Alaska Airlines Gifts 1 Million Frequent Flier Miles to Make-A-Wish Hawaii

To help grant the wishes of local children with life-threatening medical conditions, Alaska Airlines is donating 1 million miles to Make-A-Wish® Hawaii. The airline also asked the community to...

HONOLULU, Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — To help grant the wishes of local children with life-threatening medical conditions, Alaska Airlines is donating 1 million miles to Make-A-Wish® Hawaii. The airline also asked the community to help raise 1 million more miles. As part of the new partnership with the nonprofit, the Seattle-based airline will also donate 100 miles to Make-A-Wish for every Hawaii resident who registers for a new Mileage Plan account during 2013, up to 1 million additional miles.

The gift and new campaign were announced at a dinner last night hosted by Alaska Airlines’ board of directors and senior executives. Nearly 300 of Hawaii‘s government, tourism, business and community leaders attended the event, held at The Royal Hawaiian.

To sign up for the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Hawaii residents can visit www.alaskaair.com and click on the Mileage Plan link located in the right corner of the home page.

"Alaska Airlines and our employees have been strong supporters of Make-A-Wish for nearly three decades and we’re delighted to extend our involvement here in the Islands to support Hawaii keiki facing life-threatening illness with this gift of 1 million miles," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of marketing. "We are deeply honored to have the opportunity to help make children’s wishes come true and bring joy to a child’s life during a difficult time. We hope all Hawaii residents will ‘Share the Power of a Wish’ by simply signing up for our Mileage Plan and encouraging their family and friends to support the important work of Make-A-Wish by joining, as well."

Of the 80 wishes Make-A-Wish Hawaii aims to grant this year, nearly 90 percent are travel-related, making air transportation vital to the organization’s mission. Sprague estimates that each 1-million-mile donation could help another 25 Hawaii wish children and their families fly to their wish destination.

"When a child with a life-threatening medical condition dreams big, we know that Alaska Airlines is there to help make their wish come true," said Siana Austin Hunt, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Hawaii. "Donating airline miles goes a long way to helping us grant children’s wishes and giving them and their families a much-deserved reprieve from the medical challenges they face every day."

Alaska Airlines has supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation® since 1985 and provides air transportation that enables more than 350 children and their families to travel to their wish destination each year. Existing Mileage Plan members can donate their frequent-flier miles to Make-A-Wish Hawaii through the Charity Miles program. To make a donation of miles, visit alaskaair.com and click on the "Mileage Plan" and "Charity Miles" links.

About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves 95 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction StudySM for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, with 62 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about Make-A-Wish, visit hawaii.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines