Our contact centers are experiencing longer than normal call wait times. To save yourself from the hold music, we encourage you to take advantage of our online change/cancellation options and to reach out to our Reservations team ONLY if you need assistance with a reservation scheduled in the next 72 hours.
A few helpful tips:
If you booked through an online travel agency such as Expedia or Travelocity, etc., please contact them for assistance.
If you’d like to cancel your reservation, visit alaskaair.com, our mobile site or the Alaska Airlines app.
If you want tochangeyour reservation, you must use the full desktop site.
Saver fares cannot be changed, only canceled. Don’t worry, you’ll receive a credit for the value of your ticket in your e-wallet to use towards a future flight.
Avoid waiting on hold:
You can change or cancel your trip online using the guide below.
If your travel plans are NOT within the next 72 hours, please hold off calling our Reservations team. Thank you!
Step 1 – Look up your reservation, select “cancel.”
You’ll need the confirmation code & last name.
Desktop / Mobile
Step 2 – If you purchased a nonrefundable fare, choose how you want to receive the travel credit.
If you have a My Account profile at alaskaair.com, sign into your account and choose “send the credit to My Wallet.”
If you don’t have a My Account profile or prefer to get your travel credit via email for later use, choose “send the travel credit to my email.”
Step 3 – Confirm cancellation.
If you choose “send the credit to My Wallet”, the funds will appear in your My Account profile. This can take up to 7 days, but usually happens almost immediately. When you’re ready to book your next flight, the credit will be available to use, as long as you’re signed into your account.
If you choose to “send the travel credit to my email”, you’ll receive 2 emails.One with the certificate code, and one with the PIN.You’ll need both of these when you’re ready to book your next flight.
A confirmation email will be waiting for you in your inbox.
How to change your reservation online
Step 1 – Pull up your reservation.
You’ll need the confirmation code, and your last name.
Step 2 – Choose the flight you’d like to change.
Select “make changes to this trip” if you are only changing part of your trip, or purchased your original ticket using a discount code.
Otherwise choose “Use the value of this trip to purchase a new trip.”
Step 3 – Select your new flight.
Any difference in fare or credit due will be displayed on the right. Once you have selected your new itinerary, proceed to checkout to finish.
Yay! You’re on your way!
Flights of Fashion: Seattle designer Luly Yang undertakes a first-class redesign of Alaska Airlines’ fleet of uniforms
After more than four years, dozens of focus groups and countless hours of anticipation, fashion designer Luly Yang’s airline uniform project is finally taking flight—literally as well as figuratively. Known for her formal red-carpet couture and bespoke suiting for men and women, Seattle-based Yang was chosen by Alaska Air Group in 2016 to revamp the uniforms for its more than 20,000 employees. This month, airport runways from Seattle to Los Angeles and New York will double as catwalks as everyone from flight attendants and customer service agents to ground crews and baggage handlers dons long-awaited new uniforms—the airline’s first major sartorial upgrade in nine years.
“I am super excited,” Yang says, beaming about the rollout. We’re sitting in the tranquil, light-filled private studio in downtown Seattle that she uses when she needs a quiet space to hold meetings or to work on her designs. Her eponymous boutique, located at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, is just a short walk away; its windows are known to showcase a rotating selection of Yang’s whimsical, eye-catching creations. Rich velvet and satin tuxedos and gowns in deeply saturated hues, fabrics boasting bold patterns and unique details—strategic draping, jewel-like beading, ruffles and feathers placed just so—have been a signature at the corner of Fourth Avenue and University Street for nearly two decades.
“This is one of the most special collections I’ve ever worked on,” she says, “and I plan to be at the airport when the uniforms debut. The emotions will be high, and I want to celebrate that energy and excitement with Alaska. This is a very special, one-of-a-kind experience for any fashion designer. The magic moment is when the employees wear the uniforms, and the garments come alive.”
At first thought, the choice of a designer who specializes in one-of-a-kind couture creations for individual clients seems at odds with the scope of a project that requires the design and production of one cohesive uniform collection that needs to fit a plethora of body shapes and sizes, as well as serve each individual for the numerous tasks of his or her job. But Alaska takes pride in partnering with local businesses on everything from its inflight food-and-beverage program to the design of its airport lounges, so picking a locally based designer for the overhaul was a top priority.
“We knew Luly’s background, talent and timeless design solutions would be the perfect fit for Alaska,” says Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Marketing & Guest Experience. “Her style perfectly captures our fresh West Coast vibe—and of course we love that Seattle is her home base, too.”
As Yang tells me about her approach to design projects, it’s clear that the task isn’t as incongruous as it might seem. “My process is always the same,” she says. “It starts with conversation and listening to really understand, to the core, who I am designing for.”
Yang spent months holding focus groups with employees from around the country, distributing surveys, collecting feedback, and observing everyone from pilots to baggage handlers in order to see how their uniforms needed to stand up to the rigors of their jobs. This meant lots of flying, and lots of time at airports.
The things that stood out to me were the little details,” Yang says. “Paying attention to where the pockets are, or how deep they are. Many of the team members need their hands free to do things. They have to carry around mobile devices and be able to store them quickly. Flight attendants asked to have longer shirts so that the garment doesn’t slip up when they are putting luggage in the overhead bins. These little things were important, and every decision was intentional.”
Fit and function for all 13 work groups were essential to Luly Yang’s design strategy.
Additionally, Yang had to take durability and climate into consideration. The most durable fabrics aren’t always the most comfortable, and a ground crew member in Alaska can’t wear the same thing as someone based in Southern California. These puzzlelike constraints presented Yang and her team with the ultimate design challenge—one that she ended up enjoying so much, she has expanded her uniform business as a result, with end-to-end uniform solutions that include design, product development and production.
“Through this process, I discovered my love and passion for custom uniform programs,” she notes.
The resulting collection, which features more than 90 garments and accessories, for 13 work groups, debuted at an employee fashion show at the airline’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport hangar in January 2018. In keeping with Alaska Airlines’ 2016 overall brand refresh, which included a bold color palette featuring Tropical Green and Breeze Blue, the new uniforms are contemporary but not costumey or too formal. During the design process Yang had access to vintage employee handbooks and uniforms that date back to the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, and she was inspired by the brand’s strong 88-year heritage and employee pride.
“Fashion has changed a lot over the years, and you can see the trends reflected in flight attendants’ uniforms,” she says. “What we’ve done is a modern interpretation of the brand. Our design strategy focuses on a West Coast–modern vibe that embraces comfort, experience and approachability.”
From two-toned, blue-color-block dresses to crisp gray vests, custom neck scarves and sleek trench coats, the uniforms were a hit—something that would make the Alaska team identifiable on the airport concourse and also present a professional look.
The approval from employees was strong, but aesthetics wouldn’t matter if the uniforms couldn’t hold up to wear or hindered crew members from doing their jobs, so Alaska selected 175 employees to participate in 60-day “wear tests” and give feedback about the performance of the garments. Refinements were made, and then a second, shorter, wear test took place before the uniforms were declared finished. The official rollout started at the beginning of 2020 with Horizon Air team members and Alaska Lounge concierges, and it continues through the course of this month.
In January, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air were the first U.S. airlines to receive “Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex®” certification, meaning that garments meet global safety standards. Items have been tested to ensure they are free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances known to be damaging to human health. Each component of the uniforms—materials, threads and dyes—meets certification, and Yang and Alaska worked with Unisync Group Limited of Toronto to develop custom fabrics, buttons and signature accessories.
“All of the employees I spoke with can’t wait to have a new uniform,” Yang says. “Some of them have even been with the airline for decades. There’s strong pride there, and they want to represent the company with what they wear.”
Luly Yang offers a new look for flight attendants, as well as a stylish look for mechanics, above.
If anyone knows about having pride in their company, it’s Yang. While she’s best known as a fashion designer, she has also been recognized multiple times over the past two decades for her business acumen and strong leadership. She has steadily grown her company, both in employee numbers and in goods and services offered. She’s worked with local entities including Pacific Northwest Ballet and Teatro ZinZanni, and embraced philanthropic efforts benefiting Swedish Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Seattle Children’s Hospital, among others. Yang has not only become a pillar in the Seattle business community, but also an inspiration to women looking to start their own ventures.
