Alaska Airlines unveils stunning lounge in San Francisco

Alaska Airlines is proud to announce the grand opening of its newest Alaska Lounge at San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1. The modern and spacious 11,000-square-foot space delivers on our promise to enhance our network of lounges and offers an unparalleled pre-flight experience with a welcoming West Coast vibe, open spaces bathed in natural light and warm finishes.

“Today’s unveiling of our elegantly designed Lounge at SFO represents the culmination of over two years of dedicated commitment to enhance the way we care for our guests,” said Sangita Woerner, senior vice president of Marketing and Guest Experience at Alaska Airlines. “Our Lounges redefine the premium travel experience, providing top-tier amenities and ample space to escape the hustle and bustle of the airport, whether you’re travelling with Alaska or our oneworld and global airline partners.”

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Alaska Airlines announces major expansion of First Class and Premium seating

This expansion will add 1.3 million premium seats annually to Alaska's mainline fleet, providing passengers with even more opportunities to upgrade to a premium experience  Starting in September, Alaska Airlines will begin rolling out additional First Class and Premium Class seating across more than 200 aircraft, including 900ERs, 800s and MAX9s. This expansion will add 1.3 million premium seats annually to the mainline fleet. Earlier this year, the carrier successfully retrofitted its entire regional fleet, adding 400,000 Premium Class seats to the Embraer E175 aircraft.

New seating configuration 737-800 (current—new)

New seating configuration 737-900ER / MAX9 (current—new)

More First Class and Premium seating   By increasing the number of seats available in these classes, Alaska are making it easier than ever for passengers to upgrade while also meeting the growing demand for premium seating.  First Class  In partnership with RECARO, Alaska Airlines further enhances its offering to provide passengers with ultimate comfort seats that are featured in the new First Class seats that have been installed on the Boeing 737-800 fleet. These new seats offer the most legroom and features include a calf rest, new seatback device holder, 6-way headrest with neck support and USB-C charging capabilities.

Premium Class & Main Cabin  In Main Cabin and Premium Class of the 737-800 fleet, passengers will continue to experience comfort and convenience at every seat with improved features, including new device holders with built in cup holders, USB-C charging and a 6-way headrest with dedicated neck support.  As the airline modifies the 737-900ER fleet to increase Premium Class by converting six of the Main Cabin seats, these aircraft will receive an interior refresh, bringing modern touches like device holders in the main cabin to the backbone of our fleet. All 737 MAX 9 aircraft, among the newest in the fleet, will also get six additional seats converted to their Premium cabins, enhancing the comfort and luxury the airline offers customers.

Alaska Airlines expands winter travel options to launch 18 exciting new sun and ski routes

Alaska Airlines has decided to enhance its winter schedule with the launch of 18 new nonstop routes to key sunny international destinations and some wonderful winter wonderland retreats. Included in the raft of new routes are a number from Sacramento and Kansas City. 

Kirsten Amrine, vice president of network planning and revenue management at Alaska Airlines said:  "We’re thrilled to offer convenient connection for guests across our network with this expansion – whether checking destinations off their bucket lists or setting off to their favourite winter getaways, we’ve put together an exciting range of options from tropical destinations across Mexico to the most popular ski slopes in North America."

New Winter Routes in Order of Start Date:

*Frequency varies—see AlaskaAir.com for the latest schedule information

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Alaska Airlines honours US military with newest aircraft livery

As the USA celebrates Independence Day, Alaska Airlines has unveiled its latest livery as a tribute to service members past and present. 

In partnership with Boeing, the airline was proud to unveil the specially designed “Honoring Those Who Serve” aircraft. The design, which is almost identical to three other jets, features a new patriotic paint scheme with symbolic imagery representing all six branches of the US Armed Forces: Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force.

From its star-spangled design to the heartfelt message emblazoned on its side, this aircraft is a flying tribute to the courage and dedication of those who serve today, and those who served in the past. 

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Alaska Airlines launches seasonal, daily flight between Portland and New Orleans

Alaska Airlines is continuing to expand the destinations it flies from Portland with the launch of the first nonstop flight to New Orleans beginning this January. The daily service will operate until next spring, including during Mardi Gras -- New Orleans’ largest annual celebration.

