Alaska Airlines

Alaska Air marks Virgin America merger with special plane & a party

liveries,

On Wednesday, Alaska Airlines flew a special liveried plane bearing the slogan “More to Love” from Seattle to San Francisco to mark the official closing of the carrier’s acquisition of Virgin America.

I covered the day for USA TODAY and you can read my story there about some of the details of the “going forth” plans shared during the day – most notably that, for now, Virgin America will stay branded as Virgin America, moonlit cabins and all, and that the mileage plans will be reciprocal.

But here are some pictures from the day:

 

*(All photos by Harriet Baskas)

Alaska Airlines buying Virgin America

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Alaka and Virgin plane

Last month Alaska Airlines was chasing the sun , this month they’re buying Virgin America.

The announcement was made official this morning in a press release that gives the purchase price $2.6 billion.

“Including existing Virgin America indebtedness and capitalized aircraft operating leases, the aggregate transaction value is approximately $4.0 billion,” the airline said in a release.

Alaska airlines said the deal expands its existing footprint in California and “bolsters its platform for growth and strengthens the company as a competitor to the four largest U.S. airlines.”

Virgin America customers get more service into the Silicon Valley and Seattle, more frequent connections to Alaska’s international airline partners on flights out of Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and access to some slot-controlled airports such as Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, JFK and LaGuardia.

With our expanded network and strong presence in California, we’ll offer customers more attractive flight options for nonstop travel. We look forward to bringing together two incredible groups of employees to build on the successes they have achieved as standalone companies to make us an even stronger competitor nationally.”said Brad Tilden, chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group, in a statement.

“Joining forces with Alaska Airlines will ensure that our mission lives on, and that the stronger, combined company will continue to be a great place to work and an airline that focuses on an outstanding travel experience,” said David Cush, Virgin America president and CEO in the morning news release.

The company headquarters will stay in Seattle and Virgin America Elevate members will get folded into the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

More on this later…

Alaska Airline’s eclipse trip

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Alakas Airlines ecllipse

Photo courtesy Alaska Airlines

 

Here’s a great eclipse photo and (below) a video taken from an Alaska Airlines plane during the total solar eclipse on March 8.

To get those photos – and make a planeload of eclipse chasers happy – Alaska Airlines actually changed the path and the timing of Flight 870 from Anchorage to Honolulu so that it would intersect the “path of totality” – the darkest shadow of the moon as it passes over the Earth – at the exact right time.

I think it was definitely worth the trouble!

Video courtesy Mike Kentrianakis / American Astronomical Society.

Want to see a total solar eclipse? There’s one coming up in August 2017 that will sweep across the United States. Start planning now with tips offered on the eclipse2017.org website.

Alaska Air & JetBlue top airline survey ratings

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Alaska Airlines Salmon Thirty Salmon

The J.D. Power 2015 North America Airline Satisfaction Study is out today and both Alaska Airlines (in the traditional carrier segment ) and JetBlue (in the low-cost carrier segment) remain at the top of the heap in terms of customer satisfaction.

Alaska Air ranked highest in its category for the eight consecutive year, followed in the rankings by Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.

JetBlue ranked at the top of its segment for the 10th consecutive year, followed by Southwest Airlines.

The study measures passenger satisfaction with North America airline carriers based on seven factors (in order of importance): cost and fees; in-flight services; boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight crew; aircraft; check-in; and reservation. You can see the full list here:.

Prize patrol: Alaska Airlines & Robinson Cano

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alaska cano

 

 

Baseball season is in full swing and Alaska Airlines has launched a contest that has as its prize a trip for two to Seattle (my home base city) in June, tickets to a Seattle Mariners ball game, a 2-night hotel stay and a chance to meet second baseman Robinson Cano at Canoche, a Latin-themed fundraiser scheduled for June 3 that will include a live orchestral performance, dinner, dancing and an auction to benefit Cano’s RC22 foundation.

Sound like fun?

Enter the contest before April 24 here.

 

Alaska Airlines shakes its Beyond

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Alaska plane at Museum of Flight_edited

To show off its new “Alaska Beyond” package of in-flight amenities and services, Alaska Airlines parked a 737 out in front of Seattle’s Museum of Flight on Thursday and welcomed aboard a planeload of frequent fliers, reporters and bloggers for a two-hour flight over Oregon and Washington.

I got to tag along.

During the flight passengers could test out the new on-board entertainment options, which include both free and for-purchase TV shows and films that can be streamed on personal devices and new inflight entertainment tablets (rented in the Main Cabin for $8-$10 and free in First Class) offering access to new movie releases, selections from the Seattle International Film Festival, TV shows, music, digital magazines and games.