“Everything I do goes back to our company’s mission,” she says. “We’re here because we want to elevate the human experience through thoughtful, innovative designs. We always stay true to our values and keep that mission top of mind. Our team is diverse in design discipline and backgrounds, but all of us share the same values, goals and passion for what we do.”
It’s a laudable foundation for any company, and one that Yang has applied throughout her career trajectory, even before she landed in fashion. Born in Taiwan, Yang moved to the Puget Sound–area city of Bellevue with her family when she was 10. She was interested in fashion at a very young age and recalls her grandmother designing and sewing her own clothes. “I grew up watching her,” Yang says, “and my mom was an artist who also designed and made our clothes for formal events. For part of my life, I thought that this was normal, that everyone created their own clothing!”
After high school, Yang enrolled at the University of Washington, where she pursued a degree in graphic design. Outside of the classroom, she was a fitness instructor at the university’s Intramural Activities Building. “Fitness and the human form became a passion of mine,” she says. “It helps me understand the human body and a garment’s interaction with it. I have ergonomic charts of the body on the walls in my studio. It’s important to be able to see how the articulation of an elbow, hip or knee works. Good design solutions are a perfect balance of form and function. Clothing needs to look good and move well with the body.”
It was during her time as a graphic designer for a Seattle-based architecture firm that Yang made her first serious foray into fashion. In 1999, she participated in a charity fashion show that paired designers with paper companies, asking them to create runway-ready looks to raise money for the Seattle-based Art with Heart organization. Yang’s creation, her signature Monarch Butterfly Gown, awed the crowd and reawakened her passion for fashion design. Shortly after the event, she decided to pursue fashion as a career.
“Obviously it was a risk to quit a job that I really enjoyed and to jump into something that was completely different from what I had ever done before,” she says with a small laugh. “But I was fulfilling a dream I had had since I was a young child.”
In 2000, Yang opened her first studio at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street with a collection of 12 gowns. Three years later, after a successful start, she moved to her current atelier at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Over the years, Yang has designed numerous high-concept collections inspired by everything from oceanic life (an aquatic-themed “Ocean” collection was presented at the Seattle Aquarium) to sight (her “20/20” collection was inspired by vision and the human eye).
I always start with a big-picture concept, and that becomes the soul of the collection,” she says. “It’s usually highly conceptual at the beginning. I’ll start by developing a visual story for the feeling I want people to experience, then I move to designing the collection.”
In a maintenance hangar or on the tarmac, the new uniforms bring a renewed sense of pride at Alaska and Horizon.
Beyond the conceptual, Yang runs a tight business. As the head of her company, she’s faced with tough decisions daily. Hard work and intense passion are the foundation.
“I face the difficult things head-on,” she says. “With every decision, we’re always asking, ‘Is what we’re doing making the human experience better?’ If the answer is no, then we’re not going to do it.”
When invited to give her advice for other women running their own businesses (or those thinking of making the leap), she keeps it short and straightforward: “Follow your passion, make all decisions intentional and strategic, and learn to do this quickly, with confidence. It’s important to move through the decision process and commit to it.”
The business community has appreciated her business focus. In 2007, she was honored with the Nellie Cashman Women Business Owners of the Year Award, and recognized in the Puget Sound Business Journal’s list of 2010 Women of Influence. In 2019, Yang was inducted to the Asian Hall of Fame.
When the Alaska Airlines uniform project came across Yang’s desk in 2016, it was an easy decision for her and her team. “I grew up here; I went to school here; I love the West Coast,” she says, “Alaska has always been my favorite airline, so I was very excited when I got that call.”
Yang has made the custom uniform business an integral part of her company, with corporate clients ranging in scale from boutique companies to global businesses in North America and Europe. She has recently taken on two additional landmark Pacific Northwest clients who are refreshing their brands, the Space Needle and the Fairmont Olympic Hotel.
In her own studio, Yang will release at the end of this year a ready-to-wear travel collection featuring easy-to-layer pieces and accessories designed for travelers on the go to feel comfortable and chic—the ultimate combination.
“I can pack enough for two to three weeks in one carry-on,” Yang says about her own travels, adding that it’s all about the layering. She travels frequently for work, to Europe and to Asia, and has the art of travel dressing down to a science.
“It’s all about what I like to call my ‘transformative items,’ ” she says. “Multifunctional pieces that I can wear from a morning meeting to a cocktail party, and maybe just throw on a jacket or switch shoes. It’s all about keeping things very versatile.”
One item that she always travels with is her signature Luly cashmere shawl that serves triple duty as an attractive accessory, a wrap during the evenings, and a neck roll or blanket while inflight. In her purse, she makes sure to bring a pair of sunglasses, a mid-layer sweater and a vial of pure lemon essential oil. “It helps energize me,” she says.
Within the next year, Yang plans to hold a 20th-anniversary fashion show that will feature highlights of her portfolio. Serving as reminder of the evolution of her brand and her creativity, the show will be a vivid chapter in a story that’s still being told.
“I have a curiosity about everything, and I like asking questions,” Yang says. “Staying curious keeps you innovative and keeps your mind open, whether you’ve been in your career for one year, 20 years or 50 years.” She pauses and smiles as if thinking of the decades ahead—an idea taking flight is a beautiful thing to watch.
Rachel Gallaher is a Seattle-based freelance writer and the deputy editor at Gray Magazine. This story originally appeared in ALASKA BEYOND MAGAZINE—MARCH 2020.
Spring break is just around the corner and, for most of us, you might be ready to lounge by the pool or enjoy some nightlife or a cozy knitted blanket with that book you’ve been meaning to read.
Your family might be looking for more structured bonding time with a guide, water activities and kid-friendly adventures, while single travelers and couples could be looking for culture and a little adventure. Whichever venture speaks to you, Alaska Airlines can get you there.
Here are six places to have fun in the sun:
SAN DIEGO
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine
Looking to spend long, lazy days in perfect year-round weather? Look no further than San Diego.
The “finest” city, perched on the Pacific Ocean, is an ideal locale for tourists of all ages, culture seekers, beach bums and surfers alike. Its food and bar scenes are bursting with trendy eats and drinks, including some of the best Mexican cuisine north of Baja. It’s also one of the only places in the U.S. you can find desert, surf and snow all in a day.
Escape to the dry heat for serene desert gardens, art museums, natural wonders and more.
@sierraalysha at Sweeties Candy of Arizona via instagram
What to do: Camelback Mountain, Papago Park, Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Garden, Grand Canyon Day Tour.
Get a sweet selfie: Sweeties Candy of Arizona in Chandler has endless aisles of candy you can enjoy & capture for the gram. From nostalgic treats to today’s sweets, this 13,000-square-foot shop has your sweet tooth covered.
Bring the pup: Spoil your fur baby at pet-friendly places in Phoenix, including, Gilbert’s 17-acre Cosmo Dog Park, with agility structures and a swimming lake with a dock.
Pro-tip: Shake out your shoes. Arizona has a ton of little critters that love to bite and sting, like the scorpion. But don’t let that stop you from fun in the sun just be sure to check your shoes!
If you seek adventure, the islands of Hawaii are perfect for you. From the volcanoes to the sea and everything in between, there’s something for everyone!
Where to stay: Resorts like the Kauai Beach Resort in Lihue offer great rates, with waterfront views, earth tone decor and white crisp sheets ready for you to fall into vacation-mode. Also, if you have a drone, the view above the pool is a must-see!
Looking for a charming, romantic, instagrammable hotel to stay?Paia Inn, located on Maui just steps away from the stunning North Shore, is worth it. From its thoughtful aesthetic touches, decadent food & service to all the sprays and necessities one needs to wash the worries away in the onsite shop.
Fly home gold: You can bring home a box of pineapples for FREE on Alaska Airlines. But leave the lava rocks where you found them. Trust us on this one.
The beaches are pristine, the weather is hot and spring break draws many partygoers, families and jet setters.
