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2014: Alaska Airlines begins relief flights in Mexico

UPDATE Thursday, Sept. 18, 4 p.m.

Alaska plans to operate five humanitarian relief flights out of Los Cabos on Friday, Sept. 18.

For Friday, Sept. 19:

All flights passenger flights to Los Cabos have been canceled.

The following flights are planned for Friday:

Flight 201: Los Cabos to San Jose
Flight 233: Los Cabos to San Diego
Flight 235: Los Cabos to San Francisco
Flight 251: Los Cabos to Los Angeles
Flight 279: Los Cabos to Los Angeles

These flights are trackable on alaskaair.com.

 

UPDATE Wednesday, Sept. 17, 7:45 p.m.

The first two domestic flights out of Los Cabos arrived safely in Los Angeles and San Diego this evening. A third, flight 279, is expected to arrive at about 9:20 p.m.

The airport remains closed to commercial  air service, but local authorities have authorized outgoing humanitarian relief flights. Customers waiting at the airport are being boarded on those flights on a first come, first serve basis.

For Thursday, Sept. 18:

All flights to Los Cabos have been canceled.

Alaska will operate six humanitarian relief flights out of Los Cabos International Airport. The six flights to Los Cabos will be loaded with water, food and supplies.

The following flights are planned for Thursday:

Flight 201: Los Cabos to San Jose
Flight 233: Los Cabos to San Diego
Flight 235: Los Cabos to San Francisco
Flight 239: Los Cabos to San Diego – CANCELED
Flight 251: Los Cabos to Los Angeles
Flight 279: Los Cabos to Los Angeles

These flights are trackable on alaskaair.com.

For media: these photos may be distributed courtesy of Alaska Airlines

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2014 TRAVEL ALERT: Hurricane Odile and Los Cabos

UPDATE 6:21 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26:

Alaska Airlines to resume Los Cabos flying Oct. 8

 

UPDATE 9:35 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25:

Alaska Airlines employees emerge as heroes after the hurricane in Los Cabos

UPDATE 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23:

Alaska Airlines supports Los Cabos relief efforts with Red Cross donation.

UPDATE 4:20 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19:

Alaska scales back after Los Cabos airport closes to relief flights, commercial operations.

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Onboard cocktails: take a load off with a Moscow Mule

Sun Liquor onboard Moscow Mule

You don’t need a copper mug to enjoy this onboard twist on the popular Moscow Mule.

This crowd-pleasing drink (and its accompanying at-home recipe) is shared by Erik Chapman, barman and distiller at Seattle’s Sun Liquor Distillery, a small, local business which produces the premium gin, rum and vodka served onboard Alaska Airlines flights.

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Destination Detroit: A local’s guide to discovering beauty, history and tasty drinks in the Motor City

This month, Alaska Airlines launched daily nonstop service between Seattle and Detroit. For on-the-ground advice about things to do in Detroit, we turned to resident expert Dan Austin, a journalist at the Detroit Free Press who also runs historicdetroit.org and has written two books about the city’s legendary architecture.

“Detroit is a city that is on its way back, but its reputation isn’t doing it any favors,” Austin said. “Nine out of 10 people I talk to who visit Detroit for the first time say they are always impressed, that the city far exceeds their expectations.

See it for yourself: find flights to Detroit

“Folks should give Detroit a chance. It’s a city of unparalleled beauty, history and spirit, yet it’s a city with an undeniable edge. Gritty. Blue-collar. But very, very real. This isn’t Disneyland, but the proud people of Detroit wouldn’t have it any other way.”

If you’re planning to visit Detroit, here are a few of Austin’s recommendations and insights.

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Russell Wilson commercial outtakes

By now you’ve all seen the new commercials featuring Russell Wilson, starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks and Chief Football Officer for Alaska Airlines.

But what really went on behind the scenes of the 12-hour shoot? Seattle’s Evening Magazine has the story.
“It was a glimpse into the mind of a champion,” says Alaska Capt. Mike Swanigan.
See the commercials again, and learn more about our Chief Football Officer – as well as some special perks for fans – at alaskaair.com/gorussell.

Wine tasting notes: balanced, crisp and best at 35,000 feet

precept wine blending

Hal Landvoigt doesn’t care what flavors you can identify in a Walla Walla merlot. He just wants you to enjoy it.

“I don’t really care what wine you want to put with food or how you want to drink it. I just want you to drink wine,” says Landvoigt, director of winemaking at Seattle’s Precept Wine.

That’s why he focused not on the flavors but on the overall experience when he started experimenting with a special blend designed to retain its flavor at cruising altitude on airplanes.

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Secrets to finding great value in award miles

Anyone who flies should open an account with their airline’s loyalty program; it’s free, and even infrequent travelers might someday accumulate enough credit for an award flight, especially if they take advantage of the many ways to earn miles besides flying, such as staying at hotels, renting cars, using a credit card, or even sending flowers. But how do you go from earning the miles to booking that award? I’ve made this my life’s mission and want to share how to find good value from your frequent flier miles and get the most out of your membership.

