All of us at Alaska are here to bring you the best care in the air—and answers to your burning travel questions—check out our tips so you can travel well and plan those long-awaited trips for spring and summer!

1. Should I wait to get the vaccine before taking a trip?

If you’re able to get vaccinated for COVID-19, we highly encourage you to do so. However, Alaska Airlines does not require it. Before your flight with us, you will be asked to fill out a health agreement, which simply confirms you will wear a face covering on board/at the airport and that you have not shown any COVID symptoms in the past 72 hours and have not been in proximity to someone who has tested positive.

2. What is the safest type of trip to plan right now?

Wherever you’re planning to go, Dr. John Lynch from UW Medicine says it’s important to protect yourself & others by wearing a mask, avoiding large crowds and washing your hands often. Also, double check any special travel rules in place for the destination.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), flying remains one of the safest travel alternatives during the pandemic. Adding multiple layers of safety are key to combat the virus—i.e. Alaska’s Next-Level Care—which includes mask-wearing, rigorous cleaning programs and strong air circulation.

3. Am I more at risk sitting next to someone on a plane?

While it seems like sitting on a plane with other people could be risky, analysis of air travel shows viruses don’t spread easily on aircraft because of a number of things. One study concluded people wearing masks have a near zero (0.003%) chance of contracting COVID-19—even while seated next to someone.

You’ve covered by:

• High air exchange rates (fresh air every 2-3 min in the cabin)
• HEPA filtration
• Forward faced seating
• High-back seats
• Mask-wearing *this one is SUPER important*
• Enhanced cleaning
• Contactless features (pre order meals, mobile boarding pass)
• Complimentary sanitizer

4. What if I tested positive for COVID-19 or recently recovered from the virus? Can I still fly on Alaska Airlines?

For your safety and for the safety of others around you, guests who have exhibited COVID-19 symptoms 72 hours before their flight or who have been in close proximity to someone who has tested positive are not allowed to fly with us. This is for the safety of all guests and employees. Our current Peace of Mind waiver covers change and cancellation fees for all flights booked through March 31, 2021.

For those who have recovered from the virus (yay!) you are welcome to fly with us after the CDC-recommended quarantine period has passed: 10 days after a positive test or symptom onset, no fever for 24 hours, and all other symptoms not getting worse.

5. I don’t like tests. Do I need a COVID test before I fly?

It depends. Some of your favorite destinations, including Hawaii, Alaska, Chicago and New York, require negative Covid-19 test results taken no more than 72 hours before your flight, or you’ll need to comply with a 10-day self-quarantine. Be sure to schedule your test early, as appointments fill up in advance. Find a testing location.

6. I can’t fly without snacking, can I still eat or drink on board?

Yes! We don’t want any hangry or parched passengers. We just kindly ask, after you sip or snack, please put your mask back.

7. So, masks. Does everyone have to wear them? Can I take mine off in my seat?

No mask? No travel. Per our policy, Alaska guests must wear a cloth face mask or covering for the entire flight, including boarding and deplaning. Your mask or face covering must cover your nose and mouth—and cannot have valves, mesh material or holes of any kind.

Exceptions apply only to children under the age of two (in alignment with CDC age guidelines). Guests who repeatedly refuse to wear a mask or face covering will be given a final warning—in the form of a yellow card—and may be suspended from flying with us for a period of time. Read more about our mask enforcement.

8. How is the quality of Alaska’s cabin air?

The cabin air is very clean and safe, says Josh Nice, the Director of Quality Assurance at Alaska Airlines. We have one of the newest fleets in the country which means our planes have the latest air filtration technology. Our planes are equipped with two hospital-grade HEPA filters that remove 99.95% of airborne particulates. There is a full exchange of cabin air with outside and HEPA-filtered air every 2–3 minutes and 100% fresh air every 6 minutes. Learn more.

9. You sure we can trust the cleaning of aircraft and airports?

Our planes have never been cleaner, says Nice. Alaska’s enhanced aircraft cleaning procedures exceed CDC cleaning guidelines and was developed/validated with infectious diseases experts at UW Medicine. We’re taking cleaning to the next level to reduce the already low risk of onboard transmission. Here’s how:

Onboard
Between every flight, we’re using high-grade EPA disinfectants and electrostatic disinfectant sprayers to sanitize the most critical areas (overhead bins, armrests, tray tables, seatbelts, lavatories, etc).

