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Alaska Airlines wins Freedom Award from Department of Defense

Just in time for Independence Day, Alaska Airlines has won the 2016 Freedom Award. The honor was announced today by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given to employers by the U.S. government for their support of National Guard and Reserve members.

Only 15 companies – out of 2,424 nominations – received this year’s award, which will be presented in a ceremony Aug. 26 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

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Customer Q&A on Mileage Plan earn rates change for American Airlines flights

Beginning Aug. 1, 2016, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members will accrue miles at a new rate when they fly on American Airlines flights. As the AAdvantage program shifts to a revenue-based loyalty program, accruals on American for Alaska frequent fliers will change to better match American’s new program. The miles a flier accrues will be calculated using a combination of the percentage of distance flown and fare class. This means some fares will earn more or fewer miles than before.

As many other airline loyalty programs move toward revenue-based earnings, Alaska Mileage Plan remains committed to a miles-based program structure. Learn more about Alaska’s award-winning Mileage Plan.

What’s changing?

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Love at 35,000 feet: A connection formed on an Alaska Airlines flight forms a lifelong bond

Justin Owens knew he had found the girl of his dreams when he first spotted Lauren Scranton lugging her carryon down the aisle of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 on a flight from Palm Springs to Portland 13 years ago.

Owens, 15 at the time, had taken out his full CD folder and was getting settled in for the flight, watching everybody board.

“When I saw her walking down the aisle, I thought ‘oh please let her sit next to me.’ As she walked up to me, pointing at the empty seat next to me I thought, ‘Oh no. What do I do? Don’t say anything stupid.”

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Alaska Airlines’ beloved ‘Spirit of Alaska Statehood’ airplane officially retires

When Alaskans celebrated 50 years of statehood in 2009, Alaska Airlines decided to honor its namesake state by painting a special Alaska-themed paint theme on a Boeing 737-400.

But with a state so vast and unique, the company had difficulty coming up with a design that was inclusive of everything from the ice in the Arctic to the tundra in the Interior to the rainforest in Southeast.

In August 2008, Alaska Airlines launched a statewide “Paint the Plane” contest, in which schoolchildren from Ketchikan to Barrow submitted their designs for the plane’s new paint job. Ultimately, a panel of Alaska artists, former governors and other prominent Alaska leaders selected a design by Hannah Hamberg, a 16-year-old student at Sitka High School.

“I remember being on the ferry to Juneau and trying to come up with symbols that represent all of Alaska,” Hamberg said. “I also wanted to illustrate this idea that although Alaska has a huge land mass, it’s really made up of small communities that take care of each other.”

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Alaska offering family assistance for those impacted by Orlando shooting

By Andy Riffle, Chad Gabagat and Kevin Larson, Alaska Airlines GLOBE employee group

As employees of Alaska Airlines, with a collective 30 years between us, we’ve always been proud to work for a company that is committed to supporting the communities it serves.

As the leaders of GLOBE, Alaska’s resource group for LGBT employees and supporters, we truly believe this philosophy is ingrained in our company’s DNA, from airport customer service agent to CEO.

We are broken-hearted by the horrific events that unfolded in Orlando early Sunday. Over the past few days, we’ve heard from many of our fellow employees – both GLOBE members and not – that they too have been deeply affected by the attack and want to know what they can do to help.

Today, we’re proud to share that Alaska Airlines will provide free air travel on Alaska for the immediate family members of those killed or injured in the Orlando shooting, as well as spouses or domestic partners of the victims and their immediate families.

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Isobuta-what? Alaska partners with Gevo to bring biofuel to commercial flights

Alaska Airlines today operated the first commercial flights using a 20 percent blend of renewable alcohol-to-jet biofuel produced by Gevo, a renewable chemical and biofuel company. The two flights originated in Seattle with destinations of San Francisco and Washington D.C.

Alcohol-to-jet biofuel was just approved for use by ASTM International in March 2016 and is the first aviation biofuel to be certified and approved since 2011.

Fuel made of isobuta-what?

To make renewable jet fuel, Gevo starts with a non-edible field corn. First, Gevo’s process captures the protein and fiber in the corn to produce a high value animal feed product. Then, the starch (or sugars) in the corn kernels is fermented into isobutanol. This fermentation process is similar to that used to make ethanol – the type of alcohol used in alcoholic beverages. Isobutanol is then chemically converted through a Gevo-patented process into a renewable jet fuel. What they’ve created is the first carbohydrate-based, sugar-fermented fuel.