What to do: Snorkel with tropical fish, try your hand at deep-sea fishing, eat delicious seafood or take a guided camel tour. Dive Cabo also offers whale shark swimming – with the world’s biggest fish – a sighting happens nearly 100 percent of the time from September through May.
Did you even go to Cabo if you didn’t take a picture with El Arco? The Arch of Cabo San Lucas is a beautiful rock formation that can be seen by boat from the water – keep an eye out for sea lions at its base. Two beaches also lie nearby called Lovers’ Beach and Divorce Beach – take your pick!
Take a hike: See where the desert and the ocean meet at the top of Mount Solmar – time it at sunset & you won’t be disappointed.
Pack up your inflatable swan and head to southern California for the best pools, stylish hotels, golf courses and more.
@andreabochoa visiting the Cabazon Dinosaurs via instagram
What to do: Admire midcentury modern homes, explore a national park where all trees are named Joshua, take a mountaintop tram ride, shop at vintage boutiques, interior design shops and restaurants.
Coachella (other than the music festival): Coachella Valley offers hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. Take a classic canyon-hugging gondola ride that showcases the entirety of the Coachella Valley below.
A waterfall in the middle of the desert: It’s true. See for yourself, on a two-mile loop to a 50-foot waterfall tucked into Tahquitz Canyon. The falls require a $12.50 admission fee, which goes toward keeping the trail looking nice, as its part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation. Guided hikes are also available.
Have a T-riffic time with dinosaurs: Stand next to a 100-ton Brontosaurus and T. Rex sculpture that guard the entrance to a Creationist-themed dino museum and check out the gift shop inside the belly of “Dinny” the Dinosaur.
From walking along the renowned Golden Gate Bridge to spotting sea lions at Pier 39, San Francisco is a city full of amazing places to visit and tons of cool things to do.
What to do: Lose yourself in Magowan’s Mirror Maze, take in the fresh air of Golden Gate Park, escape from Alcatraz Prison, or hit the colorful town to see fortune cookies being made.
Get into the swing of things: Grab a friend to give you a push and snap a photo of you swinging in front of an awe-inspiring view of the San Francisco Bay and downtown San Francisco. There are about 7 famous swings around the city – triple check they’re not down, if so, don’t worry the ropes go back up again soon after!
Eat cookie dough (without the risk of salmonella): Sugar addicts rejoice! Doughp (pronounced “dope”) serves eggless scoops of batter in fun flavors, flavored waffle cones, and hundreds of different toppings at Pier 39.
Where to fly: Alaska Airlines offers seven nonstop daily flights to San Francisco (SFO). Want to see more of the Bay? Fly to Oakland or San Jose.
+ GLOBAL DESTINATIONS
Lempuyang Temple. Bali, Indonesia. (Alaska Airlines photo)
Bonus tip: Alaska Airlines is offering more ways to venture around the world with our 16 Global Partners and relationship with American Airlines and joining oneworld – giving our guests seamless access to 1,200 destinations around the world. Learn more.
When Peter Tizzard defines the top requirements for providing good service, he has a lengthy list: “Being genuine and sincere is important,” says the 32-year commercial-aviation professional who has worked for more than 12 years combined at Alaska Airlines and Virgin America. “Paying attention to details, being humble, listening and making positive connections with our guests are crucial, too.”
All of these goals come down to one thing, Tizzard says: “Bringing joy to people. It’s just the right thing to do.”
Tizzard, a San Francisco–based flight attendant who lives in Las Vegas, has, in multiple roles, provided great service to flyers over the years. He started out in ground operations in 1987 at a regional airline in Florida. Eventually, he became a flight attendant, and he was one of the original teammates at Virgin America in 2007. A multitalented employee, he has helped hire and train flight attendants over the years, and has worked as a catering operations analyst, an inflight service instructor and an air transportation supervisor.
Being a flight attendant was his original dream, Tizzard says, explaining that, since childhood, he’s had a passion for travel and learning about other cultures.
His parents instilled this, says Tizzard, whose father worked for 38 years for British Airways, and whose mother worked as a travel-agent manager. Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Tizzard feels fortunate and blessed to have traveled “all over” while growing up.
According to co-workers, Tizzard brings great positivity to his work and is respected for being encouraging and uplifting with other flight attendants, as well as with airline guests.
“I try to lead and make others feel comfortable,” Tizzard says. “This work is my passion, and there’s no greater thing you can do with life and work than to follow your passion in a way that serves you and the world.”
Questions & Answers
What do you like most about your job?
There are never two flights alike. And the connections I make with guests can change my perspective—and theirs.
What are your interests outside work? I’m very outdoorsy. I like hiking and biking, at home and when I travel.
Where do you most like traveling? Throughout Asia and Europe, for the food and culture and history. Places I’ve returned to include Osaka and Kyoto, Japan; Krabi, Thailand; and Madrid, Spain. And anywhere with a beach equals sun and fun.
Do you have any travel tips? At least once a year, pack “one way” and donate clothes, shoes and jackets at your destination. Take it as a chance to refresh your wardrobe. There are great places to shop for new clothes while you’re traveling.
What advice do you have for new hires? It’s never about the destination. It’s about the journey.
Kudos from Peter’s Co-Workers
“Peter welcomes guests and starts a conversation, and he captivates them for the entire flight. And even after the flight. It’s a gift that only some people have.” —Ludi S., Flight Attendant, San Francisco
“He just makes you feel good. He makes you feel smart; he makes you feel comfortable; he makes you feel welcome. He makes you feel like you’re the only person in a room when he’s talking to you, because he’s so intentional, and so present. There aren’t a lot of people like him.” —Molly C., Flight Attendant, San Francisco
“He is really level about how he treats everyone. Everyone’s treated really, really well.” —Elmer T., Customer Service Agent Trainer, San Francisco
“Guests are always ecstatic with Peter’s personalized service. Everybody loves Peter when they walk off the aircraft.” —Michael G., Captain, San Francisco
Alaska Airlines employees such as Peter Tizzard are the reason for our excellence. Join us in creating an airline people love. Visit alaskaair.jobs.
Make your getaway to Fiji even sweeter with these 6 surprises
There’s more to Fiji that meets the eye than just powdery beaches and crystal-clear reefs. Here are six things that will sweeten your travel experience to the South Pacific island nation:
1. Clap once for Kava, then, three more times
Sheltered from the outside world until just two centuries ago, Fiji’s rich cultural traditions – including community-wide meke “spirit dances” reenacting ancient stories – remain a large part of daily life.
No tradition weighs more heavily on Fijian consciousness than the art of the kava ceremony, which is typically a mandatory part of being invited to any village. If lucky, you’ll have the opportunity for kava many times during your visit (and not only one set up by a resort).
Many tours and treks arrange visits to villages and kava ceremonies. Any visitors to a town must begin by asking to meet the turaga-ni-koro (village headman), who can make introductions to the ratu (chief). As visitors, you should offer a gift, or sevusevu, to get permission to visit. Unless you happen to have a whale’s tooth (a highly prized and rare, offering), powdered kava root that’s been aged four to seven years is a perfect option.
The chief will invite you into his home or into a community center where males sit cross-legged and women sit with legs to the side, as a headman (usually) mixes the kava powder with water in a wooden turtle-shaped bowl called the tanoa. It’s a slow process, and you should remain quiet (and not take photos) until the first round of drinking has been done.
The drink – which sort of resembles muddy water – is served in a bilo cup made from a coconut shell. Clap once before receiving it, drink it fully, hand the empty cup back, and clap three more times. Kava tastes like grassy water and offers your tongue a slight tingle. It’s not alcohol but is known to be relaxing if you have many rounds.
The ritual is known as wai ni vanua, or “water of the land,” indicating the village and the village welcomes you to visit. Things are casual and social after the first round. Generally, it’s OK to take photos after the first round but always ask.
It’s nice to explain who you are and why you’re visiting – the villagers will be interested to hear! For extra cultural-sensitivity points, keep your head lower than the chief’s, and never turn your back toward him, even when exiting. Visitors should wear a sulu sarong and refrain from wearing anything on ones’ head, like a hat or sunglasses. (But don’t worry if you make a mistake; locals are very easy-going with first-timers.)
