Alaska Airlines

In 1949, the CAB tightened its regulations and placed heavy fines on the airline, shutting down the charter service completely for safety violations, and president James Wooten left the company.

After unloading the refugees, crews then immediately continued to Cyprus, afraid to stay on the ground in Tel Aviv for fear of being bombed.

[15] In 1951, the CAB awarded Alaska Airlines with a temporary certificate allowing them to operate on routes from the Alaskan cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks to Seattle and Portland in the contiguous United States.

It became the first carrier to fly the Lockheed L-100 Hercules L382 model, the civil version of the military C-130 cargo turboprop, which was used to transport oil drilling rigs to Alaska's North Slope and later to Ecuador.

To set itself apart from the competition, Alaska Air turned to some cheap but imaginative gimmicks such as having safety instructions read as rhymes, staging fashion shows in the aisles, and having bingo games on board while en route.

By 1985, the airline had also added service to Oakland and San Jose in California, Spokane in Washington, Boise in Idaho, and Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona.

[15][31] As the airline marked its 19th consecutive year of profits in a turbulent industry and racked up many awards for customer service, Bruce Kennedy retired in May 1991 and was succeeded by Raymond J.

To save money, the airline canceled two proposed maintenance facilities and deferred a large aircraft purchase worth US$2 billion.

[15] Deferred maintenance from this period of cost-cutting would ultimately cause the crash of Flight 261 in 2000, but at the time, this increased the usability of their fleet, and as a result, revenue.

[15] Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system and to replace its aging and fuel inefficient 727 fleets.

The airline installed self-service kiosks called "Instant Travel Machines" that printed boarding passes, allowing customers to bypass the traditional ticket counter.

[36][37] In 2001, the airline was granted slot exemptions by the Department of Transportation to operate a nonstop flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Seattle, but it was halted after only a week due to the September 11 attacks.

[53][54][55][needs update] In 2011, Alaska Airlines partnered with Boeing and Fujitsu to be the first to use a new technology called Component Management Optimization to streamline maintenance checks.

It was met with a great deal of skepticism by Fairbanks residents who expressed their frustration about the safety of the aircraft and outside boarding in the cold winter climate through social media.

[74][non-primary source needed] In January 2016, for the first time in 25 years, Alaska Airlines unveiled a major update to its brand, which included a new logo and livery.

[90][91] In April 2020, in response to route suspensions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska grounded 19 inherited Virgin America aircraft, with 12 permanently retired and the other 7 unlikely to return to service.

[114][115][116] The merger would provide Alaska, which is primarily a domestic carrier with narrow-body aircraft, with Hawaiian's wide-body jets, pilots, and international networks.

[125] On August 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice completed its regulatory antitrust review of the proposed acquisition and declined to attempt to block the merger in court.

[126] Alaska Airlines emphasized its experience operating an intra-Alaska network including service to 16 destinations not reachable by road while pledging to maintain a robust interisland schedule in Hawaii to neighbor islands.

[127] The Wall Street Journal speculated that consolidation would lead to higher prices for consumers on flights to Hawaii although this was disputed by the companies.

Josh Green (HI) promised that he and the attorney general Anne Lopez would monitor the merger "very closely" adding that both "are very high-quality companies, but ultimately, I will be watching to make sure all of our state's needs are met and all of our workers are cared for.

[11][134] Alaska's route system spans more than 115 destinations in the United States, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Some of the locations served in Alaska include Anchorage, Adak, Cordova, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Kotzebue, King Salmon, Nome, Prudhoe Bay, Sitka, and Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), several of which are inaccessible by road.

[137][non-primary source needed] Some cities in Alaska's network with less traffic are served by regional airline partners under a capacity purchase agreement.

A regional fleet of Alaska branded Embraer 175 jets are operated by the wholly-owned subsidiary, Horizon Air, and third-party contractor, SkyWest Airlines.

[149][150][151] Premium Class seating can be purchased during booking or given through complimentary upgrades for elite fliers in Alaska's Mileage Plan loyalty program.

[155][non-primary source needed] As part of the program, the airline offers various "Picnic Packs" for a charge in Premium Class and Main Cabin.

[157][non-primary source needed] In February 2012, Alaska Airlines started serving coffee from fellow Seattle company Starbucks on all of its flights.

New items served included Oregon's Salt and Straw Caramel Ribbon Ice Cream, brownies from Los Angeles-based Sweet Lady Jane, and pasta from Cucina Fresca, based in Seattle.

It had been announced that soon internet access service will move to a flat $8 charge per flight, but that change only applies to the satellite WiFi-based aircraft.

Black-and-white photo showing the left side of a seaplane being carried sideways on a truck
A Stinson "S" Junior aircraft of McGee Airways: McGee Airways was the precursor to present-day Alaska Airlines.
Right side view of a silver Douglas DC-3 aircraft parked on snow-covered ground
Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-3, one of the aircraft purchased by the airline after World War II
Left side view of an aircraft in flight
The Convair 880 was Alaska Airlines' first jet aircraft.
Right side view of an aircraft parked on the tarmac, with a tree-covered hill as well as some clouds and buildings in the background
A Boeing 727-100 at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport . The airline introduced this type in the mid 1960s.
Left side view of an aircraft approaching an airport, with its nose pitched down slightly: In the background is blue sky.
A Boeing 727-200Adv on approach to Los Angeles International Airport , showing the new livery and logo introduced in the early 1970s
Right side view of an airplane taxiing on the ground towards left side of image. Another plane is behind it, and in the background are mountains and a blue sky with a few clouds.
Alaska Airlines was the launch customer for the MD-83 and operated many of these jets throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Right side view of an aircraft on final approach with blue sky in the background.
Alaska Airlines 737-400 landing at Vancouver International Airport
Right side view of an airplane taxiing on the tarmac, with several trucks in the foreground and to the left. In the background is a tree-covered hill and dark clouds.
Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900 at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. Alaska was the launch customer of the 737-900 aircraft.
Left side view of an aircraft on final approach, with partly cloudy skies in the background.
The Boeing 737-800 replaced the airline's MD-83s, which were retired in August 2008.
Alaska Airlines 737-400 Combi aircraft at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Alaska – Horizon Q400 , following the retirement of the Horizon Air brand
Alaska's previous livery on a 737-800
A plane painted with the words 'Alaska' in the front and a blue-green eskimo on the tail soars after take-off just under a cloudy sky
Alaska unveiled its new logo and livery in 2016, as seen here on an Alaska – SkyWest Embraer E175
A plane that is painted in red in the front and navy blue in the back, with a red-to-blue ombre in the middle, a navy blue eskimo on the tail, and the words "MORE TO LOVE" across the fuselage, is taxiing on an airport taxiway
Following its acquisition of Virgin America , Alaska painted several aircraft, including this Airbus A321neo inherited from Virgin America, in a "More to Love" special livery to commemorate the merger
Five aircraft can be seen in this photo. The jets are either parked at or adjacent to a terminal, with some connected to the building by jet bridges
Alaska's operations at its primary hub, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
Alaska Airlines commemorated its relationship with Boeing in 2016, with a livery on a 737-900ER aircraft celebrating the plane maker's 100th anniversary.
A row of economy class seats
Economy class seats in an Alaska Airlines 737-900ER
An in-flight snack on a tray table
An Alaska Airlines in-flight snack
The words Alaska Mileage Plan
A plane painted with the words "Alaska Air Cargo" across it takes off
An Alaska Air Cargo 737-700F freighter takes off from Anchorage