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Weekend Wanderer: Anchorage, Alaska to Maui, Hawaii

From the winter wonderland of Anchorage, Alaska comes Bex Farleigh. Scrolling through her Instagram feed is no problem as she showcases the adventures she has had in some of the most majestic places in America. She just returned from an Instagram takeover in Maui, Hawaii as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, be sure to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

When we touched down in Maui, we were overwhelmed by the sweet, thick ocean air. There’s really nothing like that feeling – it’s one you can only get in Hawaii.

More Maui: 5 must-do’s on Maui, Hawaii’s Valley Isle

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Alaska Airlines to hire for 2,300 frontline jobs in 2017: Why you should apply today

Alaska's frontline employees

A forecasted more than 2,300 frontline jobs will be up for grabs at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air throughout 2017. The growing airlines are looking for candidates to fill hundreds of flight attendant, pilot, reservations and customer service jobs throughout the airlines’ route network.

Jobs will be posted to alaskaair.jobs and horizonair.jobs throughout the year. More than 2,000 of the positions do not require previous airline experience.

“This is an exciting time for our airlines – we are growing and that means more new job opportunities in the communities we serve.” says Laura Fowler, Managing Director Talent Acquisition & Inclusion.  “Our team is on the lookout for people who want to be a part of a great culture and help create an airline people love.”

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Teamwork at 35,000 ft. helps dad with child in ICU

Family at Pensacola Beach

Finding out your child is in the hospital is terrifying, especially if you get the news while you’re in the air, aboard a flight headed in the opposite direction.

Jason Carlton, a resident of De Queen, Arkansas, was flying on Feb. 20 with two friends from Dallas to a ministry conference in Seattle.

Prior to the trip, Carlton’s 8-year-old daughter, Mia Beth, had been sick with a cold. Mia Beth has severe asthma and has struggled with respiratory distress. Carleton’s wife, Melanie, had scheduled a doctor’s appointment for Mia Beth that morning.

“Since I had an early flight on Monday morning, I had left home on Sunday afternoon to spend Sunday night with friends in Dallas,” said Carlton. “During the night, Mia Beth’s cold went from bad to worse. We were concerned, but it had been two years since her last hospitalization. I decided to go ahead and make my trip to Seattle.”

At the doctor’s office, Mia Beth’s percentage of oxygen saturation had dropped below normal, and her doctor decided to transfer her to the local hospital via ambulance, and then on to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, about 120 miles away.

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Weekend Wanderer: Portland, Oregon to Austin, Texas

Living in the Rose City, Kari Young has a taste for adventure and delicious foods. From close ups of her favorite happy hour snack to the best burger you’ll ever eat, she knows how to show off drool-worthy content to our feed. She just returned from an Instagram takeover in Austin, Texas. as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, be sure to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

1.Leaving rainy PDX to eat, drink and shop around Austin, TX for my #weekendwanderer trip and I cannot wait to land in Austin and start on this incredible and delicious weekend.
Leaving rainy PDX to eat, drink and shop around Austin, TX for my #weekendwanderer trip and I cannot wait to land in Austin and start on this incredible and delicious weekend.

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What’s happening behind the scenes before your flight

people boarding a flight

When you arrive at the airport for a flight, you probably have your routine down. To get to your gate with time to spare, you should be arriving two to three hours before your flight (depending on what airport you are departing from, whether you are checking bags, and whether your flight is domestic or international).  Maybe you check in at a kiosk and self-tag your bag to save a bit of time so you can grab a Starbucks once you clear security.

During that time, Alaska employees are working hard to prepare your flight. As the No. 1 on-time airline in North America, Alaska Airlines has it down to something of a science. So what is going on behind the scenes to make sure your flight gets off the ground safely and on time?

By the time you get to your gate, you may have already missed a lot of the magic, and a lot of the action happens out of view.

Here are just a few things going behind the scenes:

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Alaska’s newest Charity Miles partner brings dreams within reach for Black students

Dureti Jamal always knew she wanted to go to college. She just didn’t know how to get there.

As a first-generation college applicant, she didn’t know how to build a resume. She’d never heard of the Common App and didn’t know where to look for potential scholarships.

Then Jamal heard of the Portfolio Project, a program of UNCF that provides mentorship and guidance to minority high school students as they navigate the college application project.