Please note: If you wipe the leather seat with your own cleaning wipe, the blue leather dye color may come off. This doesn’t mean it’s dirty, it’s the active ingredient that is causing the color to come off on the wipe.

At the airport
We’re working closely with airport services to ensure the highest level of cleanliness. We’ve instituted a cleaning program for the check-in lobby counters and gate counters where the surfaces are wiped down with a disinfectant more frequently.

10. It’s been almost a year since I traveled. What’s it like now?

Travel is a little different but Alaska has thought through every step of the way—from booking to boarding, and beyond—and implemented nearly 100 ways to keep you safe.

Here are some travel tips:

• Pack enough masks and hand sanitizer. TSA now allows you to bring one 12 oz. bottle in your carry-on until further notice.
• Masks must be worn at all times (except to briefly eat/drink).
• Prep ahead of time to minimize interactions at the airport:
• Check in online or via Alaska’s mobile app.
• Print bag tags from home or with Alaska’s app at any airport self-service kiosk.
• Fill out applicable health forms or requirements (per the destination you’re traveling to, i.e. Hawaii).
• Security checkpoints will be as contactless, spread out and efficient as possible.
• Expect deeper and more frequent cleaning of surfaces at airports and on Alaska aircraft.
• You’ll probably notice floor decals to maintain distancing, hand sanitizer stations and plexiglass dividers at counters.
• Catering procedures on board will be simplified to lower crew movement and interactions between guests.
• Please remain calm & respect physical distancing when boarding/exiting the aircraft, at baggage claim and customs.

We’re all in this together and can’t wait to travel with you!

Book now at alaskaair.com. Mask up. Let’s go!

IT’S A SIGN! Your next travel destination could be written in the stars! We joined forces with the @AstroTwins & Create Cultivate to help you figure out where you should go safely in 2021 based on your zodiac. Check it out now!

Deborah Gantos, a Cargo Air Freight CSA at Alaska Airlines in Anchorage, hasn’t seen her son since February due to her autoimmune condition and the coronavirus.

This week, she was part of a historic turning point in the state’s battle with COVID-19 as some of the first vaccines were delivered to frontline healthcare workers via Alaska Airlines and other distributors, reaching some of the most rural communities in the state.

“This is a really big deal seeing all the vaccines come through here,” Gantos said, who assisted with the verification process of the shipment. “I’m very excited about the vaccine so I can feel good about visiting my son or other family members and for other people to have access to it so we can slow down the death rate—I am very excited about that. I look forward to getting mine soon.”

Alaska Air Cargo worked closely with pharmaceutical and cargo partners, as well as, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to organize and ensure the safe travels of the critical shipment, which included thousands of doses of the vaccine for health care facilities, leading to the first vaccinations of Alaskans this week.

The state of Alaska is unique in that 80% of communities are only accessible by air or water and most vaccines must be distributed by plane. Alaska Airlines has been transporting critical medication and cargo to the state of Alaska for 88 years—in many ways serving as a lifeline to more than 20 communities in the state.

As the largest scheduled carrier in the state, our cargo team is proud to transport COVID-19 vaccines to destinations across Alaska, as part of this historic, global effort,” said Torque Zubeck, managing director of Alaska Air Cargo.

Rural communities run the risk of getting hit harder by the virus.

Since the surge of COVID cases across the country, there’s been an ongoing effort in the state of Alaska to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in smaller communities where access to large-scale hospitals, critical medication and essential goods are not easily accessible. Rural counties run the risk of a disproportionately high death toll compared to large counties.

In her role with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), a healthcare organization that serves over 50 rural communities in southwest Alaska, Tiffany Zulkosky is helping to educate people statewide for broader vaccine distribution. The vaccines, she said, are “monumental,” for parts of rural Alaska.

In this state, particularly in our region (Bethel), we’re so connected with cultural values rooted in family and connection. For our tribes and residents, we can see how the COVID-19 pandemic has really altered the way our society engages with one another, which makes it particularly difficult for our communities.” Zulkosky said. “I think we feel a sense of hope with the COVID-19 vaccine and how it will help us find some sense of normalcy even if it’s a new sense of normalcy in the coming months and coming year.

