Flying fish: This is how Alaska Airlines delivers the catch of the day, every day

June 3, 2015
Stories
Cole Cosgrove
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To help kick off the summer fishing season around Bristol Bay, Alaska Airlines on Sunday will resume its daily Boeing 737 flights to deliver hundreds of sport fishermen and commercial seafood processors to the tiny Alaska towns of Dillingham and King Salmon. Every year, Alaska launches seasonal jet service to support the workers and tourists who fly in and out of the fishing towns throughout the summer.

While Alaska’s air service to Dillingham and King Salmon is seasonal, the airline’s support of the seafood industry continues year-round in places such as Kodiak, Anchorage, Sitka and Seattle, to name just a few.

On the ground, the hard work of Alaska Air Cargo employees keeps seafood moving around the clock, 365 days a year. That takes a huge amount of planning and coordination, especially when transporting fresh seafood.

“When those boats start coming in, it’s all hands on deck,” said Shannon Stevens, Alaska’s seafood cargo sales manager known as the Fish Lady. “It’s really important that we move the fish out as soon as possible.”

Making an EMPACT: When disaster strikes, flight attendant goes

May 28, 2015
Stories
Halley Knigge, Staff Writer
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When a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal April 25, Alaska Airlines flight attendant Sil Wong-Underwood knew it was time to get packed.

She’s been a rescue operations volunteer with disaster response nonprofit EMPACT Northwest for the past five years, and when the United Nations asked for search and rescue teams to gather in Kathmandu, Wong-Underwood and team answered the call.

Here there be Vikings: Petersburg’s Little Norway Festival brings fun, shenanigans to Southeast Alaska

May 27, 2015
Stories
Caitlin Goettler
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Tucked beneath the clouds that often cover Southeast Alaska is the small fishing town of Petersburg, located on Mitkof Island. With a population of 3,209 year-round residents, there are three canneries that bring in an additional 800 people during the summer months. And at first glance, there appears to be more boats in the harbor than people in the town.

Not only is Petersburg home to one of the largest fisheries in Southeast Alaska, but it is also known as Alaska’s “Little Norway,” with many of its residents tracing their roots to Norwegian heritage.

Although local Tlingit Native tribes had been fishing off the beaches of Mitkof Island for thousands of years, it was during the 19^th Century that Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian, set his sights on Mitkof Island and deemed it the perfect place for a salmon cannery, using the icebergs from the nearby LeConte Glacier to keep the fish cool.

Today, many descendants of Buschmann and those who followed him from Norway to Alaska still reside in Petersburg, and the celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day has turned into Petersburg’s largest celebration of the year.

A note to graduates

May 23, 2015
Stories
Alaska Airlines
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(John Froschauer/PLU)

This speech was originally given by Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden this spring at the University of Alaska Southeast commencement in Juneau, Alaska.

As seniors from my own alma mater Pacific Lutheran University prepare to line up for graduation today (Go Lutes!), I wanted to share with all of this year’s graduates three lessons I’ve learned from others through my own travels in life.

Angel Flight West connects critically ill patients to life-saving medical care

May 20, 2015
Stories
Halley Knigge, Staff Writer
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In July 2014, Mike Rogers was given three months to live.

He’d been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive tissue cancer. But Rogers and wife Betty weren’t willing to accept the prognosis.

“They told us he had three months to live,” says Betty. “We thought ‘No. No, no, no, no, no.’”

The Anchorage, Alaska, couple started to research, finding a cardiothoracic surgeon and expert on treating mesothelioma seemed to be the answer to their prayers. The only problem: he was based in Los Angeles; the Rogers, live thousands of miles north. And Mike was too sick to travel alone.

That’s when the Rogers learned of Angel Flight West – a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization that arranges free air travel for people with serious medical conditions. For patients in Alaska, all flights are on Alaska Airlines, which has contributed more than $12 million in in-kind donations to the organization since 1986.

Want to help? Donate miles today, by visiting alaskaair.com/charitymiles and selecting Angel Flight West from the drop-down menu.

Alaska inspires future aviators at seventh annual Aviation Day

May 19, 2015
Stories
Dianne McGinness
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More than 1,000 high school students learned about careers in aviation from industry professionals at the seventh annual Alaska Airlines Aviation Day on Saturday in Seattle and Portland.

“Each year at Aviation Day we hope to inspire youths to pursue careers in aviation,” said Captain William Korin, Aviation Day coordinator. “With our event, we can mentor and help the next generation of pilots, technicians, flight attendants, customer service agents, accountants, maybe even the next CEO to a rewarding career with Alaska Airlines.”

