Alaska Airlines

Coffee news: Alaska Airlines to swap Starbucks for Stumptown

For years, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has been brewing and pouring Seattle-based Starbucks coffee on Alaska and Horizon Airlines flights.

But on or around December 1, 2023, the in-flight coffee will switch over to a custom roast from Portland-based Stumptown Coffee that’s a spinoff of Stumptown’s best-selling Holler Mountain.

Alaska says its custom Stumptown blend was specially crafted to be enjoyed at 30,000 feet, where tastebuds react differently. And that it was approved only after months of development and in-flight testing.

That’s how serious Alaska Airlines – and travelers – are about coffee.

“Alaska’s medium-dark blend uses the same clean and sweet base as Holler Mountain, but with a primary focus on a roast that mellows acidity and introduces just enough toastiness to please a wide range of palates,” the airline said in a statement. “It’s exceptionally smooth and balanced, with aromatic notes of toasted marshmallows, browned butter, and toffee with delicate hints of citrus and cherry. Additionally, Stumptown dialed in this roast to be delicious when served black or with the addition of creamer or oat milk” which is also offered on Alaska flights.

We’ll reserve judgment until we taste the coffee for ourselves. With and without those tiny Biscoff cookies.

Stuck at the Airport: free flights + a pup parade

Alaska Airlines Kraken Contest

This year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs are getting pretty exciting for fans of the Seattle Kraken.

The team has a surprise 2-1 lead against the Dallas Stars in a best-of-7 series and Game 4 is Tuesday night.

Alaska Airlines, the official airline of the Seattle Kraken, is joining in the fun by giving away free flights.

The number of flights they’ll give away is tied to the number on the jersey of the first player to score.

To participate in “Getaway Goals,” follow @alaskaair on social media, reply with the last name or number of the player you think will score first, and include #AlaskaAirGoals.

Here’s a link to the contest rules and here’s a link to The Seattle Kraken NHL site so you can study the players.

PUPs on Parade at Los Angeles International Airport

Pet therapy programs at airports are incredibly popular and the program at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a pup parade.

The LAX PUPs program, which stands for Pets Unstressing Passengers, started in 2013 and now includes more than 80 dogs and their handlers.

On Wednesday, May 10, from 11 am until 1 pm, more than a dozen LAX PUPs and their volunteer handlers will participate in a pup parade – complete with red carpet – in Terminal 1, by Gate 17/18 at LAX and then stick around for a meet-and-greet and photo ops with ticketed passengers.

Alaska Airlines has a deal for Kraken Fans

In some cities, it’s all about the basketball playoffs right now.

But in Seattle, hopes are pinned on the professional ice-hockey team known as the Seattle Kraken.

The Seattle Kraken will play against the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And to celebrate, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is offering special fares to Dallas as well as sweepstakes for a chance to win tickets to Game 2 in Dallas.

Here’s the deal: through May 5, Alaska Airlines is offering

*$99 tickets each way between Seattle and Dallas – to either Dallas Love Field (DAL) or Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW);

*Priority boarding for any guests sporting Kraken gear at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport:

*And a chance to win two roundtrip tickets to Dallas and a pair of tickets to Game 2 of the second round of playoffs. Enter by retweeting the @SeattleKraken “I want to fly away” tweet.

(Official sweepstakes rules here.)

Alaska Airlines is the official airline sponsor of the Kraken, and they’ve even added another flight to Dallas from Seattle on May 2 with flight number #9232 in honor of the NHL’s 32nd franchise.

Kraken fan? (Or have the t-shirt?) Wear it and get priority boarding on Alaska Airlines

Folks in Seattle are pretty darn excited that there’s now a professional hockey team in town.

And so is Alaska Airlines, the hometown airline that’s also the official airline of the Kraken.

To celebrate the ice hockey season, Alaska Airlines is offering priority boarding out of Seattle, Everett, or Palm Springs to anyone wearing a Seattle Kraken or Coachella Valley Firebird jersey. (The Firebirds are a new professional ice hockey expansion team of the Seattle Kraken.)

That means anyone sporting a Kraken or Firebirds hockey jersey will be able to board following group B.

The offer stands for passengers Kraken and Firebirds gear-wearing fans on all Alaska Airines flights departing from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Paine Field (PAE), and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP).

Don’t have the gear just yet? We suspect you’ll find shops at these airports selling the gear. Let us know what you find.

Alaska Airlines’ new Star Wars-themed airplane

 Alaska Airlines made good use of May the Fourth – Star Wars Day – to unveil a new Star Wars-themed aircraft.

The plane has the iconic Millennium Falcon emblazoned on the tail chased by TIE fighters and is a tie-in with Star WarsGalaxy’s Edge, the newest land of adventure at Disneyland park.

The plane, with a tail number of N538AS, has the Star WarsGalaxy’s Edge and Disneyland Resort logos in the center of the fuselage. And you’ll see porgs, the cute avian creatures that lived on Luke Skywalker’s remote island, on both winglets. Another porg is at the boarding door.

Here’s a cool video showing the plane being painted.

To make this happen, it took 228 gallons of paint applied during 540 work hours over 27 days.

(All photos and video courtesy Alaska Airlines)