Kauai visa signature card companion fare
My wife Megan and I on a trip to Kauai, Hawaii, booked using a companion fare from our Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card.

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The perfect shot: Northwest photographers share their secrets for taking better travel photos

Utah's Bryce Canyon

We’ve all been there. You’ve planned every detail: where you’ll stay, where you’ll eat, what you’ll do. Now you want to capture those amazing moments to show friends back home. But once you start uploading pictures to share with friends and family, you realize that the photos fall short of capturing your amazing experience. They are a little blah.

Northwest travel photographers Tim Boyer and Lee Hendrickson say they hear this concern frequently.

“As travelers, one of the first things we pack is the camera,” Hendrickson said.

You don’t need to be a professional photographer to take great travel photos. To take better photos now, Hendrickson has developed an easy-to-remember acronym to break down key skills fittingly named: TRAVELS.

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Alaska Airlines CEO does the ALS ice bucket challenge

By Brad Tilden, Alaska Airlines CEO

Good morning.

I’ve been challenged by a number of my colleagues at Alaska and Horizon to do the ALS ice bucket challenge, to raise funds and awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Thanks to Horizon ground service agent Kipp Jarrell, and Alaska flight attendants Sarah Edwards, Sandra Morrow, Catherine Gwynn and Laura Masserant for challenging me. I’ve also made a personal donation to the ALS Association.

Next, I’d like to challenge my brother, Kevin Tilden; my good friend Kelly Lang, CFO at Tripwire; and my former boss Bill Ayer, former chairman, president and CEO of Alaska Airlines.

Special thanks to my wife, Danielle, and my niece, Ryan, for helping me film this video while on family vacation in Central Oregon.

#strikeoutALS

Celebrate National Relaxation Day with a complimentary drink on all Alaska Airlines flights today

alaskan amber beer onboard alaska airlines
#iflyalaska because …

Today is National Relaxation Day – a unique holiday that pays respect to everything that makes summer so special. From lounging on the beach to grilling burgers in your backyard (or enjoying a complimentary inflight cocktail on Alaska Airlines), there are countless ways to enjoy the day your own way.

To celebrate, we’re offering all passengers 21 and older a complimentary beer, wine or cocktail on all Alaska Airlines flights Friday, Aug. 15, as well as partnering with Tommy Bahama to give away some amazing prizes.

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Kitty hitchhiker gets a ride thanks to Facebook, Alaska employee

Itty Bitty Kitty at Kitty Harbor

They say cats have nine lives. Thanks to Alaska Airlines employee Robin Yong, a cat from West Seattle has all nine intact.

Yong heard the tale of Itty Bitty Kitty, a lost cat from West Seattle, via Facebook. Kitty, an older, orange and white tabby, ran away from home as his owners prepared to move from Seattle to Ohio. He missed the trip, slipping away as the car was being loaded. When his owner, Beth Lewis, realized that Itty Bitty was missing, the road trip was postponed as she searched high and low for her beloved pet.

But it was during the Fourth of July weekend, and the noise of fireworks likely kept him away. After a two-week delay, and no Kitty, the family made the painful decision to make the trip without him.

Several weeks later, a neighbor found the cat and called Kitty Harbor, a Seattle shelter and adoption facility for homeless cats and kittens. Itty Bitty Kitty arrived, looking like a mere shadow of his former self. Before, a plump 14 pounds, he had shrunk to only five pounds, had a gash in his throat, missing teeth and was full of fleas. Kitty Harbor provided medical care and a safe respite, nursing Kitty back to health.

Yet, while Lewis was thrilled that their beloved cat was found, she couldn’t drive or fly back to Seattle to get him. And Kitty couldn’t fly as cargo, due to his health.

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Flying high at ground level – checking out Alaska Airlines’ newest flight simulator

737 flight simulator at night
Learning how to fly an aircraft like the Boeing 737 is no simple task. By the time that most pilots make it through the doors of Alaska Airlines, they already have extensive experience either flying with other airlines or in the military. No matter their background, every pilot will need to go through Alaska Airlines’ three months of additional training.

Part of that training includes time in a flight simulator. The simulators allow pilots to experience different scenarios so that, if anything ever goes wrong during a real flight, they are prepared to handle the situation.

Besides being a very important safety and training tool, flight simulators can be quite entertaining for outsiders.

This week, I was invited to check out Alaska Airlines’ brand-new CAE 7000 Boeing 737-800 flight simulator. It is so new that pilots have not started training on it and it had a “new car” smell. The new simulator joins three others (one 737-400, one 737-700, and another 737-800) that are already at the facility. But this one is different, with the newest simulator technology, making it more real than its predecessors.

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