2. It takes a village
Any local will tell you; you haven’t visited Fiji until you visited one of Fiji’s nearly 1,200 koro (or villages) — where populations tend to be defined not by individuals but by mataqali (family groups). Visiting one begins by asking permission (and often a kava ceremony, see above). High-end resorts often offer village excursions (including kava, dances, handicrafts demos and a chance to buy local). It’s well worth arranging a trip to more far-flung places less used to seeing daily visitors.
Navala in Vitu Levu’s Nausori Highlands is a village must-see. Reached from Nadi in a few hours via a snaking road that turns to gravel and weaves past sugar cane farms and along mountain ridges that envelop you slowly. Navala is Fiji’s last village made up of traditional bure thatch huts. About 200 of them line across a valley surrounded by green peaks.
For F$25, visitors can visit without prior arrangement, but you’re better off coming with a guide such as Tui from Bulou’s Lodge, a modest accommodation on the Ba River just outside town. Tui is a resident who can help set up a kava ceremony in the chief’s bure and lead you on river walks or to hidden waterfalls fed by natural springs.
Another option to get here is a multi-day trek with village homestays via Talanoa Treks, which includes a visit to Nabutautau.
3. Look for the pink bananas
You don’t have to travel far in Fiji to see a lot. Within the 50-acre Sleeping Giant Garden, just north of Nadi Airport, you’re able to walk past a series of lifelike orchids shaped like antelopes, angel wings and dancing ladies. Near a pond where dozens of frogs sit on lily pads, and shrouded in giant green leaves, loom bunches of pink bananas (or musa velutina), a self-peeling fruit found around the South Pacific.
Fiji may be known for its blue water, but often it is green that stands out. Tussles of trees, brush, shrubs and vines tangle up mountainsides in a seemingly impenetrable canopy of varying greens that sprout from the islands’ volcanic-rich soils.
Amidst the lush landscape are 800-some species of plants found nowhere else, making for rewarding hikes (fortunately, the mongoose population handles most snakes).
Locals use many plants as traditional medicines. Some resorts, including the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Savusavu, offer traditional medicine walks, where you learn many common remedies. Pounded kalabuci damu (copperleaf) mixed with water helps sore throats, chewing mokomoko fern leaves aid healthy skin, while guava leaves can calm digestive issues.
The heart of green Fiji is without a doubt Tauveni Island. Known as the “Garden Island,” it’s rimmed with low-key resorts and crisscrossed with steamy hikes through the immense national park that occupies over three-quarters of the island. The best hike hugs the coast, the 5km Lavena Coastal Walk, which takes in waterfalls, black-sand beaches, mushroom-like coral pedestals, snorkeling spots.
Locals also dream of visiting Tauveni to see Fiji’s elusive national flower, the tagimoucia: a crimson and cream flower that’s inspired pop songs and has been described to “hang down in clusters like a chain of ruby raindrops.”
4. Fall in lovo with the backyard BBQ
The modern cuisine of Fiji is surprising. Meals are refreshingly fresh and healthy. And, diverse. Local homes are happy to incorporate styles from Indo-Fijians, Fiji citizens who are fully or partially of Indian descent, so you’ll find plenty of curries and roti flatbreads as part of the daily diet.
Islands have also concocted their own ceviche, a seafood dish originating in Peru typically made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices and spices.The seafood here is legendary – imagine fresh filets of wahoo, marlin or barracuda served in coconut milk, plus giant lobsters and prawns — especially a spicy bowl of kokoda. Sometimes served in an open clamshell, this delicious mix of raw fish is marinated in lime juice and served with coconut cream, onion and chilis.
Another must-try: lovo. A dish, wrapped in foil and banana leaves, then set overheated river stones and left to roast over a pit for a few hours slowly. It’s the South Pacific’s version of an underground BBQ, made with any protein you prefer (fish filets, pork or chicken cutlets, or even rourou taro leaves). Most resorts offer lovo, and it’s still a special banquet-type method used in villages for weddings, birthdays, funerals and other special occasions.
Visiting a Fijian market is a colorful way to see what tropical staples make up a regular part of local farming and local diets. Walkthrough one and see often artfully stacked displays of pineapple, kumula (sweet potato), taro and uto (breadfruit), nama (sea grapes) or powdered kava root sold in small paper bags. You’re sure to find tavioka (or cassava) on your plate, as the starchy root is so common it’s been called “Fiji’s rice.” Meanwhile, coconuts come from the “tree of life” and play a big role as curries, bread, even as cups during kava ceremonies.
5. Get ready to rugby
Fiji’s gorgeous color-coded dollar bills are adorned with tropical animals and traditional details like the intricate designs seen on masi bark-cloth wall hangings. But none compare to the glory of Fiji’s $7 bill, which celebrates the nation’s first (and only) Olympic medal after Fiji took gold in 2016 in seven-on-seven rugby.
Rugby has been big here since the English introduced it in the 1880s. Now, it’s said you can only choose a village site once you have found a field to play rugby. Fun fact: the first televisions appeared here only in 1987, so locals could watch rugby. If a ball’s not around, locals are known to play using empty bottles, lemons or wadded-up shirts.
The official season for professional teams is from April to September – and the youth competition during April’s Coca Cola Light Games is also popular – but you’ll find rugby played all year, particularly on Saturdays. In towns like Ba on Vitu Levu, an hour’s drive from Nadi, gets busy on Saturdays, when locals line the field with lawn chairs to watch game after game of teams pouring in from the Nausori Highlands.
6. Pick your path with Fiji Airways
Make your getaway to Fiji even more rewarding with Alaska Global Partner, Fiji Airways! Book before the end of Feb., and pick your path: Use Alaska miles to get up to 50% off award travel, OR earn DOUBLE the Alaska miles! Terms apply.
More ways to go global: Alaska Airlines to expand American Airlines relationship and join oneworld
For Alaska Airlines guests, the world is getting closer – and easier to reach.
We’re expanding our relationship with American Airlines and announcing plans to join oneworld, the highly rated global airline network – two moves that open the world for our guests. We see this as an exciting West Coast international alliance, which includes:
the ability to earn and use miles on both Alaska and American
full elite status reciprocity
lounge access to nearly 50 American Admirals Clubs worldwide and seven Alaska Lounges in the U.S. (However, Alaska Lounge members do not currently have access to the Admirals Club in San Francisco International Terminal 2 due to space constraints. Alaska will be opening a new 8,500-square-foot, top-floor lounge in Terminal 2 this fall. Boarding pass and guest restrictions apply.)
continued domestic codeshare and expanded international travel from Los Angeles and Seattle for hassle-free booking and travel between Alaska and American Airlines
In addition, we’re seeking full membership into oneworld, expected in summer 2021. Together, this new alliance and oneworld membership will give guests seamless access to 1,200 destinations around the world.
“This alliance opens the world for Alaska Airlines guests, whether traveling for business or pleasure,” said Andrew Harrison, Alaska’s executive vice president and Chief Commercial Officer. “And importantly for our employees and the communities we serve, this West Coast international alliance enables Alaska’s continued independent growth.”
Once Alaska’s membership is approved by oneworld, guests traveling on Alaska, American or a oneworld partner will feel like they have one connected travel experience – no matter who or where you fly.
At the same time, agreements with our current valued Global Partners will continue uninterrupted.
The reach of our expanded global network means we can give our guests what they want most – access to a huge international portfolio, seamless reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, lounge access and more choices to experience the world.
So, what does this West Coast international alliance mean for Alaska Mileage Plan members?
Our new alliance will let members earn and redeem miles on even more domestic and international destinations. This includes today’s announcement by American Airlines for the first nonstop flight from Seattle to Bangalore, India, starting October 2020, along with new service from Seattle to London, starting in spring 2021.
Effective immediately:
Redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on all American Airlines flights and continue to earn miles on American flights with an Alaska flight number.
Access any of American’s 50 Admirals Club locations worldwide with an Alaska Lounge membership.
