Alaska Airlines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Alaska Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| IATA AS |
ICAO ASA |
Callsign ALASKA |
| Founded | 1932 (as McGee Airways)[1] | |
| Commenced operations | June 6, 1944[1] | |
| Hubs | ||
| Frequent flyer program | Mileage Plan | |
| Member lounge | Board Room | |
| Fleet size | 112 | |
| Destinations | 91 | |
| Parent company | Alaska Air Group | |
| Company slogan | North of Expected[3] | |
| Headquarters | SeaTac, Washington | |
| Key people | William S. Ayer (CEO) Brad Tilden (President) |
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| Website: http://www.alaskaair.com | ||
Alaska Airlines, (NYSE: ALK) is an airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States, near Seattle.[4][5][6] It operates four hubs located at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Portland International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.[7]
Contents |
[edit] History
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
The airline traces its roots to McGee Airways, which flew its inaugural service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay in 1932 with a Stinson single-engined, three-passenger aircraft. Mergers and acquisitions produced changes in the name and saw business expand throughout Alaska. As of 1942, the airline was known as "Alaska Star Airlines." The name Alaska Airlines was adopted in 1944 having narrowly beat a competitor applying for the name.[8] Alaska Airlines moved to the jet age when it introduced a Convair CV-880 in 1961. Alaska's sister (and wholly owned) airline, Horizon Air, was founded in 1981 to serve communities using routes vacated by larger airlines after the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. In 1985, Alaska Air Group was formed as a holding company for Alaska Airlines. A year later the holding company acquired Horizon Air and Jet America Airlines, which merged into Alaska Airlines in 1987.[citation needed]
[edit] Destinations
Alaska's route system spans more than 92 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. During the 1980s Alaska Airlines operated a unique interchange of aircraft and aircrews to Texas with first, Braniff International and subsequently American Airlines, after the demise of Braniff in 1982. The airline operated charter flights to the Russian Far East starting in the late 1960s, and was known for the 1988 Friendship Flight to Provideniya that broke the old Soviet border.[citation needed] The airline began scheduled operations to the Russian Far East in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, but suspended the service in 1998 following the 1998 Russian financial crisis. The airline flew MD-80 aircraft on these routes.[citation needed]
Alaska has historically been one of the largest carriers on the US west coast as well as to and within the state of Alaska, with strong presences in Seattle, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Metro Area (serving all five LA-area and three Bay Area major airports). With the delivery of 737 Next-Generation aircraft starting in 1999, Alaska began launching more long-haul flights. In 2000, Alaska started service between Anchorage and Chicago. In 2001, the airline was granted slot exemptions by the Department of Transportation to operate a nonstop flight from Washington National Airport (DCA) to Seattle, which was halted after a few days due to the September 11, 2001 attacks[9]. The service resumed the following year, with an additional flight from Washington National to Seattle added in 2004, as well as new non-stop service between Washington National and Los Angeles.
Other long-haul flights from Seattle were launched starting in 2001, including flights to Orlando (2002)[10], Miami (2002)[11], Newark (2002) [12], Boston (2003)[13], and Dallas. In October 2007, Alaska Airlines began service to Hawaii and currently provides non-stop service to Honolulu, Lihue, Kahului, and Kona from Seattle and Kahului and Honolulu from Anchorage. Alaska recently launched new service from Seattle to Minneapolis – Saint Paul (2008), Kona, and Austin. (2008). Upcoming service from Seattle to Houston begins on September 23, from Seattle to Atlanta begins on October 23[14],and from Oakland to both Kahului and Kona begin in the 2nd week of November.[15]. These latter two non-stop additions, for which neither Oakland, Kona, or Kahului, are hubs/focus cities of Alaska, is a rarity in today's commercial airline industry where the tendency is for an airline to concentrate its flights around some sort of "hub and spoke" route system. In spite of the many economic difficulties that have pegged the industry since the turn of the century, Alaska Airlines has managed to grow its route system by an impressive rate of 40 percent over the course of this last decade.
