Alaska Airlines

Travel Tidbits for future flights

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Courtesy UW Digital Collections

Going skiing? Save your Alaska Airlines boarding pass

If you’ve checked the rules and restrictions and feel safe flying to a ski resort this season, keep in mind that you may be able to ski for free once you arrive.

As it does each winter, Alaska Airlines is once again partnering with a variety of ski resorts to offer free ski passes on the day of arrival to travelers who show their boarding passes and IDs. Offers and deals will vary, of course, but there are offers for ski resorts in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Washington.

Deals with the My Emirates Pass too

Emirates is resuming many of its flights to and through its Dubai hub and just announced it will resume non-stop service to Seattle starting February 1 and to Dallas and San Francisco, starting March 2.

Flights to/from San Francisco will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER. Flights to/from Seattle will operate four times weekly and flights to/from Dallas will operate three times weekly.

Emirates also announced a refreshed My Emirate Pass, which offers a wide variety of discounts and deals for travelers who show their boarding pass in over 450 restaurants, leisure destinations, and retail outlets across the UAE.

Will airlines bring back more free stuff?

The Alaska Airlines ski pass and My Emirate Pass programs have been offered before but, given the times, we’re especially glad to see they’re back.

Which makes us wonder: as airlines try to win back travelers, might we see more bonus items offered with our tickets?

Alaska Airlines to give emotional support animals the boot

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Back on the leash

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has ruled that airlines no longer have to make the same accommodations for emotional support animals as they do for trained service dogs.

So it was just a matter of time before airlines starting to change their policies.

And now the changes have begun.

“This regulatory change is welcome news,” said Ray Prentice, director of customer advocacy at Alaska Airlines, in a statement. “It will help us reduce disturbances on board while continuing to accommodate our guests traveling with qualified service animals,”

Alaska Airlines is the first to take action. Starting January 11, 2021, the airline will only allow trained service dogs to travel for free in the cabin.

Under the revised policy, Alaska will only accept two service dogs per guest in the cabin, including psychiatric service dogs. Anyone flying with service dogs will have to complete a DOT form attesting that their animal is a legitimate service dog, is trained and vaccinated, and will behave during the flight.

Emotional support animals, whether they be pigs, monkeys, hamsters, lizards, or miniature horses, will no longer be allowed in the cabin.

Pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, and household birds, can still fly, but they must be ticketed, at $100 each way. And passengers who bring pets onboard must keep them in a carrier, which counts towards the carry-on bag allotment.

So no more emotional support animals taking up a seat or a tray table. Or getting under you feet.

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More holiday cheer – and dances – from airports and airlines

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If we were traveling around this month, we’d certainly be spending a lot of time in airport gift shops buying Christmas chocolates and other treats.

Some of that chocolate would even make it home and into nicely-wrapped gift boxes.

Instead, we’re home and keeping an eye on what airports and airlines are doing to be festive and still keep us safe during an unusual travel season.

SFO Airport is charming us with lights, music, and dancing

We love the giant light switch in this holiday message from SFO and we’re ordering one installed in our home office.

We also love this ‘put your mask on’ music video starring and produced by some incredibly talented people who work at SFO airport.

SFO’s mask video is a good pairing with the safety dance video Alaska Airlines put together that we featured here yesterday. That video also stars in-house talent.

Wreath-decorating contest at O’Hare Airport

It looks like they had so much fun with the pumpkin decorating contest at Halloween that now 13 shops at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport are competing in a wreath-decorating contest.

The public is invited to weigh in on which is best.

Voting is open through December 25, 2020.

O’Hare Airport also has some great themed holiday trees.

More to come..

See Alaska Airlines’ new safety dance & buy the airline’s holiday sweater for a good cause

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Airlines aren’t messing around when they say “Wear a mask. Or else.”

So far, Delta Air Lines has banned more than 700 passengers who refuse to mask up. And Alaska Airlines has banned 219 flyers under the airline’s “No Mask, No Travel” policy.

Now, to help get their point across about masks, Alaska Airlines has a safety dance video.

Alaska Airline’s “Safety Dance” video was directed by Warren Fu. He’s known for his work with artists such as Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Daft Punk. and HAIM. The video was choreographed by Anna Matuszewski, who is known for her work with Macklemore.

Even better, the people dancing in the video are real Alaska Airlines employees.

Buy an ugly Alaska Airlines holiday sweater for a good cause

For the past few years, anyone wearing a holiday sweater was treated to priority boarding on Alaska Airlines flights on National Ugly Sweater Day.

National Ugly Sweater Day is December 18th this year. But Alaska Airlines won’t be offering early boarding for holiday sweater-wearers due to social distancing guidelines.

Instead, Alaska Airlines is inviting sweater fans to purchase their own Alaska Airlines-branded ugly sweater for $30 each, with the proceeds going to provide holiday meals for those in need.

Funds will be donated to United Way’s Ride United Last-Mile Delivery initiative, which partners local United Ways with DoorDash and its “Dashers” (drivers) to deliver food from local food banks, food pantries and other distribution points to senior citizens, low income families and those who can’t leave home.

The sweaters are for sale on Alaska Airlines’ company store website, where you’ll also find fun gifts such as Luly Yang socks and holiday ornaments, such as tiny little ugly sweaters.

Gotta fly? BOGO sale on Alaska Airlines

Air Fare Deals, ,

Need – or want – to fly somewhere between now and October 31, 2020?

Then check out Alaska Airline’s 48-hour “BOGO” sale which is running now through 11:59 pm PT on August 9, 2020.

The deal: Buy one main cabin fare ticket and get a second one on the same itinerary for just the cost of taxes and fees.

This is ideal if you want to travel with someone and make sure there’s an empty seat in your row. Here area Alaska’s tips for making your booking:

  1. In the booking form on this page, enter your departure and arrival cities, dates, and 2 travelers.
  2. Enter GETTHEROW into the discount code field, and then click “Find flights” to start your search.
  3. Be sure to select your window and aisle seats.

Alaska Airline’s safety measures

Of course, whether you take a flight in the next few months may depend on a variety of health and safety issues, and your comfort level. It may also depend on how comfortable and confident you are about the safety measures your airline is taking.

With the kick-off of this BOBO fare, Alaska Airlines is also enhancing and extending its Next-Level Care safety measures for fall travel:

Here are the elements of Alaska Airline’s plans:

*The airline is capping capacity and will block middle seats through Oct. 31, 2020.

*Alaska’s Peace of Mind waivers (no change/cancellation fees) is being extended for tickets purchased by September 8, 2020.

*Effective now, Alaska Airlines has stricter mask policies, including:

All passengers over the age of two are required to wear a mask or face covering over their nose and mouth, with no exceptions; 

If a traveler does not wear a mask they will not be allowed to fly. This policy applies to the airline’s ticket counters, gate areas, and inflight.

Following the lead of some other airlines, Alaska Airlines passengers who refuse to wear a mask in-flight will lose flying privileges.

During a flight, Alaska Airlines flight attendants are authorized to give a “final notice” – in the form of a yellow card – to passengers who disregard or disobey the requirement to wear a mask or face covering.

Until now, that yellow card initiated a review process. But now, if someone is yellow-carded, Alaska will suspend flight privileges immediately for all future travel, with no review process.