Continue to earn and redeem Mileage Plan miles on our current portfolio of 16 Global Partners.
Starting spring 2020:
Earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles on any American Airlines flights, domestically and internationally.
Starting summer 2021:
Earn and redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles on all oneworld airlines.
Alaska elites will enjoy privileges, including priority boarding, premium seating, baggage benefits and more when you fly on American Airlines or any oneworld airline.
Access 650 lounges within the oneworld network as an MVP Gold or Gold 75K member.
This is just the beginning. We will share more details with you as these benefits become available.
Today
Redeem Alaska miles on all American Airlines flights.
Alaska Lounge members can access American’s 50 Admirals Club locations.
Earn and redeem miles on our current portfolio of 16 Global Partners.
Spring 2020
Earn Alaska miles on all American Airlines flights, domestically and internationally.
Fall 2020
American Airlines launches nonstop service between Seattle and Bangalore, India.
Spring 2021
American Airlines launches nonstop service between Seattle and London-Heathrow.
Summer 2021
Earn and redeem Alaska miles on all oneworld® airlines.
Alaska elites will enjoy privileges, including priority boarding, premium seating, baggage benefits and more when you fly on American Airlines or any oneworld® airline.
MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75k members can access 650 lounges within the oneworld® airline network.
Q&A:
What is the benefit of this alliance?
Enhancing our relationship with American Airlines by forming a West Coast international alliance and joining oneworld opens the world to our guests. This means traveling on Alaska, American or a oneworld airline will feel like one connected travel experience––no matter who or where you fly.
With this announcement, how many destinations will I be able to connect to?
We’ll be able to connect guests to more than 1,200 destinations worldwide when we are a full member of oneworld.
Does this mean your relationship with American won’t end?
Correct. Alaska and American will continue our domestic codeshare relationship uninterrupted.
What does this mean for your existing unaffiliated Global Partners?
Our 16 Global Partners are very valuable and we’ll keep them as long as they continue to provide a unique value to our guests.
Does this mean I’ll be able to access the American Airlines Admirals Club in Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport?
The Admirals Club in Terminal 2 at SFO is closing in March. However, you’ll have access to a new 8,500-square-foot, top-floor lounge at San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 2 when the new Alaska Lounge opens in 2020.
Self-care in the air: 6 tips to get in the flight headspace
Many of us have lives that go nonstop, so it’s essential to prioritize the solacing self-care activities that bring us the most joy and put us in the best headspace. And if travel’s on that list for you, then you’ve landed in the right spot (and flight spot!). This year, we want to help you approach your time spent in the air with health and wellness in mind, from relaxing destinations to onboard meditations, and everything in between.
Lettuce eat well.
Sometimes anything goes when you’re on-the-go––pizza for breakfast, airport martinis for lunch, a package of gummy bears for dinner. (No judgment!) But if you’re sticking to a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, no matter where in the world you’re headed, then we’re making sure you don’t just have to wing it. Our onboard menu is already known for being the healthiest in the sky, but we recently partnered with Evergreens to continue bringing local, healthy, and fresh ingredients to your tray table. The Beets So Fly Salad is available now on select longer-haul flights until March 16, followed by the Go Fig or Go Home Salad, available through the spring. Don’t forget to pre-order yours on the Alaska app––which happens to be our favorite kind of meal prep.
Destination: Meditation
It can be tough to quiet the mind when you’re jet-setting and preparing for a long-awaited adventure, which is why we’re proud to partner with Headspace to offer FREE inflight meditation sessions. We’ll help you be kind to your mind––from takeoff and touchdown to pre-flight nerves and inflight naps! If that sounds good, then look for Headspace in our entertainment portal the next time you’re on board, and get ready to let go, on the go.
The home stretch
You can always sit with us! But we know sitting for too long can leave you restless in your seat at 35,000 feet, so the next time the seat-belt sign is on, why not try your own version of in-seat yoga? Flexing, pointing and rotating your feet, side-to-side neck stretches, wiggling your fingers and toes, and crossing your arms and legs can help your body feel like it’s in motion. (Just be conscious of your seatmate’s space!) And of course, everyone loves long walks down the aisle — especially after sitting for a few hours — so be sure to take advantage of those stretchable strolls to the lavatory. Booking a Premium Class seat with extra legroom (and complimentary cocktails!) is also an easy and valuable way to elevate your self-care game right out of the gate.
More DIY on the fly
Some other ideas to help make your flight as pampered as possible? Hydrate. Bring your own water bottle and #FillBeforeYouFly. (We’ll also make sure you’re served water as soon as it’s safe for our flight attendants to walk through the cabin.) Keep calm and pack a sheet mask in your carry-on. (Your skin needs hydration, too!) Order a nice, hot cup of Teavana® tea. Watch a classic, feel-good film from our selection of the Most Movies in the Sky.* Do the crossword puzzle in the back of Beyond. Make a soothing travel playlist for the exact amount of flight time. Before you know it, you’ll be landing refreshed, ready to go BIG or go home — or wherever your travels may lead!
Say yes to de-stress!
We know opportunities for mindfulness exist in varying degrees and forms, subjective to timeframes and lifestyles, but we hope you find it, if even briefly, in your travels. (Yes, our Signature Fruit & Cheese Platter is a form of self-care!)
Get out of town!
Need travel ideas for finding nonstop zen on a long weekend? Treat yourself to these retreats.
How to pack your Machu Picchu adventure into a carry-on
Happy dance, you’ve booked a trip to Machu Picchu, one of the most stunning displays of natural beauty and preserved history in the world. Plane tickets in hand, travel itinerary from Cuzco, and a guide to lead the way—you’re almost ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
The only thing standing in your way? Packing, of course.
While Machu Picchu is Peru’s most popular destination with more than 1.5 million visitors in 2018 alone, it can also be a relative mystery when it comes to packing and preparation. The trip to Machu Picchu crosses everything from cold high desert to humid rainforest – with a fair share of trekking in between.
At the start of our Machu Picchu trek on a cold morning from Hidroeléctrica, a former train station and popular launch point for day trekking route up to the ruins, my girlfriend and I could see our breath hanging in the dark, early morning air. As the sun crested the steep mountain valley, temperatures jumped and humidity set in, collecting on our base layers as we stripped down andcontinued our slow trek through low-hanging jungle. Then came the rain. Scrambling for our packs one more time, we threw on rain jackets and prepped for our long haul up the mountain. In a span of hours, we had changed outfits nearly three times. We’d been warned about the contrasts in the Sacred Valley, but if it weren’t for some strategic packing, our dream trip could have turned into a nightmare.
As you pack, consider the buses and trains you’ll need to take to begin the walking portion.A trip to Machu Picchu covers a lot of terrain, andthe drive from Cuzco to the start of many Machu Picchu treks is a minimum of seven hours. Trust us,you don’t wantto lug a heavy and unwieldly suitcase all this way.
The best way to get the most out of your Machu Picchu excursion is to pack your trip down to a carry-on. Yes, a carry-on.
So how do you fit all that adventure into your cabin baggage? Here’s a no-frills guide to packing and preparing the ultimate carry-on for all of your Machu Picchu needs.
Winding up the Sacred Valley to the base of Machu Picchu, the train tracks from Aguas Calientes are a stunning (albeit long) approach for hikers heading to the famous ruins. Photo by Kade Krichko
It starts with a pack
The backpack may be the most important packing choice you make for a trek to Machu Picchu. The Aircontact Lite 40 + 10 L from Deuter is a good option. (Photo courtesy of Deuter)
Caption: The backpack may be the most important packing choice you make for a trek to Machu Picchu. The Aircontact Lite 40 + 10 L from Deuter is a good option. (Photo courtesy of Deuter)
Ask any world traveler, and they’ll tell you the key to carry-on travel is a good backpack. For your Machu Picchu trip-of-a-lifetime, the pack is key to more than squeezing your life into a carry-on; it’s critical for the actual trek as well. This means choosing the right backpack is likely the most important part of packing.
