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Q&A: Meet our Paine Field terminal leaders

Horizon Air’s Mario Doiron, supervisor, and Renee Parson, manager, at Paine Field

At Alaska, we’re all about the journey – getting you safely to your final destination, and empowering our people to explore where their careers may lead.

For Renee Parson, our new Paine Field manager, and Mario Doiron, who is stepping into our Paine Field supervisor role, the journey has been anything but linear. But both long-time employees couldn’t be happier about landing at our brand new terminal in Everett, Washington.

We sat down with Parson and Doiron to learn more about their new roles and the terminal north of Puget Sound, opening its doors with daily departures this Monday, March 4.
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Inside our new cabin: Thoughtful touches for the modern traveler

Today, we’re excited to take you inside our retrofitted Airbus aircraft. Months of research, focus groups and iteration went into the new cabin, but we started by asking a single question: What makes you comfortable on a plane?

Turns out, your comfort is about a lot more than ergonomics, though that’s part of it. You want to feel more in control – control of your space, your belongings and, ultimately, your flight experience.

Our goal is not to be different for different’s sake,” explained Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines vice president of marketing. “We want to be different for our guests – and we believe the details matter.”

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Fresh, local, feel-good: Airplane food with no compromises

Tell us everything. Don’t hold back.”

In a room full of differing opinions and hungry stomachs, these aren’t the words you expect to hear. But Todd Traynor-Corey, Alaska Airlines director of onboard food and beverages, means it.

At one of Alaska’s multiple menu tastings every year, he solicits honest feedback from guests and flight attendants. The group isn’t shy, with feedback ranging from a sandwich that’s “too tall,” to a dish that’s “very Whole 30” and a unanimous request for “more ketchup, please.”
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New tech: Fly smarter with satellite Wi-Fi, mood lighting

Did you know satellite Wi-Fi means you can start watching movies as soon as your flight leaves the gate? Or that blue lighting is scientifically proven to have a calming effect?

Today we’re pulling back the curtain on our new cabin interior. The latest technology played a central role in the design.

Advanced satellite Wi-Fi

We’re actively rolling out high-speed satellite internet, with about half of our mainline fleet getting the new technology by 2020.

Our Gogo 2Ku service provides a faster connection speed, which will let you stream, browse and chat from gate departure to gate arrival, virtually everywhere we fly. You can choose from one of 500 free titles in our Alaska Beyond™ Entertainment library – the most movies in the sky – or watch your own content from providers like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Go.
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10 binge-worthy inflight movies and TV shows

361,000 people reportedly watched the entire second season of “Stranger Things” the day it was released. If this doesn’t come as a surprise, then you know how easy it is to keep watching your favorite flicks when they’re packed with plot twists and the next one is only a click away.

But who has time to binge? Luckily, when you’re on a long-haul flight, time is on your side. And you won’t find a bigger free inflight entertainment library on domestic airlines than on Alaska. You can choose from over 300 free movies and more than 200 free TV shows, accessible on your own device on most flights.

To inspire your next inflight viewing marathon, check out a few binge-worthy titles in rotation starting next month:

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – 8 episodes (season 1)

Don’t have Prime? Now’s your chance to watch season 1 of the award-winning new series. Set in the late 1950s, the show follows the journey of a female comedian from the Upper West Side. With the director of “Gilmore Girls” at the helm, it’s fast-paced and witty like you’d expect – and the show’s leading lady doesn’t hold anything back.

Ready to binge season 2? Stay tuned this fall.

Toy Story – 3 movies

If you feel like being a kid again – or introducing your kids to Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang – we’ve got all three “Toy Story” movies. They’re a great segue into animated new releases like “Incredibles 2” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”
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Video: Paine Field terminal sneak peek

We’re getting super excited! Our first flights from Paine Field in Everett, Washington take off March 4. We’ll soon have 18 daily nonstop departures to 8 terrific West Coast destinations. For so many of our guests – especially those who live in North Puget Sound – this new airport will be a game-changer.

Today, we’re sharing a sneak peek of what’s in store:

Before flying out of Paine Field for the first time, you may be wondering the best route to get there, where to park, and what food and drink options you’ll have. Propeller Airports – which operates the new terminal – has launched a website to help travelers plan their trips. We recommend checking it out!

And don’t forget: It’s not too late to buy your Alaska Airlines tickets for Paine Field flights.
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5 reasons you’ll love our new SFO lounge

Every day, roughly 150,000 passengers pass through San Francisco International Airport. We have been hard at work designing a new space to serve our Bay Area guests with their every comfort in mind. Today, we’re excited to announce we’re building our first Alaska Lounge in SFO’s Terminal 2, scheduled to open in 2020.

Inspired by the innovation and creativity fueling San Francisco, we’ve channeled that energy into our latest project: an 8,500-square-foot space to relax and recharge.

There are many reasons you will love our new SFO lounge – here’s our top five:

An incredible rooftop location

Taking advantage of the sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay, our new location will be set on top of Terminal 2. With the highest viewpoint of any domestic lounge at SFO, you’ll have views of the runway and the Bay – once the fog rolls away.
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We’re getting bigger in Texas. Howdy, El Paso!


We’re galloping to the West Texas city of El Paso.

Starting today, Feb. 19, we have daily nonstop flights between Seattle and El Paso, and between El Paso and San Diego.

El Paso is a new destination for Alaska Airlines. It’s our 90th nonstop destination from Seattle, our largest hub. From San Diego, El Paso is our 31st nonstop destination and our third nonstop destination in Texas, joining Austin and Dallas Love Field.

