Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines

IATA AS ICAO ASA Callsign ALASKA
Founded	1932 (as McGee Airways)[1]
Commenced operations	June 6, 1944[1]
Hubs	Portland International Airport Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Secondary hubs	Los Angeles International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Mileage Plan
Member lounge	Board Room
Fleet size	112
Destinations	91
Company slogan	North of Expected[2]
Parent company	Alaska Air Group
Headquarters	SeaTac, Washington
Key people	William S. Ayer (CEO) Brad Tilden (President)
Website	www.alaskaair.com

Alaska Airlines headquarters SeaTac, Washington

Alaska Airlines, (NYSE: ALK) is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington, United States. Alaska operates hubs at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Portland International Airport and manages a Mexico Gateway and focus city operations at Los Angeles International Airport.

Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier Horizon Air are both subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group. Alaska is also a substantial codeshare partner of both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. In 2010, J. D. Power and Associates recognized Alaska Airlines as the top "Traditional Carrier" in customer satisfaction for the third year in a row.^[3]

History

The airline traces its roots to McGee Airways, which flew its inaugural service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay in 1932 with a Stinson single-engined, three-passenger aircraft. Mergers and acquisitions produced changes in the name and saw business expand throughout Alaska. As of 1942, the airline was known as "Alaska Star Airlines." The name Alaska Airlines was adopted in 1944 having narrowly beaten a competitor applying for the name.^[4] In the 1940s Alaska's headquarters were in Anchorage, Alaska.^[5] Alaska Airlines moved to the jet age when it introduced a Convair CV-880 in 1961.^[6] In the early 1960s Alaska had its headquarters in what is now the Belltown area of Seattle.^[7]

In December 1962 Air Guinée signed a contract with Alaska Airlines which saw the airline providing management expertise, in addition to two Douglas DC-6s. The deal would have seen Alaska Airlines contracting with the airline over a seven-year period; however, the contract ended after only six months, leading to the United States Agency for International Development paying a US$700,000 debt owed by the Guinean airline to Alaska Airlines.^[8]

In 1985, Alaska Air Group was formed as a holding company for Alaska Airlines. In 1986 Alaska Air Group acquired Horizon Air. Jet America Airlines, was merged into Alaska Airlines in 1987. Currently, Alaska Air Group operates two subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air^[6][9]

Helping Israel

Alaska Airlines played an important role in organizing an airlift of Jews from Yemen to Israel, in an Operation Magic Carpet. ^[10] It later played a similar role in airlifting Jews from Iraq.^[11]

Destinations

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900 at Oakland International Airport. Alaska was the launch customer of the 737-900 aircraft.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 Combi at Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport in Barrow, Alaska.

Alaska's route system spans more than 92 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. During the 1980s Alaska Airlines operated a unique interchange of aircraft and aircrews to Texas with first, Braniff International and subsequently American Airlines, after the demise of Braniff in 1982. The airline operated charter flights to the Russian Far East starting in the late 1960s, and was known for the 1988 Friendship Flight to Provideniya that broke the old Soviet border. The airline began scheduled operations to the Russian Far East in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, but suspended the service in 1998 following the 1998 Russian financial crisis. The airline flew MD-80 aircraft on these routes^[12].

Alaska has historically been one of the largest carriers on the US west coast as well as to and within the state of Alaska, with strong presences in Seattle, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles Metro Area (serving all five LA-area and four Bay Area major airports). With the delivery of 737 Next-Generation aircraft starting in 1999, Alaska began launching more long-haul flights. In 2000, Alaska started service between Anchorage and Chicago. In 2001, the airline was granted slot exemptions by the Department of Transportation to operate a nonstop flight from Washington National Airport (DCA) to Seattle, which was halted after a few days due to the September 11, 2001 attacks^[13]. The service resumed the following year, with an additional flight from Washington National to Seattle added in 2004, as well as new non-stop service between Washington National and Los Angeles.