The Deuter Aircontact Lite 40 + 10 Lis a great option for anyone headed to Peru’s breathtaking ruins. The pack is easy to stow in your aircraft’s overhead compartment and combinesa super lightweight frame and comfortable fit with creative storage and a bundle of useful features. Offering 40 liters of storage space, the Aircontact Lite can actually expand to accommodate an additional 10L, giving you a little extra flexibility on the ground to pack and repack without jamming everything into place. The pack also features a separate bottom compartment for storing wet or dirty clothes – but more on that later.
The Aircontact Lite 40 + 10 L offers a customizable fit through adjustable straps, a flexible sternum strap and a padded hip belt to provide comfort for moving on and off planes, in between buses, and up and down the trail.
The case for a pack within your pack
Your carry-on pack isn’t the only bag you’ll need to carry your load. Make sure to pack a small daypack inside your carry-on as well. This pack will be essential for quick day missions in cities like Cuzco and the ruins of Ollantaytambo, where you’ll want to carry a camera and an extra layer, but little else. There are several options that pack down to fit in the pocket of your hiking pants – one example is the REI Flash 18 – and will be well worth the effort.
Organize your space with packing cubes
Packing cubes, like these from REI, will help you keep your bag efficiently organized. (Photo courtesy of REI)
As you pack your carry-on for Machu Picchu, remember that organization is key when it comes to space management. One of the best tools for maximizing room and efficiency is a good set of packing cubes. It may seem natural to compartmentalize your gear, but packing cubes make the process even easier, offering a portable set of “drawers” for separating shirts and pants from toiletries and technical gear.
Placed appropriately, these packing cubes will make it easy to change gear in and out of your pack, and can be removed and used as drawers in hotels and hostels. REI sells a few packing cube sets, and there are dozens of options available online for every kind of traveler.
Stay dry, stay happy
Staying dry is especially key for anyone traveling to Machu Picchu, and should be a priority when packing your carry-on. While the ruins have a distinct rainy season between November and May, humidity in the area ranges between 80% and 100% year-round, meaning fast-moving precipitation is never far off. Proper rain clothes – we recommend a lightweight rain jacket and rain pants – are a must. A poncho will help, but the continuous up and down of the Machu Picchu is easier with clothes that articulate with you rather than blow against you.
Also, quick-dry material is your friend. Merino wool goes a long way in the Andes, keeping you dry when weather turns ugly and keeping odor-causing bacteria off your skin and base layers. Quick-drying synthetic fibers can be very useful as often you’ll need gear to dry overnight. Think one to two shirts or base layers and a pair of convertible hiking pants/shorts as the basis of your wardrobe.
For wet or dirty laundry, pack a small dry-bag or plastic bag to separate potentially smelly gear from the rest. This will go a long way in keeping your pack fresh and travel companions happy.
Pack a puffy
Almost all Machu Picchu adventures start in Cuzco, a beautiful high-altitude city that can also get quite cold year-round (with lows barely rising above 45-degrees Fahrenheit). In fact, many of the Andean villages you will travel to experience a significant temperature drop at night. Battle the cold without bringing your whole winter closet by packing a puffy jacket like this one from Stio. Puffy jackets are lightweight and built to pack down into small spaces, making them ideal cold weather tools and the perfect options for fitting into acarry-on.
Hiking boots, of course – but sandals are your footwear Swiss Army knife
Your feet will thank you if you pack a pair of sturdy sandals like Chacos. (Photo courtesy of Chacos)
You won’t want to spend every waking hour of your trip in hiking boots, but packing extra shoes takes up valuable space in a hurry. Get the best of both worlds with a solid pair of sandals.
The Chaco Z/2 classic is an excellent option for tired feet, providing support and function for walks around town, but also the utility to be used in a shower or late-night bathroom run. Sandals pack down to almost nothing, and can fit in most backpack side compartments. Trust us, your feet will thank you.
Don’t forget a travel sheet
This is an easy one, but an important piece that needs to make your final pack list. A travel sheet takes up little room in the carry-on, but provides a physical barrier between you and whatever bed you might be sleeping on during your time abroad. While there are plenty of modern lodging options on your trip to Peru, hostels and other lodges can get the occasional bedbug attack, so it’s best not to take any chances. REI and outdoors stores carry these travel sheets in a variety of styles and even have sheets built to fit inside your sleeping bag.
Items recommended in this article were selected by the author based on personal experience. Neither the author nor Alaska Airlines will earn any commissions on purchases of recommended items.
How Alaska LIFT Miles support forest restoration across the country
Last year, more than 15,000 volunteers with the National Forest Foundation worked to restore 67,000 acres of wildlife habitat across the country, repair 125 miles of public trails and engage more than 7,500 young adults in forest restoration activities, introducing the next generation of stewards to their public lands.
And in strategic wildfire-prone areas of California, NFF teams are preventing future disasters by thinning 7,900 acres of forestland within the Tahoe National Forest and more than 4,000 acres in the American River Ranger District near Sacramento.
Participants in the 2019 Junior Field Ranger Program interact with visitors on the Angeles National Forest. (Photo by Brian Cavallaro, courtesy the National Forest Foundation)
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members support these and other NFF projects to restore and protect the nation’s 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands by donating miles through Alaska’s LIFT Miles program. These miles allow NFF staff to travel to sites across the National Forest System – from Alaska to California to Washington, D.C. – to meet with partners, host events and volunteer opportunities, and oversee projects. Since 2013, Alaska guests have donated more than 5 million miles in support of the National Forest Foundation work. In 2019, NFF staff traveled more than 1 million miles on Alaska using these donations. Learn more about how to donate miles to the NFF and other causes supported by LIFT Miles.
“Alaska Airlines miles donated to the National Forest Foundation are critical for our work,” says NFF President and CEO Mary Mitsos. “These miles enable us to travel across our voluminous National Forest System to conduct our mission to engage Americans and improve forest health.”
Participants in the 2019 Junior Field Ranger Program clean up a trail in the Angeles National Forest. (Photo by Brian Cavallaro, courtesy the National Forest Foundation)
Here are a few highlights from the National Forest Foundation’s work in 2019:
Engaging young adults with their forests in Southern California
For many urban residents, especially minority youth, access to and knowledge of public lands is limited. At the same time, forests in the backyard of urban areas are suffering the impacts of inexperienced users. In Southern California, the NFF is addressing this challenge through the Junior Field Ranger Program. More than 150 teens have participated in the program over the past six years. Program participants receive STEM-based outdoor education and training as certified California naturalists. This training earns them college credit and provides them with sufficient experience to interact with the public around basic conservation education.
“Before I joined the Junior Ranger Program, I didn’t realize the Angeles National Forest was this close,” says Carlos Regalado, age 16 and a resident of Los Angeles.
A key component of the program includes interacting with forest visitors. Thanks to the Junior Rangers, visitors learn how littering, creating unofficial trails and damming streams can adversely impact local water resources and wildlife habitat.
Helping rural Alaskan youth connect with public lands
The 2019 Angoon YCC poses during a work day on the Tongass National Forest. (Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service)
For the fifth year, the National Forest Foundation has partnered with other organizations to support the Angoon Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) in Southeast Alaska’s Admiralty Island, where brown bears outnumber residents 3 to 1. For the six Native Alaskan crew members working on the Angoon YCC, this is often their first job.
Throughout the summer, the crew’s primary objectives are conservation-based – maintaining trails, cabins and campsites, and restoring habitat by cleaning up debris along shorelines and removing invasive species. They kayak to and camp at many of the remote sites they are working. The youth also engage other village residents in volunteer events, and have begun a campaign to teach them about the dangers of marine debris to wildlife. In addition to these benefits for the surrounding Tongass National Forest, the participants also acquire professional skills.
