Page 45 - Globale Traveler

on the integration with Virgin America. Our team for its punctuality and homespun hospitality, Virgin ABOUT ALASKA AIRLINES
is working hard to fulfill our purpose of creating sports a stylish, urbane yet edgier look and feel. Can
an airline that people love. Since closing the deal, the two become one? Route system: 117 destinations in four countries
we’ve announced 30 markets, most in the Bay Area, While asset and culture integration are challeng- Alliance: Codeshare agreements with some
growing our California footprint considerably. Our ing, so too are the issues of pilot compensation and members of oneworld and with some other
goal for California is to borrow on the strategy that pilot shortage. CEO Tilden cited the lack of pilots airlines
has worked so well in the Pacific Northwest: fly at the regional carrier Horizon Air as the reason Loyalty program: Alaska Mileage Plan
non-stop to the top destinations our customers want behind fewer on-time arrivals and more delays and Fleet: 280 aircraft including Boeing 737; Airbus
to go.” cancellations recently in the Northwest corridor. A319, A320 and A321; Bombardier Q400; and
To be sure, the sudden expansion and acquisi- Alaska’s iconic livery — the Eskimo face painted Embraer E175
tion of aircraft other than Boeings created growing on the vertical stabilizer — debuted in the early Markets: North America (United States, Canada,
pains within the Alaska Air Group. Foremost, the 1970s and received a facelift in January 2016. Mexico) and Central America (Costa Rica)
company will need to decide whether it remains “It’s the same person, the same symbol — but Hubs: Seattle (SEA), Anchorage (ANC), Portland
a mixed fleet or reverts to an all-Boeing 737 fleet. he is bigger, bolder and more impactful,” said (PDX), San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX)
Obviously, the decision will impact pilot recruitment marketing vice president Woerner. Tilden remarked
and training. how he felt the Eskimo was a personification of the ALASKA AIRLINES
Then there’s the issue of Virgin and Alaska company, a community with a rich history and a alaskaair.com
having two different cultures. While Alaska is known dynamic future.

FEBRUARY 2018 globaltravelerusa.com 45