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Different works: uniting two airlines to create one great flight experience

4 p.m., Dec. 14, 2016 update: Photos and b-roll of the Dec. 14 press conference in San Francisco are available for download at the bottom of this post.

Bacon on a donut. Electricity and guitars. Labradors and poodles. Men in Black’s Agent J and Agent K.

Throughout history there have been countless tales of unusual pairings coming together to accomplish something great. (Just search “buddy comedy.”)

Today Alaska Airlines and Virgin America officially joined forces and are now the latest odd couple that, as Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden said today, is on the verge of greatness.

While the two companies may seem very different on the surface, Tilden says there’s more in common than you’d think, and together they’ll keep challenging the status quo to make flying better for everyone.

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When merging cultures, here’s how Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are working to get it right

culture champions

When Alaska Airlines and Virgin America announced plans to merge earlier this year, one of the biggest questions was how the two airlines would blend their distinct cultures.

“Culture has been a real challenge in many mergers, so we’re working to do things differently,” said Ben Minicucci, Alaska President and COO who will also become CEO of Virgin America today. “We are being very thoughtful about culture and are working to create an environment that reflects who we are and where we’ve been, that also enables us to work together, be bold, and succeed in a rapidly evolving industry.”

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Weekend Wanderer: San Diego to New York City

Justin Halbert Weekend Wanderer

Justin Halbert, a San Diego native, is living up to the city’s nickname, the “City in Motion,” with his busy lifestyle. As a chef, photographer, teacher, and father Justin knows just how to capture a world in motion. He just returned from an Instagram takeover in New York as part of Alaska Airlines’ Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

How would you plan a trip to NYC if you were a San Diego native? For me, I based my outings around the best photo spots and dining in the city. Shoot a little before sunrise, have a great breakfast, walk, cab or subway to the next location, shoot, eat a good lunch and so on. I was cold but that made the experience more fun – we don’t get to wear layers in San Diego.

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Update: Winter weather affects travel in Seattle and Portland

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

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Alaska Airlines and Virgin America move closer to finalizing merger

The process of merging two beloved airlines known for innovation and customer service just moved one step closer to completion. Today, the Department of Justice cleared Alaska Air Group’s acquisition of Virgin America, an important hurdle on the way to closing the deal.

While a specific close date for the acquisition of Virgin America has not been set, Alaska Airlines plans to close the deal in the very near future. Until then, it’s business as usual this month for fliers traveling on Alaska Airlines and Virgin America. You should interact with either airline as you normally would.

After the merger closes, and Alaska and Virgin America officially join forces, we’ll share more information on why this deal is good news for West Coast travelers.

To stay up-to-date on the latest merger news be sure to follow @AlaskaAir on Twitter or subscribe to this blog.

Read more about today’s news at https://newsroom.alaskaair.com/2016-12-06-Justice-Department-Clears-Alaska-Air-Groups-Acquisition-of-Virgin-America.

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

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

As a precaution, Alaska Airlines is cancelling roughly 35 flights from 6 a.m. to noon on Tuesday. That’s the busiest time for departures at the Sea-Tac. The number of available gates at the airport is already at capacity, so a notable weather event puts even more pressure on airport operations. Pre-cancelling flights prevents congestion and allows our crews to keep up with the workload, especially when deicing is required.

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Travel alert: Alaska Airlines braces for morning snow in Seattle

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

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Weekend Wanderer: Vancouver, B.C. to Charleston, South Carolina

Born in Taiwan and currently living in Vancouver, Sophia Hsin takes her worldly experiences and weaves them into her amazing photography. Covering everything from scenic adventures to her beloved Hedgehog, Amelia, it’s no wonder she was Alaska’s choice for this Weekend Wanderer trip. She just returned from an Instagram takeover in Charleston, South Carolina as part of Alaska Airlines’ Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram. 

I just returned from an amazing weekend with my dad in Charleston, a colorful gem of a city in South Carolina.

My dad and I spent our weekend exploring historical sites, trying out all kinds of amazing dishes and cruising around the historical areas on our bikes. My favorite part of this trip will definitely be the warm and welcoming Southern hospitality we experienced while visiting the city. Everyone has been super friendly and helpful and that is always a wonderful thing to experience while travelling.

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Give me a break: After long holiday weekend, Cyber Monday shoppers are ready to book solo travel

It’s mid-November and Cyber Monday is just around the corner. It is not only one of the country’s biggest shopping days of the year, but is Alaska Airlines’ biggest fare sale of the year.

Forbes reports 40 percent of Americans say they will shop online on Cyber Monday. So what are they shopping for? In advance of this year’s Cyber Monday deals, Alaska’s data analysts crunched the 2015 numbers to figure out what kinds of trips last year’s shoppers were most interested in.

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Heroes in the aisles: Flight attendant meets girl she saved 25 years ago

Twenty-five years ago, Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Elizabeth Kiteley was on a layover at a hotel in Boise, Idaho when she heard screaming and ran out into the hallway. There, she found a woman with a baby that had stopped breathing. Kiteley’s training immediately kicked in and she began giving CPR, breathing for the infant and administering chest compressions. The manager of the hotel, who didn’t know CPR, called 911 and a maid tried to help calm the mother.

The 9-month-old baby girl was blue, had no pulse and wasn’t breathing, recalled Kiteley.  After what seemed like an eternity, but was only minutes, the baby began to cough and Kiteley cleared her airway. She continued rescue breathing until the infant was able to breathe for herself. Then, Kiteley wrapped her in a towel and soothed her, until medics arrived to take them to the hospital.

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Alaska Airlines flies first commercial flight with new biofuel made from forest residuals

Swissport fuel manager Jarid Svraka fuels an Alaska Airlines flight powered with a 20 percent blend of biofuel made from forest residuals in Sea-Tac Washington on Nov. 14, 2016.

Alaska Airlines made history today flying the world’s first commercial flight using a new sustainable alternative jet fuel made from forest residuals from the Pacific Northwest – the limbs, stumps and branches that are left over after a timber harvest or forest thinning of managed forests on private land.

The flight departed this morning from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., powered by a 20 percent blend of the new, sustainable biofuel sourced directly from the Pacific Northwest.

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Treat yourself: More upgrades with Alaska Airlines’ new Premium Class

Alaska Airlines premium class

Now, it’s easier than ever to treat yourself to a little something extra. Today Alaska Airlines customers have the option to upgrade to its new Premium Class section, providing more opportunity for customers to upgrade to an elevated onboard experience.

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