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Weekend Wanderer: Austin, Texas to Ketchikan, Alaska

Based in Austin, Texas, Zak Zeinert is a travel and landscape photographer who loves exploring this planet with all of its beautiful sights and wonderful people. He just returned from an Instagram takeover in Ketchikan, Alaska as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

My Aunt Dawn has been a flight attendant for a major U.S. airline for almost thirty years. About a month ago, I asked her what she considered was the best domestic airline to work for and fly with. Without missing a beat, she answered “Alaska Airlines.” Thirty-something days later, I can understand why.

Less than 24 hours after that conversation, I received an email with the subject line, “Alaska Airlines loves @ZakZeinert,” and was formally invited to travel to the state of Alaska on behalf of Alaska Airlines.

I’ve longed to visit Alaska since I was about 15 and have loved photography for even longer. When I read that email it felt as if I was dreaming. Even after arriving in Ketchikan, moments of elation would strike me as I remembered where I was and why.

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Why we’re proud to celebrate pride

By Tammy Young, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of human resources

Over the last several years, conversations about race relations, educational and pay equity, marriage equality, income inequality and social justice have dominated the headlines.

These important themes have made their way from the airwaves to corporate boardrooms to dinner conversations and into our culture. Seattle musi­cians Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have attracted attention—both support and criticism—with their release of White Privilege II earlier this year. At the center of these topics is the concept of inclusion, whether all people “truly belong,” and if we’re each given an equal chance to succeed.

This month in particular, as we join our customers, our employees and our communities in celebrating Pride Month, it’s important for us to continue these conversations and remember why they started. We celebrate pride each year to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots – a tipping point in the gay liberation movement, and an event that set the course for the ongoing fight for LGBT rights here in the United States.

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5 must-do’s on Kauai, Hawaii’s Garden Island

Oh Hawaii, land of warmth and beautiful beaches, of delicious food and welcoming culture. I have a love affair with Hawaii. Working for an airline, I’m able to travel a lot and have been to the islands over 20 times — twice to Kauai in the last six months.

The island of Kauai does have those things in abundance — warmth, beaches, food, and culture. But it’s also known as the Garden Island, and those wanting to get up close and personal with nature may find it their favorite of all the Hawaiian isles.

More Hawaii: 5 must-do’s on Hawaii’s Big Island

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Aviation Day: 1,000 kids get a behind-the-scenes look at Alaska Airlines

Fly a flight simulator with a pilot, turn a wrench on a jet engine with a mechanic, evacuate an aircraft with a flight attendant, students had the opportunity to try their hand at all three at the eighth annual Alaska Airlines Aviation Day today.

More than 1,000 Seattle-area youth gathered at the Alaska Airlines hangar in SeaTac May 21, to learn about careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. Each year, Aviation Day aims to show youth a path to a rewarding career in the aviation field by allowing them to interact with industry professionals.

“We want to build a bridge from high school onto college and then to a career in aviation or aerospace,” said Alaska First Officer Allen Cassino. “We are laying out the stepping stones to show youth in our local communities just that. They can be a pilot! They can be an engineer! They can be an aircraft mechanic! Maybe even an executive at Alaska Airlines!”

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Who run the world? In Cordova, Alaska, it’s the salmon

For the 24 hours leading up to the Copper River salmon season opener each year, the fishermen of Cordova, Alaska may as well be 5-year-olds waiting for Christmas.

The season doesn’t officially open until 7 a.m. on the mid-May morning chosen by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (this year on May 16), but the countdown holds so much anticipation that the harbor begins to empty days before as boats head out to the fishing grounds so they can start catching fish as soon as the season opens. Fishing families count the minutes until they can finally drop nets in the water once more.

“We have a saying – ‘When the salmon return, all is right with the world,’” says Cathy Sherman, public information officer for the City of Cordova and director of the Cordova Historical Museum. “For the fishermen, it’s tradition. You’re doing what you’ve always done and what your family’s done before you.”

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Weekend Wanderer: Portland, Oregon to Santa Barbara, California

No terrain is too difficult to conquer for avid ultrarunner, Alex Borsuk. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Alex can likely be found hitting the trail with her partner in crime, Peanut, by her side. She just returned from an Instagram takeover in Santa Barbara, California as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, make sure you’re following Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

As an ultrarunner and adventurer, I typically find myself deep in the mountains. That’s why I was really excited when Alaska Airlines invited me to visit Santa Barbara to run the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. I couldn’t wait to run around and explore Santa Barbara, taste some of the best wines in the United States, relax on the beach, and eat tons of tacos.

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