Restoring a popular trail in the temperate rainforests of Washington
The NFF, with partner EarthCorps, just completed 500 hours of work to improve the popular Lake 22 Trail on the Mountain Loop Highway near Seattle. The crew upgraded the trail tread to improve drainage and built a new bridge from natural materials. This work will make the hike more pleasant for users, and will keep sediment out of the streams. This work will ensure visitors can continue to access this hike to Lake 22, which combines the best of old-growth rainforests, wetlands, and mountain views on the stunning Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
The NFF will continue projects in this area for the next five years including a new Treasured Landscapes site just east of Everett, Washington. Alaska Airlines miles donated through LIFT Miles will support NFF work to enhance outdoor recreation sites to accommodate increased visitor use; to restore watershed health and aquatic ecosystems to benefit threatened salmon and steelhead as well as other wildlife species; and to increase the number and diversity of people stewarding the National Forest for future generations. Alaska Airlines’ new flights into Paine Field allow NFF staff to travel efficiently to and from the project sites to support implementation.
Alaska Airlines offers daily service to Hawaii Island (Kona), Kauai, Maui and Oahu.
Oahu’s Nainoa Thompson has spent his life pursuing far-fetched adventures. Sailing across the Pacific in a traditional double-hulled canoe, named Hokulea, open to the elements, using the wind and stars for direction? Preposterous. Guide Hokulea around the world for three years? Outrageous. Dangerous, in fact.
In late October 2015, some 16,000 nautical miles into the journey, Hokulea was sailing along the east coast of Africa toward Cape Town, the most dangerous leg of the journey to date. “Everybody said we should put the canoe on a cargo ship to get around South Africa,” Thompson recalls of Hokulea’s most recent journey circling the entire planet.
For more than 40 years, Thompson has studied the stars, wind, currents, waves and animals of the sea to find his way across vast oceans–and to help prove that ancient Polynesians purposefully voyaged to his native Hawaii. Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
“‘Go ahead,’ I told them. ‘But I quit.’ ” Hokulea stayed in the water and rounded the Cape of Good Hope, a notoriously tempestuous stretch of water. Thompson did not quit, and Hokulea continued on, making goodwill stops along the way, visiting with Indigenous groups in Brazil, the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and islands in the South Pacific before returning to Honolulu in 2017—earning global acclaim and making Thompson perhaps the most famous person in Hawaii.
But Thompson is not the daredevil he may seem. Just the opposite, in fact. He is a savvy leader who balances risk-taking with readiness—and now he is expanding his leadership profile, traveling the world (by air and sea) to support the global Indigenous revival and response to climate change. Thompson visits elementary school classrooms, service-club luncheons, business-leadership summits, and local and national government events. His message is low-key but strong: We must act now to preserve human civilization in the face of global warming and cultural conflict. He believes full preparation, loving cooperation and bold action can make a difference, and his example is Hokulea’s global journey.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
“That three-year global voyage was actually a 10-year journey,” Thompson says of the adventure named Malama Honua—roughly translated as “care for our home.”
“We spent seven years in preparation to sail around the world. People think I’m a risk-taker—and in some ways I am—but I am also extremely cautious. You can do anything with sufficient preparation.”
In person, Thompson is a laid-back Pacific Islander whose careful conversation seems mild and measured. Years of open-ocean adventures have weathered his face. His steady gaze is ideal for charting maritime star maps. His smile blossoms when kids are in the vicinity. And after a lifetime proving the impossible can be done, he is trying to convince the whole human race to take on something that might seem impossible: to spread a message of peace and sustainable living, of care for the earth.
Oddly enough, instead of adventurer, risk-taker and leader, Thompson might have become a dairy farmer. “Milking cows at 5 a.m.,” he says. “That’s what I did when I was a boy.”
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
Thompson’s grandfather, Charlie Lucas, owned a dairy operation in the Niu Valley, about 2 miles east of Waikiki. Like almost all ag-family kids, Thompson had farm chores from an early age, though he recalls, “I wasn’t very good at it.”
What he did prove good at was adventure.
Thompson learned wayfinding, thus helping to save the ancient Polynesian art of navigation from extinction. As a wayfinder, he crossed the Pacific on voyaging canoes, then circled the globe in that epic journey, becoming the most visible advocate for and public figure of Polynesian voyaging, representing the achievements of Pacific Indigenous peoples to the world at large.
Nainoa Thompson – Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
Now 66, he and the organization he heads, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, are transforming their achievements into concepts that directly bear on our entire civilization. Having sailed well more than 175,000 nautical miles, he is in the company of such historic adventurers as James Cook and Vasco da Gama. And as he relates his journeys to others, he speaks of the earth itself as a voyaging canoe, entering perilous waters.
Our most important challenge lies ahead of us,” he says. “Humanity needs to come together based on values, such as those that made Hokulea possible. The heart of voyaging is not the canoe, or wayfinding, it’s the community behind all those things. Our world is worth it—and we don’t have another one,” Thompson says.
Seeking to spread that message, Thompson and his compatriots will set sail on Hokulea again, next year, departing from Alaska to circumnavigate the Pacific.
Thompson still lives adjacent to what was his grandfather’s farm on the outskirts of Honolulu. But in the past 40 years, guiding a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe—using ancient navigation techniques such as reading the stars, winds and waves—to prove it could be done, he and his companions in PVS have rewritten our understanding of the way humankind populated the Pacific. Thompson and PVS have painted a new portrait of the indomitable spirit of human beings.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
Without compasses, sextants or other instruments, adventurers thousands of years ago began migrating east and north from Southeast Asia through the islands of the Pacific. Polynesians eventually reached Hawaii—one of the most remote major land masses on Earth, nearly 2,300 miles from North America—where they established a dynamic, self-sustaining civilization that supported an estimated 300,000 Hawaiians by the time Cook arrived in 1778.
That initial contact was long called Cook’s “discovery” of Hawaii. Twentieth-century Western academics and explorers dismissed Hawaiian oral histories of those early crossings as mere myths. Yet the presence of Polynesians throughout the Pacific meant there had to be some explanation. In 1947, Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl crossed to the French Polynesia island Raroia from South America on a raft (utilizing navigation instruments), on the theory that this was how the South Pacific came to be settled; his book, Kon-Tiki, was a 1950 sensation. Anthropologists such as Andrew Sharp in the mid 1950s dismissed ancient Polynesians as wanderers, incapable of navigation, who were swept across the ocean accidentally to Tahiti, Rapa Nui and Hawaii by storms.
PVS co-founder Ben Finney, a young anthropology student from California, thought this made no sense—and in the early 1970s he met a University of Hawaii professor who handed him the Heyerdahl and Sharp books and issued a challenge: “Read these. They are wrong. Prove it.”
The 62-foot double hulled Hokulea sailed around the world with a rotating crew of 11 to 13 living on an open deck. The canoe has logged more than 250,000 miles over 11 long-distance voyages and numerous training journeys.
Finney joined Hawaiian artist Herb Kane and mariner Tommy Holmes to found PVS for the exact purpose of crossing the Pacific. They built a traditional voyaging canoe, Hokulea, and searched for information on wayfinding. Eventually they discovered a master navigator, Mau Piailug, on a small island in Micronesia—believed to be the last human keeper of wayfinding knowledge.
Meanwhile, Thompson was a young man in love with the ocean—surfing, swimming, paddling, but still looking for his life’s mission. He began doing odd jobs for Kane, and one night at the latter’s house, the artist took young Thompson outside to look at the stars, describing how the stars were the charts PVS would use to cross the Pacific and demonstrate that their ancestors had deliberately sailed to Hawaii.
Thompson says he knew then and there what his life’s mission would be.
By Ingrid Barrentine.
“That night I got sucked into a dream,” he recalls, his eyes still flashing a half-century later. “Herb wanted cultural justice. Ben wanted scientific justice. I wanted the magic of the stars and the canoe. I loved the ocean. I just wanted to go, man.”
PVS convinced Mau to guide Hokulea to Tahiti in 1976, a successful 30-day voyage. But the canoe was forced to return to Hawaii using instruments, and PVS members—especially Thompson—resolved to learn wayfinding so they could sail Hokulea with an entirely Hawaiian crew. Thompson spent a couple years studying with the master navigator, drawing star maps in beach sand, scanning the night skies aboard Thompson’s fishing boat, watching cloud formations in the day, reading ocean swells. A master wayfinder can literally be asleep and awaken when wave patterns shift because the canoe is off course.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
“Nainoa, I can teach you how to go out and back, but I can’t teach you the magic,” Thompson recalls Mau saying, advising his apprentice that it would be 20 years before Thompson could fully “see” the ways of the ocean.