Alaska Airlines's regional carrier, Horizon Air, is closely integrated into Alaska's operations, with Alaska and Horizon sharing many routes. Alaska and Horizon are owned by the same parent company, Alaska Air Group. The airline's frequent flyer program is called Mileage Plan. Alaska Airlines is not part of any of the three major airline alliances, but Mileage Plan airline partners include prominent members of SkyTeam, such as Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Northwest Airlines, KLM, and Air France, as well as members of Oneworld, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.
[edit] Fleet
The Alaska Airlines all-Boeing 737 fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of July 2009):[16]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (First/Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400 | 31 | 144 (12/132) | |
| Boeing 737-400F | 1 | Cargo (9 1/2 freight pallets) | |
| Boeing 737-400C | 5 | 72 (72) | Configuration: Front-Cargo, Rear-Passengers |
| Boeing 737-700 | 19 | 124 (12/112) | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 51 (12 orders) |
157 (16/141) | |
| Boeing 737-900 | 12 | 172 (16/156) | Launch customer |
| Aircraft | Year Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Convair 880 | 1965 | |
| Convair 990 | 1970 | |
| Lockheed L-100 | ~1971 | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 1993 | Replaced By 737-400 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 2006 | Replaced By 737-800 |
| Boeing 737-200C | 2007 | Replaced By 737-400C |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 2008 | Replaced By 737-800 |
As of July 2009, the average age of Alaska Airlines's fleet is 7.1 years.[17]
On June 15, 2005, Alaska ordered 35 Boeing 737-800 aircraft worth $2.3 billion (at list prices) plus options for 15 additional aircraft and purchase rights for another 50, making it one of the largest orders for the 737-800.[18] The first of these aircraft was delivered in January 2006, with deliveries scheduled to continue for the next six years.
[edit] 1970
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 727 | 4 | 0 | |
| Cessna 185 | 1 | 0 | |
| Convair CV-240 | 3 | 0 | |
| Convair CV-990 | 1 | 0 | |
| Consolidated Catalina | 4 | 0 | |
| Grumman Goose | 13 | 0 | |
| Grumman Turbo-Goose | 1 | 0 | |
| Lockheed Hercules | 3 | 0 | Freighter |
| Lockheed Starliner | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 0 |
[edit] Inflight services
[edit] Meals
- Complimentary meals or light snacks are served to passengers in the first class cabin. In 2006 the airline launched its buy on board meal program, known as Northern Bites, on most flights over three hours in length, including all transcontinental flights.[20] As part of the buy on board program, Alaska offers various six dollar "Picnic Packs" for coach class on all flights.
[edit] Entertainment
- Alaska Airlines is recognized by the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) as having an "historic first" in Inflight entertainment by introducing in October 2003 the first portable, hard-drive based, audio-video-on-demand (AVOD) players that deliver a variety of film, TV, and audio programs.[21] The device, called the digEplayer was conceived and brought to market by an Alaska Airlines baggage handler named Bill Boyer Jr.[22][23]
- Alaska Airlines received the "Airline IFE Service of the Year" award at the March 2004 IPEC/LARA Inflight Online Awards Dinner based upon the implementation of the digEplayer, which was awarded "IFE Product of the Year."[24]
- digEplayers are available for rent on most long-haul flights for $12 and can be reserved online. On flights between Seattle and Anchorage and Seattle and Fairbanks, digEplayers are available for $6. They are complimentary to passengers seated in First Class.[25]
[edit] Internet access
[edit] Board Room
Alaska Airlines's airport lounge is called the Board Room. There are six clubs, all located on the west coast. Board Room members also have access to the Continental Airlines President's Club, Delta Air Lines Crown Room Club, and Northwest Airlines WorldClubs (Crown Room Clubs and WorldClubs are to be renamed to Delta Sky Clubs in the near future). There are Board Rooms in:
[edit] Codeshare agreements
Alaska Airlines does not participate in any major global airline alliances, but the airline has codeshare agreements with several United States airlines. It currently has codeshare agreements with American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines (which is to be gradually absorbed into Delta throughout 2009-2010 due to the merger), PenAir, V Australia and Era Aviation. It also has a codeshare partnership with Mokulele Airlines of Hawaii, operated by Shuttle America. The majority of its codeshares are with American Airlines, and the two airlines both use the Sabre reservation system.