With the most nonstops from the West Coast, we’re proud to add another popular city to where we fly.
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We pledge to increase our Black female pilots by 2025

From left: Alaska Airlines First Officer Kim Ford, Alaska Airlines Captain Tara Wright, Alaska Airlines Senior Diversity & Inclusion Specialist Theressa Irigon-Rachetto, Sisters of the Skies President & United Airlines Captain Theresa Claiborne, Alaska Airlines First Officer Mallory Cave

Today’s flight deck is full of incredible professionals, but also lacking diversity. Black female pilots make up about one half of 1 percent of all professional pilots across the industry. At Alaska, we’re all about people and reflecting those we serve, but this statistic is a reminder of how far we have to go.

This morning, we signed a new pledge with Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit committed to pilot diversity. We aim to increase our female Black pilots over the next six years across Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, and support the path to expose and inspire more young women to get there.

“When we foster an inclusive environment that recognizes, respects, and visibly reflects all people, it makes us stronger,” said Andy Schneider, Alaska Airlines vice president of people. “Quite simply, creating an airline people love is not possible unless we walk the talk around diversity and inclusion.”
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Major snowstorm impacting Sea-Tac Airport

UPDATE: 2:08 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2019
The verdict is in: It’s the snowiest month at Sea-Tac Airport in 50 years. Over the past week and a half, the National Weather Service reports an overall snowfall total of more than 20 inches at Sea-Tac.

All that wintry weather has created plenty of challenges, including for our operations. The snow has finally let up, but it’s going to take some time to get things flowing normally. To help do that, we’ve pre-canceled additional flights in and out of Sea-Tac for today – which decreases the number of aircraft landing and departing – to ease congestion, and give us some breathing room.

If your flight has been impacted, you’ll receive an email notification from us. To help our guests adjust their travel plans, we also extended our flexible travel policy for those who are impacted by the winter storms and need to change their flights in and out of Seattle.

When our guests have a frustrating travel experience, so do we. We always want you to have a great flight. If your travel day hit a roadblock recently, we apologize and promise our employees are working hard to get you where you need to go – safely.

We know that information is power, and as a guest, it’s easy to feel in the dark in these situations. Here’s a look at several of the key issues we faced:

    • Snow, snow, snow. Another 6 inches bombarded Sea-Tac starting mid-afternoon yesterday. At times, there were near whiteout conditions.
    • There was so much snow falling at certain points, it impacted our operations. There were moments when deicing procedures had to be stopped, or planes had to be deiced multiple times because of the intensity of the snow. Crews needed more time and fewer planes to work on to make sure the procedures were done safely.
    • The intense snowfall slowed the departure process from pushback, taxi time and deicing times. That meant planes were parked at the gates longer, leaving other aircraft (and passengers) on the tarmac waiting much longer than usual.
    • During the snowstorms, the FAA has periodically activated ground stops to prevent arriving aircraft from landing. That happened again Monday for several hours. That’s in additional to ground delay programs at Sea-Tac, which slows down operations at the airport by putting more spacing between planes arriving and departing.
    • These extreme weather events just don’t impact the movement of our planes, but also our people. It’s important that our flight crews don’t exceed their FAA-regulated duty period – that’s the allowable length of a safe workday for pilots and flight attendants. If the crew exceeds that duty period, flights are delayed or even canceled.
    • In the days ahead, we’ll also need time to reposition our flight crews and aircraft as we get our operations back to normal, especially since Seattle is our primary hub. That could also require further delays and cancellations.

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Travel Alert: Flexible travel policy in place for Sea-Tac guests as snow storm wallops region

UPDATE: 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2019

As of 4 p.m. Pacific time, today’s wintry weather is a factor in nearly all the 154 Alaska flights that have been canceled to and from Seattle, impacting the travel plans of more than 13,600 passengers.

Thanks again to all of our guests who worked with us on a not-so-great day for traveling at our main hub.

UPDATE: 2:05 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2019
As of 2 p.m. Pacific time, today’s wintry weather is a factor in nearly all the 133 Alaska flights that have been canceled to and from Seattle, impacting the travel plans of nearly 12,000 passengers.

We appreciate the patience of our guests during this difficult travel day. We’re doing everything we can to get all of our customers to their destinations.

ORIGINAL POST: 12:17 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2019
The beginning of February is giving us a big reminder that it’s still winter in the Pacific Northwest. A potent snow storm has slowed operations at Sea-Tac Airport for us and all other airlines today. We’ve canceled at least 80 flights and there are a significant number of delays.

A Ground Delay Program – instituted by Air Traffic Control – is also in effect at the airport, which slows the number of arriving flights and reduces congestion.

As of 10 a.m. Pacific time, the weather is a factor in nearly all 80 Alaska flights that have been canceled to and from Seattle, impacting the travel plans of more than 6,700 passengers.

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CEO Brad Tilden: My week in Alaska job shadowing frontline employees

This trip was the first of many for our leaders at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air for the coming year. Called “Leader Immersion,” our managing directors and up will spend a week in the operation. It’s kind of an “Undercover Boss,” without the disguise, as one of our employees said.

The Great Land is beautiful, even in January. The low temperatures create a beautiful frost on the trees and there is something really wonderful and peaceful about the mornings here, (where it is currently staying dark until around 10 a.m.). I was in Anchorage, Alaska for a week in early January on the suggestion of one of our employees, who challenged me to job shadow – walking in our frontline employees’ shoes. It sounded like a good idea to me.

Anchorage

My week started with my flight from Seattle to Anchorage. The Seattle-based flight crew – Shannon Novito, Angela Bolton, Kris McCloskey and Kimberly Sagmoen (pictured above) – were awesome. I had a great time visiting with them, interacting with our guests onboard, and serving a beverage or two. I sat on the flight deck for the last 40 minutes of the flight and was impressed with the expert airmanship of Captain John Lien and First Officer Levi Breidenbach who navigated us into Anchorage amidst a low blanket of fog.
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