“As the largest carrier in Portland for more than 20 years, it’s important we continue to expand the nonstop destinations we offer our guests and give them choices when planning their next trip,” said Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning for Alaska Airlines. “We can’t wait to offer another convenient way to connect our guests along the West Coast to New Orleans, a city rich in history and culture.”

The vibrant city of New Orleans will be Alaska’s 55th nonstop destination from Portland International Airport when service begins in January. The daily flight will conveniently depart PDX in the morning on the mainline fleet aircraft and return to Portland in the evening.

“Alaska’s continued investment in PDX is great news for our travel community. Until now, New Orleans was one of the largest U.S. markets without a nonstop from PDX,” said Dan Pippenger, chief aviation officer at the Port of Portland. “Tens of thousands of travelers already fly between these two great cities every year, and we expect that number to only grow with this new nonstop service.

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Portland – New Orleans service
Seasonal service: 1/6/25 to 5/14/25 

City Pair	Departs	Arrives	Frequency	Aircraft
Portland – New Orleans	9:05 a.m.	3:30 p.m.	Daily	737
New Orleans – Portland	4:35 p.m.	7:50 p.m.

* Out of any U.S. legacy airline excluding lie-flat seats     

Alaska Airlines adds new routes in Southern California

Starting this autumn, Alaska Airlines will be adding new nonstop routes from San Diego and Los Angeles... 

       Alaska Airlines is expanding service at two of its major hubs in Southern California with new routes and additional capacity to popular West Coast destinations as part of the carrier’s ongoing commitment to growth in the state. 

 

Starting in the autumn season, the airline is adding its 39th nonstop destination from San Diego with service to Las Vegas. Plus, starting a new service between Los Angeles and Pasco. The carrier is also bringing back the route between Los Angeles and Reno. 

The airline is adding more flights to destinations its already offers out of Los Angeles International Airport, boosting capacity by more than 25%, including destinations such as Boise, Medford, Portland, San Jose, Santa Rosa and Seattle.

“As the only airline based on the West Coast, we’re committed to growth in Southern California, and I’m excited that we will offer our largest schedule out of the region in recent years; with our new services from Los Angeles to both Reno and Pasco as well as increased options to the destinations our guests visit most frequently. This new schedule also solidifies our title as the airline serving the most nonstop destinations from San Diego with our new service to Las Vegas,” said Neil Thwaites, regional vice president of California at Alaska Airlines.

“We are pleased to see Alaska Airlines continue to grow at San Diego International Airport and offer new routes to destinations across the country,” said Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “This new nonstop route to Las Vegas will offer yet another option for Southern Californians to travel to this city of lights and entertainment while providing Nevadans easy access to our beaches and sunshine in San Diego.”

Alaska Access: A new subscription service by Alaska Airlines to save on travel planning and costs,

Alaska Airlines to offer a bundle of exclusive deals with Alaska Access, a new subscription offer that includes discounted Wi-Fi plus more cost-saving tools

Alaska Airlines is launching a new subscription program for savvy, price-conscious guests that will save them time and money throughout the year. Starting today, travellers can sign up for Alaska Access at just $5 per month to take advantage of exclusive savings.

Immediately after sign-up, subscribers will receive their first monthly voucher to Alaska’s inflight streaming-fast satellite Wi-Fi. Benefits also include advanced alerts to some of our biggest fare sales of the year. Subscribers will be notified the night before a sale is announced to take advantage of huge savings and seat selection. Alaska Access also offers a calendar view of the lowest fares that are tailored to subscribers' favourite destinations, so they never miss out on the best deals.

“We know time is valuable for our guests who are busy balancing a lot in their lives and we kept that in mind when we developed Alaska Access,” said Shane Jones, vice president of business development at Alaska Airlines, “Alaska Access is part of our commitment to make travel more affordable and convenient for everyone – whether planning for your dream vacation or returning home from college. Our new subscription service allows you to discover some of our best deals of the year right at your fingertips, in just minutes.”  

Alaska was the first U.S. airline to introduce a subscription service to travellers in 2022 when it launched Flight Pass. Responding to the continued shift in consumer demand for personalized and tailored experiences, the carrier seeks to open up a new revenue stream with Alaska Access. 