Alaska Airlines also has codeshare agreements with foreign carriers, such as LAN Airlines, Korean Air, Qantas, Air France-KLM, Cathay Pacific, and British Airways.
On July 8, 2008 Alaska Airlines announced Frontier Flying Service (d/b/a Frontier Alaska) as a new codeshare partner beginning in fall of 2008.
In October, 2008 it was announced that Alaska Airlines, and its affiliate Horizon Air, flights would be allowed as part of oneworld Global Explorer fares.[27]
In November of 2008, it was announced that Alaska Airlines, along with its affiliate Horizon Air, would be forging a new partnership with Delta Airlines, thereby mirroring the long-standing relationship that Alaska Airlines has with Northwest Airlines. Part of the announcement was that by the end of 2009, Delta Crown Room and Northwest WorldClub members would receive access to Alaska Airlines's Board Room lounges in Anchorage, Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and Vancouver, British Columbia. Alaska Airlines Board Room members would receive access to the Delta Crown Room lounges and Northwest WorldClubs lounges. [28] (Delta announced that its Crown Room lounges would be merging with Northwest's WorldClubs lounges to form the brand-new Delta SkyClub lounge.) [29] The other major part of the announcement from Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines was that Delta SkyMiles members who are gold or platinum and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members frequent fliers who are MVP or MVP Gold members would have reciprocity in priority boarding, check-in and seat assignment benefits by the end of 2009. [30]
In May 2009, Alaska Airlines and Fiji-based Air Pacific announced a codeshare agreement.[31]
[edit] Employees
As of 2008, Alaska Airlines employs 13,550 employees.[32] Since 2005, Alaska has outsourced its baggage handling duties at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Menzies Aviation. Menzies also handles Alaska's ramp services at a number of other airports along the West Coast and in Mexico, while Alaska retains its own ramp employees in the State of Alaska. Alaska's heavy aircraft maintenance used to be performed by the carrier in Oakland, California, but since 2005 it has been performed by companies at Paine Field in Everett, WA, Abbotsford, British Columbia, and Oklahoma City. The airline still performs routine maintenance at its hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Alaska's pilot group consists of approximately 1600 pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International.
[edit] Livery
Alaska's first livery consisted of the words "Alaska" in gold on its tails. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a painting of a native Alaskan, still used by the carrier, was added to the livery.
Today most of its aircraft are white with a blue and teal stripe running the length of the left and right sides of the fuselage, with "Alaska" in the company's present-day wordmark displayed prominently on the sides, and the the native Alaskan portrait on the vertical stabilizer.[33] The carrier also has several special liveries:
- Three 737-400 aircraft feature special Disney paint schemes, all of which promote vacations to the Disneyland Resort:
- The "Spirit of Disneyland" prominently features Mickey Mouse and the other classic Disney characters.[33]
- "Magic of Disneyland" features Tinkerbell and was painted to promote the Disneyland Resort's 50th Anniversary.[33]
- "Spirit of Make-A-Wish" is a cross-promotion with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. It features the Genie from the Disney film Aladdin[33] and was painted to promote the Resort's Year of a Million Dreams promotion.
- One 737-400 is painted to look like a giant salmon, and is known in aviation circles as the "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon".[33]
- One 737-400 and one 737-800 features a "reverse color scheme" livery with alaskaair.com painted on the sides.[33]
- One 737-800, dubbed "Starliner 75", features Alaska's first color scheme, painted to celebrate the carrier's 75th anniversary. The aircraft features the carrier's 75th anniversary logo on the vertical stabilizer, as well as a Boeing logo from the same period on the fuselage below the flight deck windows.[33]
- Five 737-800's feature a native Alaskan on the vertical stabilizer wearing a Hawaiian lei to promote the carrier's inaugural flights to Hawaii.
