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Video: Alaska employee brings passengers to tears with moving tribute to a fallen soldier

On Oct. 16, Julia Jette was half asleep in the Anchorage airport, waiting to board a red eye flight to Seattle, when she heard something unexpected.

“We thought it was the announcement to start boarding, “ Jette said.

Instead it was customer service agent Denise Snow, letting her passengers know that a fallen soldier’s ashes would be traveling on the plane and that she would like to sing in his honor.

“Everyone as far as I could see stood in respect and were silent as she sang,” said Jette, who posted a video of the tribute to Facebook. “I was fighting back tears. The family member carrying the ashes was crying and it ripped my heart out. It was amazing and heart wrenching all at once.”

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Alaska employees help two brothers meet for first time

Imagine meeting your brother for the first time right before taking a cross-country flight. On a recent trip to Orlando, that very thing happened to an Alaska Airlines customer, thanks to help from some Alaska employees.

Gary Covington, of Tacoma, was born on June 22, 1948, at Providence Hospital in Seattle and adopted when he was only 1 month old. Growing up, Covington’s mother shared with him that his birth parents’ last name was Helton.

In the 1980s, Covington started searching for his birth parents with the help of some friends. Through his research, he learned that his father was Edward V. Helton, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and that he had a sister born 15 months before him. He was given up because his parents were planning on separating.

When Covington got in contact with his older sister, he learned that his parents never divorced and he was one of nine children – his parents had seven more children after him. Eventually, Covington met all of his siblings – except his second brother, Jerry Helton, who is seven years younger.

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Weekend Wanderer: Seattle to Nashville

Emily Thomas is an outdoor explorer with roots in both Seattle and San Diego, who loves creating stories through her adventures. She just returned from an Instagram takeover in Nashville as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

By Emily Thomas, Seattle, Washington

Nashville, also known as “Nowville” truly is the place to be. Coming to Nashville as Alaska Airlines’ “Weekend Wanderer,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. The city remains traditionally southern, but has a young, vibrant, hip culture with a passion for pursuing a multitude of creative fields.

After visiting, if I had to choose one thing that characterizes Nashville, it would be the people. Everyone I encountered was so warm and welcoming. I even made new friends just waiting outside of the airport. When I told people I was here visiting, they instantly had a list of “must-sees” and restaurants I should try. Some even invited me to join them for dinner, which I gladly accepted. Although the Nashville metropolitan area has more than 1.7 million people, it is not uncommon to walk into a coffee shop and see someone you know. When you’re in Nashville, you’re family.

Ready to book? Find nonstop flights to Nashville at alaskaair.com.

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Yes THAT Nordstrom tire story

By Paul Frichtl, Alaska Airlines Magazine

As a 16-year-old Nordstrom sales associate in the late 1970s, Craig Trounce was a legend in the making. That’s when he was working in the retailer’s Fairbanks store, and an old miner walked in with a pair of dirty, worn tires. The man had purchased the tires several years earlier, and had been told that if they didn’t work out for him, he could return them.

In 1975, Nordstrom had purchased local retailer Northern Commercial, which at the time sold tires. The man had a case to make, on a promise made in that very building, never mind that the space was now filled with pleated slacks and button-down Oxford shirts.

Trounce’s priority was to do right by the customer. He called a local tire dealer, came up with a fair value for the used tires—$25 for the pair—and paid the man out of the till. A legend was born.

Decades later, Trounce is Alaska Airlines’ customer service manager based in Honolulu.

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“Band in Seattle” brings local music to your seat

The Seattle music scene doesn’t disappoint. After Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters found their success it seemed like artists flocked to the Emerald City and the music scene became one of the most cherished parts of Seattle culture.

Alaska Airlines passengers can now get a real taste of that culture while inflight. “Band in Seattle,” featuring local artists and bands, will now air on Alaska Beyond Entertainment giving passengers a look into real, local art.

