Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Program Updates
Operational Update
The company is having solid progress toward improving operational performance in 2008. Our primary focus at this time is Seattle, our hub and busiest station; as many of you know, improvements at Seattle impact our entire network. As you may recall, last fall we created an executive position to lead a cross-divisional effort aimed at dramatically improving both on-time and baggage performance. We are encouraged by the progress we have seen so far and expect improvements to continue as the year progresses.
Mileage Plan System Upgrade/Temporary Outage
Our Mileage Plan system will be unavailable between April 14 and April 22, 2008. During the system cutover many Mileage Plan related activities will be unavailable. By giving you advance notice we hope that you will be able to plan ahead and be minimally impacted.
Even More Hawaii: Introducing Maui
This just in: We now have even more Hawaii to go around! Alaska Airlines is beginning service between the mainland and Maui, Hawaii, including year-round daily flights between Seattle and Kahului, and seasonal flights between Anchorage and Kahului. Get your board shorts and flip-flops and get booking.
Northwest Upgrades
You no longer need electronic or paper First Class Upgrade certificates when requesting an upgrade on Northwest Airlines. Simply put your MVP Gold Mileage Plan number in the reservation and you will be placed on Northwest's auto-upgrade processor. If seats are available 24 hours prior to departure, the upgrade will clear automatically; when checking in for the flight, you will be advised if you have been upgraded. Should a First Class seat not be available, you will be automatically placed on Northwest's airport standby list.
Award Finder Calendar
Tired of hunting-and-pecking for award seats? This January we introduced our new Award Finder Calendar, which lets you shop for up to 30 days of award seats for both outbound and return trips! What's more, when you combine Saver and Peak fares, we will book two one-way trips for you in the same transaction. You can access this new feature by marking the "My Dates are Flexible" checkbox found just below the Schedule Departing/Returning date input fields.
Virtual Assistant - Meet Jenn
In February, we officially launched our virtual search tool called "Jenn." Jenn is easy to use and a lot of fun. Just type in your question and Jenn will navigate alaskaair.com to the appropriate page where your answer resides; she'll even shop for you! Give her a try. And feel free to be creative-ask Jenn if she has a pet, if she's married, whatever you think of. Then, use the feedback button at the bottom of Jenn's window if you have ideas or suggestions.
First Class Basket
In September 2007 we launched our Anytime Picnic Pack as a source of revenue in the Main Cabin. Since that time, we introduced the First Class Basket in an effort to provide a selection of complimentary, healthy snacks to First Class customers. The basket is passed through at intervals allowing customers to choose several tasty items from the basket throughout the flight.
Gold Bypass Line
We are happy to announce that we now have an MVP Gold bypass line at the San Diego airport. The First Class/MVP Gold line is at the checkpoint in Terminal 1 West. Just show your MVP Gold card and go to the front of the line.
The West Most Schedule
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air now offer even more daily nonstops between California and the Pacific Northwest. In fact, we have 39 more than all other airlines combined. With the West Most™ schedule, you can fly when you want and choose convenient service to 16 California airports. We have 15 flights a day between Seattle and Los Angeles and they are timed on the hour (or the half hour from LAX)… Easy to remember and if you miss one, it just means you're just early for the next.
Earn Double Miles in Alaska
Alaska Airlines is excited to offer Double Mileage Plan Miles on Alaska Airlines flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Bethel, Cordova, or Kodiak. Book your flight today for travel between May 1 and September 7, 2008, to take advantage of this offer. To earn Double Miles, simply enter your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number when you book your flights at alaskaair.com.
In-flight Wireless Broadband Service
We announced last September that Alaska Airlines is preparing to test an in-flight wireless broadband service, Row 44. This service will provide you with a unique entertainment and business network at 35,000 feet. Using your Wi-Fi enabled devices, inluding laptop computers, PDAs, smartphones, and portable gaming systems, you will have high-speed access to the Internet, email, virtual private networks, and stored inflight entertainment content. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to launch.
My Wallet Development
We are currently adding a virtual bank account to alaskaair.com-a place where you will be able to store gift certificates purchased from us in an online account. The new My Wallet project is the first step to Alaska becoming 100 percent paperless and allowing you to store all varieties of certificates in your online profile. Look for it in the coming months.
Alaska's Environmental Efforts
Alaska Airlines has adopted a corporate environmental policy that defines environmental responsibility as an essential part of being a responsible corporate citizen…and a natural fit with our corporate values and our customers' expectations. Our vision is to build cultures at both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air where we fully integrate sustainable environmental practices into our business of providing safe, reliable air transportation with the best-in-class customer experience.
The most significant investment has been to undertake a number of fuel conservation initiatives, including the purchase of 74 fuel-efficient Next-Generation 737 aircraft with winglets. Alaska Airlines will phase out its remaining nine MD-80s and replace them with new, fuel-efficient 737-800s by this fall. Each 737 burns 18 percent less fuel than an MD-80, which saves about 645,000 gallons of fuel a year per aircraft and results in a commensurate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1998, fuel conservation efforts have reduced the amount of fuel Alaska Airlines uses to transport one passenger one mile by 30 percent. Watch for more environmentally friendly improvements to continue.
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