- One 737-800, dubbed "Spirit of Seattle," is a hybrid of two companies' liveries, with the fuselage painted in Boeing's corporate livery, the "Alaska" wordmark near the aft end of the fuselage, and native Alaskan from Alaska's livery on the vertical stabilizer.[33] This aircraft was painted to commemorate Alaska's conversion to an all-Boeing fleet, as well as the Seattle roots of both companies (Boeing was founded in Seattle and still accomplishes final assembly for all its commercial aircraft in the Seattle area).
- One 737-400, features a musher and sled dog, state ferry, Native Alaskan canoe, bear and whale, along with the statement, "We're all pulling together" to celebrate 50 years of Alaska statehood. The unique design dubbed "The Spirit of Alaska Statehood" was created by 16-year-old Sitka student Hannah Hamberg.[34]
[edit] Incidents and accidents
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) |
- On November 30, 1947, an Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-4 (Registration NC91009), flying as Flight 009 with routing Anchorage-Yakutat-Port Hardy-Seattle, crash landed while attempting to make an ILS approach at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. The plane went off the runway, rolled down an embankment, struck a ditch, and continued onto the intersection of Des Moines Highway and South 188th Street where it struck an automobile, catching fire and spilling gasoline all over the area. Of the 28 occupants onboard, there were 8 fatalities, plus the person driving in the car. The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error.[35]
- On January 20, 1949 Flight 8, a Douglas DC-3, was on routing Homer, Alaska-Kenai, Alaska when the plane struck the side of Ptarmigan Head 9 miles (14 km) E of the center of the airway to Kenai. Of the 6 passengers onboard, there were 5 fatalities. The cause was determined to be the action of the pilot in straying off the designated airway.[citation needed]
- On August 8, 1954, a Douglas DC-3 operating the routing of McGrath, Alaska-Colorado Creek, Alaska crashed into the side of a mountain about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of McGrath. Both crew members perished.[citation needed]
- On March 2, 1957, an Alaska Airlines Douglas C-54B (Registration N90449) operating as Flight 100 routing Seattle-Fairbanks-Seattle "hit a mountain 3.8 miles from Blyn while on approach to Seattle. All 5 occupants perished. The Captain intentionally entered an area of low overcast in mountainous terrain.".[36]
- On July 21, 1961, an Alaska Airlines DC-6A (Registration N6118C) operating Seattle-Shemya "crashed short of the runway due to the fact that the air traffic controller in the tower had forgotten to turn on the runway and approach lighting systems during a landing at night." All 6 on board were killed.[37]
- On September 4, 1971, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, a Boeing 727-193 operating Anchorage-Cordova-Yakutat-Juneau-Sitka, crashed into a mountain in the Chilkat Mountain Range about 18.5 miles (29.8 km) from the airport while on approach to Juneau. All seven crew members and 104 passengers were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be misleading navigational information given to the flight, the failure of the crew to use all navigational aids and not performing the required audio identification of the navigational facilities.[38]
- On April 5, 1976, Alaska Airlines Flight 60, a Boeing 727-81 (Registration N124AS) operating Juneau-Ketchikan, overran the runway while landing in Ketchikan after the Captain decided to attempt a go around at the last moment. One passenger died of a heart attack following the accident. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error for initiating a go-around after commitment to landing and the pilot's "unprofessional decision" to abandon the precision approach.[39]
- On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, an MD-83, plunged into the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu, California while preparing to attempt an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to San Francisco and Seattle, killing all 88 people on board. In its final report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the cause of the accident to be failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew acme nut threads due to insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly by Alaska Airlines. NTSB further determined that the insufficient lubrication resulted from Alaska's extended lubrication and inspection intervals and from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) approval of those intervals. NTSB also found that the lack of a fail-safe mechanism for the failure of the acme nut threads on the MD-80 design contributed to the accident. This incident, along with the earlier ValuJet crash, led to closer FAA oversight of airline maintenance operations.[40] The accident was the subject of episode 6, season 1, of the documentary series, Mayday.
