon, Alaska will operate a reduced…

Travel alert: Alaska Airlines braces for morning snow in Seattle

A wintry forecast for the Seattle area is prompting Alaska Airlines to cancel 20 flights into and out of the Emerald City tomorrow morning.

Tuesday a.m. travel alert: Weather-related delays expected at Sea-Tac

Update: 10:42 p.m., Monday, Dec. 5, 2016: Wintry weather conditions are still impacting flight operations at Sea-Tac International Airport. Additional precipitation is forecasted tonight with cold temperatures settling in, creating the potential for ice at the airport and on aircraft. That requires deicing of planes before they can takeoff. As a precaution, Alaska Airlines is cancelling…

Update: Winter weather affects travel in Seattle and Portland

Noon Update: Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are making progress today getting flight operations back on track in Seattle and Portland. Wintry weather conditions triggered cancellations yesterday into this morning.