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Weekend Wanderer: Salt Lake City to Seattle

Ryan Thayne is an adventurer and photographer living outside of Salt Lake City, Utah who has a love for the outdoors. See why TIME Magazine named him one of the Top 50 Instagram accounts to follow. He just returned from an Instagram takeover in Seattle as a part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

By Ryan Thayne, Salt Lake City, Utah

No doubt, Alaska flies to some of the most beautiful places in the country which are easy to explore in a week or a weekend. As a nature photographer, I carefully select where I want to be for sunrise and sunset and then use the time in between to explore. Since the flight from Salt Lake to Seattle and drive to Mount Rainier took less than four hours, I decided to plan my three day trip wandering around two of Washington’s most noted peaks – Mount Rainier and the Space Needle.

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From brunch to happy hour, eat your way through San Diego

Take a 24-hour eating tour of San Diego? Sounds like a job for an over-energized 20-something on an empty stomach.

From a morning breakfast on the beach to a night cap downtown, San Diego is the perfect place to explore and play, live like a 20-something and taste-tour the city for a day.

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Alaska deepens commitment to Hawai‘i with $100,000 investment in education and the environment

Last night, Alaska Airlines announced gifts totaling $100,000 to two local organizations in Hawai‘i, in support of youth, education and environmental stewardship. The announcements were made during an event at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, which honored Alaska’s community partners throughout the state.

From day one, when Alaska first started service to Hawai‘i in October 2007, our relationship with the Islands has always been more than just business.

Our company was born in a region where air service is integral to the way of life, much like here in the Islands. We understand the importance of reliable, dependable air service for kama‘aina (local Hawai’i residents) and feel a great affinity for Hawai‘i because of our similar cultures. Our commitment to caring for our communities, our customers, our environment and each other is a fundamental part of who we are and what we do. In tight-knit communities like Alaska and Hawai‘i, this is ever more important.

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Video: Passenger pops the question over airplane PA system

Asking the love-of-your-life to marry you is nerve-wracking enough. Add an audience of over 100 people you don’t know, a loudspeaker and an altitude of 30,000 feet and its right up there on the stress meter. But Alaska passenger Brian Connell overcame his fears last month and asked his girlfriend Cassandra to marry him—with a bit of help from some great match-making Alaska Airlines employees.

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Sneak peek: Russell Wilson stars in new ads for Alaska Airlines

The newest Alaska Airlines commercials featuring Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson launched today, just in time for kickoff of football season.

The theme is “Alaska Airlines Company Retreat,” a camp where employees are pushed to greatness by Wilson, who plays a role that’s part counselor, part drill sergeant, part guru.

“These are some pretty creative commercials,” Wilson said during a break from a scene that had him holding a chainsaw and a carved wooden hawk statue (which will make a lot more sense after you watch the ads).

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Welcome to the Arctic Circle Club, President Obama

When President Barack Obama announced plans to visit the state of Alaska, the entire state was buzzing with rumors and suspicions as to where he would go. Many suspected Dutch Harbor, some had heard that it would be Barrow. Others suspected Kotzebue. But when Kotzebue Station Manager Dawn Carl received a phone call from the White House, she knew that rumors of the visit were true. Those rumors became reality on Sept. 2, when Air Force One touched down in Kotzebue – the first time a current U.S. president had been north of the Arctic Circle.

Often when customers travel to a destination above the Arctic Circle, Alaska Airlines will surprise them with a certificate signifying their induction to the “Arctic Circle Club.” All of the certificates are signed by Alaska Airlines President and CEO Brad Tilden.

Although the president flew on his own plane into Kotzebue, Tilden thought it would be fitting to recognize President Obama as part of the select group that is the Arctic Circle Club. Tilden signed an Arctic Circle Club card for the president today. While there are no membership benefits to the club, other than bragging rights, the decorative certificates have been available to customers who make the long journey to the Arctic for half a century.

Alaska Airlines serves three communities above the Arctic Circle: Kotzebue, Barrow and Prudhoe Bay.

Have you joined the Arctic Circle Club?

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