- December 26, 2005: Flight 536, which was headed from Seattle to Burbank, California, was forced to return to Seattle and make an emergency landing. The cause was a foot-long hole in the fuselage of the MD-83 aircraft, which caused the plane to lose cabin pressure. According to NTSB spokesman Jim Struhsaker, a baggage handler admitted to failing to immediately report bumping the plane at the gate with baggage handling equipment. The Associated Press quotes Struhsaker saying "The bump created a crease in the plane's aluminum skin, which opened to a 12- by 6-inch (150 mm) gash as the plane came under increased pressure differential at 26,000 feet (7,900 m).[41][42]
- December 24, 2008: Passengers aboard Flight 528, which was scheduled to fly from Seattle to Burbank, California, had to deplane after de-icing fumes entered into the cabin.[43]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Norwood, Tom; Wegg, John (2002). North American Airlines Handbook (3rd ed.). Sandpoint, ID: Airways International. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9. http://www.airwaysnews.com.
- ^ alaskaair.com-Investor Relations-Corporate Profile retrieved 7/10/2008
- ^ Alaska Airlines Launches Brand Campaign Highlighting "North Of Expected" Customer Service, PR Newswire. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
- ^ "Media Contacts: Alaska Airlines." Alaska Airlines. Retrieved on May 18, 2009.
- ^ "TOP INDUSTRIES." City of SeaTac. Accessed July 20, 2008.
- ^ "City of SeaTac Zoning." City of SeaTac. Accessed August 20, 2008.
- ^ Alaska Airlines Company Facts
- ^ HistoryLink Essay: Alaska Airlines
- ^ Alaska Airlines Resumes Daily Service To Reagan National, Continues Daily Service To Dulles International
- ^ Alaska Airlines Announces New Service To Orlando
- ^ Alaska Airlines Inaugurates Seattle-Miami Service
- ^ Alaska Airlines launches Seattle-New York service
- ^ Alaska Airlines Introduces Boston-Seattle Service With $149 Fares
- ^ http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/Destinations/Route-Map.asp
- ^ http://inflightout.blogspot.com/
- ^ Alaska Airlines Fleet Facts
- ^ Alaska Airlines Fleet Age
- ^ "Alaska Airlines Orders 35 Boeing 737-800s". Alaska Airlines. 2006-06-15. http://www.alaskasworld.com/Newsroom/ASNews/ASstories/AS_20050615_132704.asp. Retrieved on 2006-01-24.
- ^ Flight International 26 March 1970
- ^ "Inflight Food Service." Alaska Airlines. Accessed October 11, 2008.
- ^ WAEA Inflight Entertainment Historical Firsts
- ^ Alaska To Become First Carrier To Offer APS DigEPlayer Portable Video On Demand Entertainment System
- ^ Sky's the limit for a baggage handler's in-flight entertainment system
- ^ IPEC: Inflight Online Awards Dinner
- ^ Movies, Music, and More from digEplayer
- ^ Alaska Airlines Working With Row 44 To Launch Inflight Wireless Internet Service
- ^ http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-travel-options/round-the-world-fares/global-explorer
- ^ "Alaska Airlines, Delta strike new partnership." Atlanta Business Chronicle at Puget Sound Business Journal. Monday November 17, 2008. Retrieved on July 6, 2009.
- ^ "Delta Sky Club™." Delta Air Lines. Retrieved on July 6, 2009.
- ^ http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/11/17/daily2.html
- ^ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2009264001_webalaska26.html?syndication=rss
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: pp. 71-72. 2007-03-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Aircraft Information
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19471130-0 Aviation Safety Network
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19570302-0
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610721-0
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610721-0
- ^ http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR76-20.pdf
- ^ http://www.ntsb.gov/Events/2000/Aka261/default.htm
- ^ ""Absolutely terrifying" flight after ground-crew mistake," The Seattle Times
- ^ "Alaska Airlines Sued in Jet Mishap," The Seattle Times
- ^ ""De-icing solutions sends air crew members to hospital"
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alaska Airlines |
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