Thompson gained skill and magic enough to help guide the canoe once again to Tahiti and back in 1980, becoming the first Hawaiian to navigate an open-ocean journey to Tahiti in 600 years. The PVS-odyssey plans had been met with great skepticism, but the trips outbound and back were fairly straightforward, and that success replaced derision with awe.
While it is incredible that ancient Polynesians crossed the Pacific in double-hulled canoes using wayfinding; it is equally incredible that a small, committed group of 20th century Hawaiian adventurers revived a nearly lost art and brought history back to life.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
While Thompson’s life illustrates the way that answering an innate urge for adventure might result in great meaning (not to mention fame), the very ideas of voyaging and wayfinding are built on concepts such as self-discipline, self-knowledge, respect for the natural world and care for all onboard. Long-distance voyages are tests of bravery and self-composure. Most of the time, very little happens aside from monitoring the sails and the heading. One experienced voyager describes the experience as “a long series of power naps.”
But occasionally it is much more exciting. Bad weather appears, obscuring the sky; riding out a storm is a test of skill and courage. No matter how wild and risky those first voyages may have seemed, dedication to voyaging principles assured their success, Thompson says.
When PVS proposed that Hokulea journey around the world, many argued that the journey would be too dangerous.
No matter how dangerous it may seem for us to go, the greater danger lies in keeping Hokulea tied up to shore,” Thompson replied in a characteristically measured remark.
The 62-foot canoe departed Hilo in May 2014 and returned to Honolulu in triumph in June 2017, having taken three years to visit 150 ports in 27 countries, covering 42,000 miles.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
Now an elder among the Native Hawaiian people, and a world figure, Thompson travels the planet to encourage application of voyaging principles to cultural revival, sustainability and human progress. “We have a responsibility to history and culture, and to the canoe we all share,” he declares.
Historically, navigators were men, but today there are a number of young women who are wayfinding apprentices. It’s an innovation Thompson embraced, gently overruling objections from traditionalists. Wayfinding is studied at several universities, where it is considered a science.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
The story of the Polynesian Voyaging Society does lead one to wonder what other chapters of the human story have been lost. How to live in peace with our planet, perhaps? How to live in peace with one another? These are the principles within a traditional Hawaiian philosophy known as “The Way of the Canoe,” which seeks to apply voyaging protocols to daily life as individuals, communities and nations—to respect and care for ourselves, each other, and our natural and cultural environments.
Thompson is a leader among the world’s Indigenous communities, and has thus gained friends and allies among many Native peoples on six continents. Among them are Alaskans, such as the Tlingits of Southeast, who decided long ago to support the PVS mission. Former Alaska Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott, a Tlingit elder from Juneau and onetime CEO of Sealaska Corporation, donated two immense spruce logs to PVS in 1990 to use in making a new canoe (Hawaiiloa) because there are no longer any sufficiently large koa trees in the Islands.
“Over the years, Nainoa’s family and mine have become close as we have worked together personally and with our institutions to advance our cultures, a healthy planet and stronger ties among Indigenous and all people,” says Mallott. “Nainoa’s innate, palpable and humble spirituality has been a source of strength, and his embracing worldview based on that spiritual core is tied to a powerful vision of a shared planet in peril but capable of healing by caring, committed peoples. This is what defines his powerful leadership. In a sentence, Nainoa is a leader our Island Earth needs now more than ever,” Mallott says.
Why didn’t Thompson stay put on his grandfather’s farm? When Thompson was about 5, a neighbor took him to a beach to go fishing. “It all started with a fishing pole in my hand,” he laughs. “That was the first great gift of my life.”
Much of Charlie Lucas’ farm was long ago transformed into suburbs, with tidy homes, quiet streets and pleasant shopping centers. Resorts line the beach where Thompson first cast a line.
Thompson and his compatriots recognize that they did not create wayfinding or voyaging, and like almost all pathfinders, Thompson unfailingly credits his mentors and teachers, especially Mau.
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine.
But those 20th century adventurers who first set out across the Pacific using the vessels and techniques of the ancients, just to prove it could be done, and had been done, have transformed their achievements into an innovation perfect for the 21st century world—the canoe as metaphor. Today, Hokulea and her sister ships represent our planet, and Thompson says the voyagers’ work has just begun. “Navigation is not just about sailing.”
Thompson offers a simple, concise catalog of his values: family, home, ocean. “And by home I mean our planet,” he says. If you ask what his life has meant, his answer is equally simple: “I stood up for something that matters.”
Eric Lucas lives on a small farm on San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest’s Salish Sea. This story originally appeared in ALASKA BEYOND MAGAZINE—FEBRUARY 2020.
Proud of performance: Our 23,000 employees earn nearly a month’s extra pay
Our people are the heart of our business, and the reason we’re an award-winning airline. Our people always go above and beyond—on nights, weekends and holidays—to take care of our guests, each other and our communities.
Today, we’re awarding more than $130 million in annual bonuses to recognize their passion, dedication and hard work. For most employees, this equates to more than 7% of their annual pay in 2019, about a month’s extra pay. Employees also earned an additional $20 million throughout 2019 for meeting monthly operational goals.
Each year we adjust our incentive pay plans to align with our annual business objectives. Last year’s performance-based payout was determined by meeting or exceeding specific company-wide goals for safety, operational and guest-facing performance.
“I’m so proud of all the great things this team accomplished together in 2019. It was a pivotal year for Alaska as we put the integration further into our rearview mirror,” said Alaska President Ben Minicucci. “For the 11th-straight year, we exceeded our annual targets for incentive pay, and I’m happy that all 23,000 employees will be sharing in that success. As more people fly Alaska, they get to know what we’re all about: We’re safe, on time, a great value, and our people care more. That’s a powerful combination – and I’m excited about where it will take us.”
Breakdown of our yearly bonus, called Performance Based Pay (PBP) in 2019 by region:
About $70 million in annual bonuses — nearly 53 percent of the total — is being paid to Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees across Washington
$31 million — or 23 percent of the total — is going to employees throughout California
$13 million is being paid to employees in Oregon
$9 million is going to employees throughout the state of Alaska
Tizzard, a San Francisco–based flight attendant who lives in Las Vegas, has, in multiple roles, provided great service to flyers over the years. He started out in ground operations in 1987 at a regional airline in Florida. Eventually, he became a flight attendant, and he was one of the original teammates at Virgin America in 2007. A multitalented employee, he has helped hire and train flight attendants over the years, and has worked as a catering operations analyst, an inflight service instructor and an air transportation supervisor.
The drink – which sort of resembles muddy water – is served in a bilo cup made from a coconut shell. Clap once before receiving it, drink it fully, hand the empty cup back, and clap three more times. Kava tastes like grassy water and offers your tongue a slight tingle. It’s not alcohol but is known to be relaxing if you have many rounds.
Locals use many plants as traditional medicines. Some resorts, including the 
sessions. We’ll help you be kind to your mind––from takeoff and touchdown to pre-flight nerves and inflight naps! If that sounds good, then look for Headspace in our entertainment portal the next time you’re on board, and get ready to let go, on the go.
Some other ideas to help make your flight as pampered as possible? Hydrate. Bring your own water bottle and #FillBeforeYouFly. (We’ll also make sure you’re served water as soon as it’s safe for our flight attendants to walk through the cabin.) Keep calm and pack a sheet mask in your carry-on. (Your skin needs hydration, too!) Order a nice, hot cup of Teavana® tea. Watch a classic, feel-good film from our selection of the Most Movies in the Sky.* Do the crossword puzzle in the back of Beyond. Make a soothing travel playlist for the exact amount of flight time. Before you know it, you’ll be landing refreshed, ready to go BIG or go home — or wherever your travels may lead!
We know opportunities for mindfulness exist in varying degrees and forms, subjective to timeframes and lifestyles, but we hope you find it, if even briefly, in your travels. (Yes, our Signature Fruit & Cheese Platter is a form of self-care!)