ALASKA digital tablets

The Alaska Beyond program extends to the buy-on-board menu, which now includes Canoe Ridge Wines blended especially for drinking at 30,000 feet and dishes created by Seattle’s three-time James Beard award-winning chef Tom Douglas, who was on board serving his BBQ chicken sandwiches and coleslaw and, afterwards, helping to gather up the empty wrappers.

Alaska Airlines - Tom Douglas on Alaska Beyond flight

Alaska says that by mid-April, 70 percent of its planes will feature all the Alaska Beyond amenities (which also include power at each seat and leather seats by Recaro with adjustable headrests) and all the airline’s 737s will offer direct-to-your personal-device-entertainment.

Why is Alaska doing all this upgrading now? Some say it has to do with Delta Air Lines’ aggressive push into the market. No doubt. But who’s going to argue against welcome improvements in services and in-flight amenities, especially those that remind Pacific Northwest passengers of home?

Russell Wilson’s Fan Flight II on Alaska Airlines

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Fan Flight jacket

Everyone in Seattle is pretty worked up about the Seahawks return to the Super Bowl. So it was no surprise that more than 80,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members from Oregon, Washington and Alaska (20 percent more than last year) entered a contest to win a spot on a special charter flight to Phoenix for a Super Bowl party on February 1. MVP Gold members could also bid miles – which would be donated to Children’s Hospital in Seattle.

The 56 contest winners – and their guests – along with 6 top mileage bidders (who bid a total of 2.2 million miles!) – enjoyed an inflight tailgate party to Phoenix and will be cheering on Russell Wilson, Alaska’s ‘Chief Football Officer’, and his team Sunday evening.

Here are some photos from the flight.

 

Alaska Airlines extends free in-flight entertainment

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Alaska Tablets

Passengers on Alaska Airlines will be able to use their personal electronic devices to access the airline’s full range of ‘Alaska Beyond’ inflight entertainment for free through March 31st.

But starting April 1, it will cost $1.99 to get access to movies and TV shows beyond a basic selection of complimentary offerings.

The new entertainment service was introduced in mid-December and is available now on more than half of Alaska’s mainline aircraft and should be on nearly all of the airline’s planes by April 2015.

For those not traveling with their own personal electronic devices, starting Feb. 1, Microsoft-branded Inflight Entertainment tablets will be available to rent on long-haul flights for $8-10 and will feature movies, TV, XBOX games, music, digital magazines, and Internet access on WiFi-equipped flights.

As with Alaska’s old rentable tablets, First Class customers and MVP Gold75Ks will be able to use the new tablets for free.

Airline perks for Seahawks and Patriots fans

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Sunday was a big day for football fans (especially fans of the Seattle Seawhawks and the New England Patriots, of course) and airlines are helping get the celebrations for Super Bowl XLIX underway.

To celebrate the Seahawks win, Alaska Airlines is offering a free drink to everyone on a flight leaving Seattle on Monday, January 19:

For those who want to make quick plans to go the game, JetBlue is adding extra flights between Boston and Phoenix. In addition to the regular schedule of flights (already sold out), JetBlue is adding a flight leaving Boston on January 30, 2015 at 8:20 a.m. (arriving at 12:24 p.m.) and returning on February 2, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. (arriving at 6:10 p.m).

Sunday evening, Alaska Airlines teased about another special Super Bowl treat:

And early Monday Alaska Airlines announced a re-run of last year’s sweepstakes offering Mileage Plan members a chance to fly from Seattle to Phoenix on a special charter on Feb. 1.

“Russell Wilson’s Fan Flight II – For Strong Against Cancer,” a four-day sweepstakes is taking place on Alaska Airlines’ Facebook page.

Fifty-six prize winners will receive two round-trip tickets for an ‘inflight tailgate party’ from Seattle to Phoenix on its “Go Russell 737-900ER” aircraft. Winners will also get two nights of hotel accommodations, admission to an exclusive game day party and transportation to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and their hotel.

(I was able to tag along last year and it was a heap-of-fun!)

The sweepstakes is open to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members who are residents of Washington, Oregon and Alaska and winners will be notified by phone and email beginning on Friday, Jan. 23 at 8 a.m. PT. (Last year, winners told me they had a short window to answer the notification, so on Friday, be sure to check your email and voice mail right away.)

The airline is also adding extra flights between Seattle and Phoenix:

On Jan. 30 flights will head from Seattle to Phoenix at 1:30 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. and on February 2nd from Phoenix to Seattle at 5:55 p.m. and 10:25 p.m.