Outdoor adventure: Mountain biking in the West

May 18, 2015
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Alaska Airlines
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Before man stood on the moon, he christened a rolling landscape of sandstone waves near Moab, Utah, as his playground.

Well, maybe not before, but definitely that same summer. The Slickrock Trail, though laid out for dirt bikes in 1969, soon morphed into a 10.2-mile-long loop that draws mountain bikers from across the world and made “Moab” a mythical destination for those who had yet to pedal the trail.

Ready to get outside? Explore outdoor adventure deals at alaskaair.com.

Follow the fish: Copper River salmon season is here

May 12, 2015
Stories
Cole Cosgrove
2 min read

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Update: 10 a.m. local time Friday in Seattle

A 53-pound king salmon was the catch of the day for three top chefs who competed for the best salmon recipe in this year’s sixth annual Copper Chef Cook-off.

Congratulations to this year’s winner Ethan Stowell of Staple & Fancy and Tavolata.

Stowell competed against defending champion John Howie of Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar and Eric Tanaka of TanakaSan.

Hungry yet? Download the chefs’ 2015 Copper River salmon recipes here.

The three culinary craftsmen will have 30 minutes to prepare and serve the freshly caught salmon to a panel of four judges including Seattle Seahawks’ first and legendary quarterback Jim Zorn; Seattle Mariners Hall of Famer Jay Buhner; Seattle Storm President and General Manager Alisha Valavanis; and Alaska Air Cargo’s Managing Director Betsy Bacon.

Three Seattle chefs greet 2015’s first cargo shipment of Copper River salmon, flown in from Cordova, Alaska.

An insider’s guide to Costa Rica

April 30, 2015
Stories
Marianne Lindsey
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There aren’t many places in this world where you can hike a volcano, paddle a river rapids, surf a breathtaking beach, trek through a rain forest and have a monkey steal your lunch—all in one day. Costa Rica, Alaska Airlines’ newest international destination, is a tropical paradise and mecca for eco-tourism, and now it’s just a nonstop flight away from Los Angeles.

Ready to book your trip? Flights will be available for purchase for the new Costa Rica routes soon, pending approval by Costa Rican civil aviation authorities.

Christian Ramirez, a former employee of Alaska’s sister carrier Horizon Air, who now lives in Costa Rica, shares a few must-do’s with adventure-seeking travelers:

Seattle to Nashville: From the Rainy City to the Music City

April 28, 2015
Stories
Alaska Airlines
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If you’ve lived in or around Seattle for a decent amount of time, you’ve probably made yourself familiar with the music-friendly options the Rainy City has to offer. But for those looking to expand their musical tastes, Alaska Airlines has an offer you can’t refuse: Direct flights from Seattle to Nashville, Tennessee beginning this fall.

Book your flight today: alaskaair.com.

Here are some things you should plan to check out when flying from the Rainy City to the Music City:

Alaska launching Apple Watch app

April 23, 2015
Stories
Halley Knigge, Staff Writer
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The mobile team at Alaska Airlines is all about saving travelers time and hassle.

So when they received the developer kit for Apple’s brand-new Apple Watch – launching tomorrow – back in November, they couldn’t wait to get started.

Four months of planning, customer interviews, field trips to the airport and many, many sticky note sketches later, they are ready to launch a simple, beautiful, wearable companion to Alaska’s award-winning mobile app when the Apple Watch store launches April 24.

Don’t have the Alaska Airlines mobile app? Download it here: iPhone | Android | Windows Phone

Ask an Alaska pilot: what’s your favorite airport to fly into?

April 21, 2015
Stories
Alaska Airlines
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By Doug Branch, Captain, Alaska Airlines

Doug Branch’s interest in aviation began around the same time he could say the word “plane.” Captain Branch has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, including growing up on Bainbridge Island and learning to fly at Eastern Washington’s Big Bend Community College. After three years flying for a commuter airline in the Midwest, Doug joined Alaska Airlines in 2001. After 14 years, he has a passion for doing things safely and efficiently and is honored to have the opportunity to educate passengers and to facilitate life’s great memories by getting them safely to where they need to go.

In the “Ask an Alaska Pilot” series, he will address common questions he gets from friends, family and travelers. Do you have a question you’ve been wanting to ask a pilot? Let us know in the comments and your question could be featured in a future post.

What’s your favorite airport to fly into, and why?