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Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet suffers cracked window upon landing

US media is reporting that the inner windscreen of an Alaska Airlines  Boeing 737-800 aircraft cracked as it landed in Portland, Oregon over the weekend.

The jet had performed a flight from Washington DC and whilst on approach the flight deck crew became aware of a crack in the inner windscreen.  Alaska Airlines said the crew "followed their checklists and the aircraft continued safely to its destination as scheduled."  

In a statement to U.S. media, Alaska Air confirmed the aircraft was "outfitted with five-layer windscreens that have an outer pane, three inner layers and an inner pane. If an inner pane cracks, the other pane and layers can maintain cabin pressure. The aircraft will be inspected and repaired by engineers on the ground."

The plane was carrying 159 passengers and six crew at the time of the incident and the windscreen layer has been repaired and the jet is now put back in service. 

Hawaiian Holdings Stockholders approve of takeover by Alaska Air Group

Hawaiian Holdings, the parent of Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed this week that its stockholders have voted to agree to the takeover by the Alaska Air Group.  To save face, the management is calling it a merger and advised that the substantial majority of the holders of Hawaiian’s stock voted in favour of the merger, according to preliminary results from the special meeting held on Friday. Hawaiian will file the final voting results, as tabulated by an independent inspector of elections, on a Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Stockholder approval of our transaction with Alaska is an important milestone toward combining our airlines,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. “Together, we will bring stronger competition to the U.S. airline industry, deliver more value to our guests and the communities that we serve, and provide greater job opportunities for our employees.”

The transaction remains subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals, along with other customary closing conditions. Hawaiian and Alaska continue to expect to complete the transaction within 12 to 18 months of the announcement of the transaction, which occurred on 3rd December 2023.

Your travel planning isn’t complete without learning the language—or at least some essential phrases. Fully immerse yourself in the language, or use Phrasebook to learn travel essentials—the choice is yours!

Four bolts missing from door plug of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9...

The U.S. FAA has confirmed that not one, not two, not three, but four bolts used to hold a door plug on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet belonging to Alaska Airlines were missing, allowing the door panel to fall off during a flight in January.

The U.S. Safety Board investigating the incident said that evidence released this week shows bolts were missing from the door plug, which had been removed to fix rivets that were damaged in the production process.

The NTSB had previously remained silent on the cause for the panel to rip off during a flight operated by Alaska Airlines, but now it has confirmed that "The investigation continues to determine what manufacturing documents were used to authorize the opening and closing" of the plug during the rivet rework,"  The troubled aircraft had recently experienced pressurisation warnings on previous flights had climbed to around 16,000 feet following departure from Portland, Oregon.

The NTSB said it had been focused on how this panel or door plug which is fitted into a number of Boeing 737 MAX 9 models as a replacement for an optional emergency exit - detached from the Alaska Air plane. The report indicates that the plug is held down by four bolts, and then secured by "stop fittings" at 12 different locations along the side of the plug and the door frame.

Alaska Airlines putting 737 MAX 9s back in service

Alaska Airlines has confirmed it has completed final inspections on its first group of 737-MAX 9 aircraft and has returned the type to active service, with the first flight operating between Seattle to San Diego.

On January 24th, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the detailed inspection and maintenance process for the troubled 737-MAX 9 to return to flying following the door plug blowout that grounded the aircraft. 

Alaska says its technicians began the inspections that same night following the FAA directive and expects to have the whole fleet checked by the end of next week.

Boeing's MAX production issues ripple across aerospace industry

Boeing's troubles with its 737 MAX jets are upending the aerospace industry's 2024 plans,

changing airlines' fleet and expansion goals as U.S. regulators froze production of the best-selling jets.

The FAA ramped up scrutiny of Boeing after a frightening Jan. 5 incident when a cabin panel tore off of an Alaska Airlines jet mid-flight. The plane landed safely with only minor injuries to people on board - but that experience has forced the industry to grapple with problems with Boeing's manufacturing and quality control processes.

The FAA late Wednesday froze increases in production of the single-aisle 737 MAX due to the issues, which have frustrated executives dependent on Boeing, one of only two major global plane manufacturers.

"Boeing needs to get their act together," said American Airlines CEO Robert Isom. "It is hard enough running an airline. We need quality product, and that's what we demand."