Following the first shipment of the vaccine, some health care workers began receiving vaccinations this week at hospitals and health care facilities. We know this is the first of many shipments to come, and we are ready to scale our operation as additional vaccines are produced and ready for distribution.

During this time of uncertainty, air travel continues to be an essential service. Alaska Airlines remains committed to helping medical professionals and lifesaving supplies get to the places where they are needed most. The health and safety of our guests, employees and communities is a responsibility we take to heart and show each and every day.

Learn more about our Next-Level Care.

Related:

• You’ve got mail: Alaska sends flight carrying nearly 30,000 lbs of cargo on passenger jet
• Video: Alaska Airlines rushes mask materials to healthcare workers treating COVID-19
• Alaska Airlines flies medical workers to fight COVID-19

Photos by Ingrid Barrentine. 

Alaska’s holiday sweater is back! This year we are selling our sweaters for a good cause to provide holiday meals to those in need in our communities.

All proceeds from sales of our holiday sweaters will be donated to United Way’s Ride United Last-Mile Delivery initiative, which partners local United Ways with DoorDash and its “Dashers” (drivers) to deliver food from local food banks, food pantries and other distribution points to senior citizens, low income families and those who can’t leave home.

Since 2017, Alaska Airlines has spread holiday cheer by offering guests wearing any kind of holiday sweater priority boarding on National Ugly Sweater Day. Unfortunately, due to social distancing guidelines and new boarding processes, we will not be offering this one-day promotion. However, we invite guests to purchase their own Alaska Ugly Sweater and give back to the community at: companystore.alaskaair.com.

If our holiday sweaters run out, don’t worry, you can still support United Way by visiting their website.

“We are grateful for this generous donation that will support our food relief efforts, particularly during the holiday season, when so many in our community are still struggling. This gift illustrates Alaska Airlines’ strong support for the community and for our long-standing partnership, as we try to meet the tough challenges caused by the pandemic,” said Gordon McHenry, Jr., United Way of King County president and CEO.

Chief Football Officer Russell Wilson also joined in the effort with giving to United Way through his Why Not You Foundation.

“I love to give back. And what’s better than giving back to our communities while dressed in Alaska Airlines’ famous holiday sweater?” Wilson said. “Together, let’s help out the United Way’s Ride United Last-Mile Delivery program and look fly while doing it.”

2020 holiday sweaters helped Alaska donate one million meals.

When the pandemic began impacting the U.S. earlier this year, we launched our #MillionMealsChallenge to give one million meals to food banks across the country.

Through this challenge we donated 1,394,214 meals to those in need. Besides our donation to United Way, we also donated food from our local kitchens to food banks, we matched our employees’ donations to local food banks and also supported through grants from the Alaska Airlines Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the airline.

“We are so proud and beyond grateful to all of our guests, partners and employees who have helped us provide one million meals to communities and people we serve across the country,” said Joelle Nausin, community relations manager. “With the pandemic impacting so many people’s ability to get out and visit food banks, this effort is critical.”

Alaska Airlines recently hosted a virtual conversation with some of the world’s leading COVID-19 experts from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and UW Medicine. Our goal was to share the latest vaccine research and vaccine developments, how to protect yourself and others during the pandemic and what we’re doing to keep guests safe when they travel.

Guests from across the country joined in and asked nearly 1,000 questions for the medical experts, which included topics like what the best kind of mask is to wear, and how long the virus lasts in your system and where we’re at with the latest vaccine.

Check out the full recap of the one-hour virtual event and responses to some of the top unanswered questions below.

Watch the full discussion

Rising to the Challenges of a Pandemic: A Conversation with Experts from Alaska Airlines, Fred Hutch, UW Medicine

The conversation was hosted by Luke Burbank of Live Wire and brought to you by Alaska Airlines.

Questions & Answers

Is air travel safe?

Yes. At Alaska, we believe air travel is safe. Recent studies have found airplanes are among the most low-risk indoor environments in the world. And with our Next-Level Care, Alaska Airlines is prepared to give you the safest, cleanest and most enjoyable travel experience from start to finish. Alaska’s Next-Level Care includes 100+ ways to maintain the highest standard of safety throughout your travels, including mask requirements, enhanced cleaning, hospital-grade high efficiency particulate air filters on board and no change fees.