“Neither of my parents went to college, so I knew I would have to find help with the applications,” she said. “I definitely could not have done that on my own. I didn’t know anything about the college process – I don’t know what I would have done.”

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2016 year in review: Mileage Plan by the numbers

Last year was a big year for Alaska Mileage Plan members. While the airline was busy adding new benefits, members were literally flying around the world.

Over the course of 12 months, Alaska’s frequent fliers said goodbye to foreign transaction fees on their Alaska Airlines Visa Signature cards and enjoyed new perks including lower prices for award travel, increased mileage earning on select global partners, and upgradable award tickets for elite members. In the meantime, they were flying. A lot.

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Travel Advisory: Snow continues to fall at Sea-Tac Airport

1 p.m., Feb. 6 update

Alaska Airlines continues to respond to ongoing snowfall at its largest hub. In anticipation of additional flight cancellations expected for this evening, we’re extending our flexible travel policy. That means customers can change or cancel flights online at no additional cost. Learn more here.

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Michael P. Anderson Memorial Aerospace Program exposes youth to life’s possibilities

Sara Zaki used to think she’d like to be a doctor when she grows up. That was before she spent three formative middle school years as a Michael P. Anderson Memorial Aerospace Program scholar.

Today? The 17-year-old Running Start student plans to be a pilot. An African-American female pilot, to be precise. Because “you just don’t hear about a lot of those.”

Zaki spent three years in the program, which was created in 2008 to honor the memory of astronaut Michael P. Anderson. Anderson, a Spokane, Washington, native, was killed 2003 in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. The program is run by a board of volunteers and features six events each year, the first of which is hosted by the Museum of Flight. The goal is to reach underrepresented youth of color across the state and inspire them to dream bigger about the future.

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Airport rehearsal helps children with autism practice traveling

Being on a plane can be stressful for a lot of people. But for children with autism, it can be an especially overwhelming and even frightening.

Alaska Airlines helped make the travel experience easier for 53 families this past Saturday during the “Sky’s the Limit” event at Portland International Airport.

The event aims to alleviate some of the stress when flying for families who have a child with autism.

Read more: 5 tips for traveling with a child on the autism spectrum

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Travel inspiration: 5 employee Instagram accounts to follow

Whether you’re snorkeling at Hanauma Bay on Oahu, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge or flying by Mount Rainier on a sunny day, Instagram allows you to share photos and videos of all aspects of your life.

More than 18,000 employees and teammates are employed at Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Virgin America. They spend their work hours taking care of the 40 million passengers who fly each year, and their free time enjoying that airline employee life.

Check out six Alaska, Horizon and Virgin America Instagrammers who have found creative ways to showcase their adventures through photos on their Instagram accounts. And, don’t forget to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

These are employees’ personal accounts linked with permission, not official company accounts. All views expressed are the employees’ own and not endorsed by Alaska (but we do love their photo skills!)

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Weekend Wanderer: Seattle to Whitefish, Montana

Picture of Weekend Wanderer Nick Becerra

Residing in Seattle, Washington, Nick Becerra is a photographer and family man with a taste for adventure. Capturing images from the mountain tops is no easy job, but Nick knows just how to bring those beautiful views to the small screen. He just returned from an Instagram takeover in Whitefish, Montana as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, be sure to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

How much can you pack in during a weekend in a brand new place? That’s just what Alaska Airlines asked my family and I to find out as we traveled from Seattle to Whitefish, Montana. We jumped at the opportunity and immediately began researching the incredible options in the greater Whitefish area … a place we soon found out is an outdoor recreation paradise. 

We packed our skis, took the kids (ages 12 and 6) out of school for a couple of days (they were thrilled!), and booked a cozy cabin 10 minutes outside of Glacier National Park. Soon enough we walked the tarmac and boarded a small Alaska plane for the short flight to Kalispell, which felt a world away when we landed on Thursday afternoon.

We have lift off! The mountains were out in full Cascadian glory this morning as we hopped onto our @AlaskaAir flight to Whitefish, MT. What a glorious day to head east!
We have lift off! The mountains were out in full Cascadian glory this morning as we hopped onto our @AlaskaAir flight to Whitefish, MT. What a glorious day to head east!

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