The FAA's order means Boeing can continue producing MAX jets at its current monthly rate, but it cannot increase that rate. It offered no estimate of how long the limitation would last and did not specify the number of planes Boeing can produce each month.

The FAA's unprecedented intervention in production schedules could further delay some deliveries of new planes to airlines and hurt suppliers already reeling from an earlier MAX crisis and the pandemic.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun told Reuters on Thursday that he supported the FAA decision. "We all want safe airplanes. This is a safe aeroplane," he said in Washington, where he has been meeting with U.S. legislators.

United Airlines finds loose bolts during inspections of 737 MAX 9 planes....

United Airlines says it has found bolts in need of "additional tightening" during inspections of Boeing 737 MAX 9 which had been removed from service following the blowout of a doorplug on an Alaska Airlines aircraft last week. 

United Airlines said it believed these to be "installation issues" relating to door plugs and these will be "remedied" before the aircraft type can return to operational use. 

"Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug - for example, bolts that needed additional tightening." the statement said. 

The grounding of the 737 MAX 9 jets has caused United to cancel over 200 flights as of Monday and the U.S. mega-carrier expects a significant number of cancellations on Tuesday.  "We have been able to operate some planned flights by switching to other aircraft types, avoiding about 30 cancellations each on Monday and Tuesday,". 

Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 had three previous pressure warnings before blowout flight.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said today that the Boeing 737 MAX 9 that suffered a blowout had been restricted by the carrier, Alaska Airlines from doing long flights over water because of three previous warnings of potential pressurization problems

According to Homendy, the warning light illuminated on three different occasions - 7 December, 3 January and 4 January leading the airline to restrict it from operating flights to Hawaii or other long flights over water so the 737 MAX 9 “could return very quickly to an airport” if the warning light reappeared

Whilst it is unclear if the previous warnings were connected with the incident on Friday when a plug covering an unused emergency exit door blew off the plane as it flew over Oregon.  The door plug is 26 by 48 inches and weighs 63 pounds / 28.5 kilograms. The NTSB confirmed the lost door plug had been found in the garden of a teacher from Portland and would soon be examined by investigators.

Homendy also said that the depressurization and rush of air damaged a number of seats, pulled insulation from the walls, and caused the cockpit door to flew open. She said the force of air also ripped the headset off the co-pilot and the captain lost part of her headset. A quick reference checklist flew out of the open cockpit. The cockpit doors are supposed to be incredibly strong and locked at all times during a flight following the 9/11 hijackings, so shouldn't have been able to be opened by the wind. 

 Aviation services provider AAR Corp confirmed that it had worked on the aircraft for Alaska Airlines, but had not worked on that area of the aircraft.  "AAR was contracted by Alaska Airlines to perform a 2KU Modification (WiFi modification) on the aircraft that was performed from Nov. 27 to Dec. 7, 2023," AAR said in a statement on Monday. 

Airlines have now been cleared to carry out urgent checks on the 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets that are in service after Boeing issued detailed instructions on Monday, which were approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. These checks, rapidly introduced before the cause of the plug blowing out is known are said to take between 4 and 8 hours could be an indication of the pressure being brought by the manufacturer to stem the damage to the reputation of the MAX series of aircraft. 

 

Cockpit voice recorder data on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet which lost a panel mid-flight on Friday was overwritten.....

The cockpit voice recorder data on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet which lost a panel mid-flight on Friday was overwritten, U.S. authorities said, renewing attention on an industry call for longer in-flight recordings. By Valerie Insinna, David Shepardson and Lisa Barrington for Reuters. 

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy said on Sunday no data was available on the cockpit voice recorder because it was not retrieved within two hours - when recording restarts, erasing previous data.

The U.S. requires cockpit voice recorders to log two hours of data versus 25 hours in Europe for planes made after 2021.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has since 2016 called for 25-hour recording on planes manufactured from 2021.

"There was a lot going on, on the flight deck and on the plane. It's a very chaotic event. The circuit breaker for the CVR (cockpit voice recorder) was not pulled. The maintenance team went out to get it, but it was right at about the two-hour mark," Homendy said.

The plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were sent to NTSB labs on Sunday to be read but no voice data was available, she said.