Is Alaska Airlines considering requiring flyers to vaccinate before they fly?

No. Several recent scientific studies about air travel concluded that it is safe to fly by following a layered approach using masks, hand sanitizer and air filtration. With more than 100 safety protocols in place, including mandatory masks, enhanced cleaning between flights, HEPA air filtration and touch-free technology, we believe it’s safe to fly and will not require guests to vaccinate before they fly on Alaska Airlines at this time.

Is the air onboard filtered during boarding and deplaning and while the plane is taxing at an airport? What about during deicing?

The sophisticated air filtration system and HEPA filters on our aircraft are actively working during the boarding and deplaning process. During cold weather, when we need to deice the plane, the system exchanges air through our HEPA filters the entire time while also preventing deice fluid fumes from entering the aircraft.

Is the air you breathe on a plane the same air from takeoff to landing? No. Our aircraft exchange fresh air from outside and through hospital-grade HEPA filters every 2 to 3 minutes. The entire cabin air is completely refreshed about every 6 minutes. The filters onboard remove 99.9% of airborne contaminants. Read more about Alaska’s HEPA filtration process.

How effective are masks and social distancing? What types of masks are acceptable: disposable paper, cloth, home-made, nose closure or not (bendable wire)?

Masks are one of the most important ways we can protect ourselves and others from infection, which is why Alaska has its strict mask policy—no mask, no travel. Fred Hutch researcher Dr. Josh Schiffer’s work suggests that if both an infected and an uninfected person are wearing masks, the risk of transmission drops by 40% to 80%, depending on the effectiveness of the mask.

The CDC recommends that masks have two or more layers of breathable fabric that completely cover the nose and mouth and snugly fit around the sides of one’s face. The denser the weave of the fabric, the better, as these create a better filter for droplets and aerosols. Read more about Dr. Schiffer’s opinion in the New York Times.

How long is a person contagious before they test positive for the virus?

How soon after infection a person can test positive for the virus, and when they become contagious, depends on the initial amount of virus that triggered the infection.

Sophisticated models by researchers like Dr. Josh Schiffer at Fred Hutch show that people are most infectious from about two days before they start to show symptoms until a day or so after they show symptoms. That three- to four-day window is when people are most infectious and likely represent the earliest time point at which they would return a positive PCR sample.

How long does the antibody remain in your body? Would an antibody test today be able to tell if I had COVID-19 in March?

This is an open question that researchers are still investigating. While there have been anecdotes about re-infection, an outbreak at a Wisconsin summer school retreat provides a little more cause for optimism. Interestingly, the outbreak was seeded by one student who received a negative COVID-19 test one week before camp but tested positive shortly after arriving and developing symptoms. During the retreat, 118 of the 152 attendees tested positive or had COVID-19 symptoms. However, 24 of the 34 who did not contract the disease had previously been infected and recovered, suggesting some level of protection.

Researchers around the world, including Dr. Jesse Bloom at the Hutch, have been studying the persistence of antibodies over time following infection and will know more as more data becomes available.

When will we know more about the long-term impacts of COVID-19, especially its effects on blood clotting?

Given that COVID-19 emerged less than a year ago, scientists have made astounding progress understanding the disease. However, it’s too soon for us to fully understand the long-term impacts, even as we hear stories about long-haulers. A study by Fred Hutch’s Dr. Julie McElrath is following people after infection to learn more about long-term impacts and the factors that might predispose people to these effects.

When viruses or other pathogens mutate, do they generally become more or less virulent? And what about COVID in particular?

While it is true that some viruses mutate rapidly, making vaccines tricky, that does not appear to be the case for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, Fred Hutch researcher Dr. Trevor Bedford has been tracking tiny changes to the virus’s genetic code (mutations) as it moves from person to person . Based on this tracking, we know that SARS-CoV-2 is not changing as rapidly as other viruses, including flu and HIV. Crucially, only one mutation that has emerged has successfully propagated, and it is located at a site in the genome where it is unlikely to interfere with antibodies the vaccine will produce. Read more about Dr. Bedford and his award-winning open-source software, Nextstrain, in Vanity Fair.

The virus’s history, of course, does not predict its future. Hutch researchers are cognizant that mutations could emerge that affect the region that vaccines target: the virus’s spike. With that in mind, Dr. Jesse Bloom has measured how virtually every possible mutation to the spike region would affect the virus’s ability to escape detection from vaccines and other antibody-based treatments without compromising its ability to infect cells. His work will inform future treatments and vaccines.

If a person has one type of COVID-19 vaccine, would it be okay to have a different type of COVID-19 vaccine later?

If different types of vaccines are found to have equivalent safety and efficacy profiles, this idea could be an intriguing one. Researchers would need to design studies carefully to determine the right order to ensure an optimal immunity boost. This will need careful study before researchers are able to recommend whether, and in what order, people should get two different vaccines.

Do the vaccines alter your own RNA?

The short answer is no: Messenger RNA (mRNA) is short-lived and cannot be incorporated into our genetic code. The first few vaccines that are likely to be approved — made by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen —use a few different mechanisms to deliver mRNA which elicits an immune reaction to fight the virus.

Are there any treatments that our doctors can easily prescribe that minimize the impact of the disease if we get Covid?

Currently, treatments such as remdesivir (an antiviral drug), dexamethasone (an anti-inflammatory), and monoclonal antibodies such as those given to President Trump (virus blocking and targeting) are being prescribed to people with severe disease, and they appear to have some effect. There is, however, a need for treatments that can be prescribed earlier in the course of the disease, and there is no proof that the same treatments will work then. To expand the treatments available for patients, Fred Hutch launched the COVID-19 Clinical Research Center, the nation’s first freestanding facility dedicated to studying early coronavirus interventions. The goal with these treatments is to interrupt the disease early, reducing the severity and preventing hospitalization. We are currently enrolling patients for several clinical trials of promising therapies.

Would volunteering for the vaccine trial require a drive to Seattle?

No. You can learn more about the vaccine trials at preventcovid.org.

I assume mRNA vaccine will translate spike proteins in cells throughout the body, not just the lungs. What danger is there of triggering an unexpected cytokine/inflammation response?

All vaccines go through three phases of human testing before being approved by the FDA and distributed to the public.

• Phase 1 clinical trials show if a vaccine is safe in humans and measure how the immune system responds to it.
• Phase 2 trials enroll hundreds of volunteers and show whether the biological signals of effectiveness show up in those assigned randomly to a vaccine instead of a placebo.
• Phase 3 trials enroll large numbers of people — 30,000 and 60,000 in the U.S. and worldwide — to prove that the vaccine reduces the risk of infection or serious illness to protect individuals and communities from COVID-19.

Data from these studies are assessed by an independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board to confirm the safety of the vaccines. If volunteers experience serious health problems, researchers investigate to determine whether they were caused by the vaccine. If these vaccines trigger an adverse response in any way, these trials will catch them and pause, as they did with AstraZeneca and Janssen, to determine if they were caused by the vaccine.

Meet the panel:

Josh Nice is the Director of Quality Assurance at Alaska Airlines. With more than 25 years of experience in roles managing safety training and compliance, Josh is a member of the Alaska Airlines COVID-19 Safety Team that is responsible for identifying and reducing the risks related to COVID-19 across our operation, both for guests and Alaska employees. He also leads the effort to audit COVID-19 safety measures at airports and Alaska’s corporate workspace.

Dr. Michele Andrasik is one of the directors of the Hutch-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network where she focuses on HIV prevention and social and structural factors that cause health inequities. She is drawing on her expertise to ensure that communities of color who are hardest hit by the coronavirus are adequately represented in vaccine trials hosted by the Coronavirus Prevention Network.

Dr. Keith Jerome is a virologist at Fred Hutch and director of the University of Washington’s Molecular Virology Laboratory. Thanks to his team’s quick work to develop a test for COVID-19, the Virology Lab at the UW School of Medicine which has done more than a million COVID-19 tests since early March. His group continues to improve testing, including developing rapid point-of-care tests.

Dr. John Lynch is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and an associate medical director at Harborview Medical Center. Dr. Lynch oversees the hospital’s Infection Prevention & Control, Employee Health and Sepsis Programs and is currently leading the clinical team for UW Medicine’s COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center. His focus is on the prevention of infections within healthcare settings.

Emcee, Luke Burbank is an American radio host and podcaster who hosts the Portland, Oregon-based syndicated variety show Live Wire Radio and the Seattle-based former radio program and current podcast Too Beautiful to Live.