Other long-haul flights from Seattle were launched starting in 2001, including flights to Orlando (2002)^[14], Miami (2002)^[15], Newark (2002) ^[16], Boston (2003)^[17], and Dallas. In October 2007, Alaska Airlines began service to Hawaii and currently provides non-stop service to Honolulu, Lihue, Kahului, and Kona from Seattle and Kahului and Honolulu from Anchorage. Alaska also flies flights to Hawaii through other cities and hubs such as Portland and Oakland. Alaska recently launched new service from Seattle to Minneapolis – Saint Paul (2008), Kona, and Austin (2009). Service from Seattle to Houston began on September 23, 2009, from Seattle to Atlanta on October 23, 2009^[18], and from Oakland to both Kahului and Kona began in the 2nd week of November 2009.^[19] On November 10, 2009 Alaska Airlines announced that it would begin service between San Jose, CA and Kahului and Kona, Hawaii in March 2010. On March 26, 2010 Alaska began service between Sacramento, CA and Kahului, HI.^[20] These latter non-stop additions, for which neither Oakland, Sacramento, Kona, or Kahului, are hubs/focus cities of Alaska, is a rarity in today's commercial airline industry where the tendency is for an airline to concentrate its flights around some sort of "hub and spoke" route system. On June 17, 2010 Alaska Airlines announced that it will begin new service between Seattle and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. In spite of the many economic difficulties that have pegged the industry since the turn of the century, Alaska Airlines has managed to grow its route system by an impressive rate of 40 percent over the course of this last decade.

Alaska Airlines's regional carrier, Horizon Air, is closely integrated into Alaska's operations, with Alaska and Horizon sharing many routes. Alaska and Horizon are owned by the same parent company, Alaska Air Group. The airline's frequent flyer program is called Mileage Plan. Alaska Airlines is not part of any of the three major airline alliances, but Mileage Plan airline partners include prominent members of Oneworld, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and LAN Airlines, as well as SkyTeam members, such as Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, KLM, and Air France. Alaska also partnered with Continental Airlines until the former SkyTeam carrier joined Star Alliance on October 25, 2009.

Fleet

The Alaska Airlines all-Boeing 737 fleet has an average age of 7.5 years and consists of the following aircraft (as of June 29, 2010):^[21]

Ever since the 1970s, Alaska has been using Boeing aircraft for its fleet. Besides the current 737s Alaska has used, Alaska had operated the Boeing 707 and Boeing 727. Alaska had used the 727s largely during the building of the Alaska oil pipeline in the 1970s to haul equipment and passengers up to the North. The last 727 was retired in 1993.

In the 1980s, Alaska began acquiring McDonnell Douglas MD-80's. Alaska's MD-82s entered the fleet via the acquisition of Jet America Airlines in 1987. However, Alaska was also the launch customer for the MD-83, and took delivery of the first airframes in 1985. Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system, and to retire its aging and fuel inefficient 727 fleet. The MD-80 fleet peaked at approximately 45 aircraft in 1996. In 2005, due to the greater efficiency of the Boeing 737 NG and rising costs for maintenance, fuel, and crew training, Alaska Airlines decided to phase out the remaining 26 MD-80's and trained the pilots to fly the newer 737-800's that were being ordered to replace them. The last MD-80 flights flew on August 25, 2008, one flight from San Jose, California to Seattle, Washington, and Sacramento, California to Seattle, Washington.

Alaska also used the 737-200 Combi/QCs to suit the unique needs of flying in the state of Alaska. These aircraft were valued for their ability to be rapidly reconfigured (hence the moniker QC or "Quick Change") to match the specific cargo and passenger loads for any given flight^[23]. In the all-freight configuration, the 737-200 Combis carried up to 6 cargo containers, known as "igloos." The palletized floor allowed for passenger seating to range from 26 with 5 cargo pallets to 111 in the all-passenger configuration. The 737-200s were also gravel-kitted, which allowed them to be used at airports such as Red Dog, Alaska (RDB), which formerly featured a gravel runway. Due to their fuel inefficiency and rising maintenance costs, Alaska decided to phase-out the 737-200s between 2005 and 2007, replacing them with six reconfigured 737-400's. Five feature a cargo/passenger arrangement, and one is a "freighter" carrying only cargo. Unlike the 737-200 Combi, the 737-400 Combis feature a fixed seating capacity of 72 seats. The last 737-200 Combi (short for combination) was retired in 2007 and is now displayed at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.^[24]

Services

Board Room

Board Room is the Alaska Air Group airport lounge, and are located in six west coast airports: Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver. Board Room Members also have access to Delta Air Lines Sky Club at airports across the country.^[25] Memberships start at $30 for a single-day pass, up to $850 for a new three-year membership. MVP members receive a 50% discount on the initiation fee and MVP Gold members have their initiation fee waived. Both MVP and MVP Gold are still responsible for the actual annual membership fee.^[26][27]

Mileage Plan

Mileage Plan is the travel rewards program of the Alaska Air Group, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. The program's airline partners also include Oneworld member airlines American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN, and Qantas; SkyTeam member airlines Air France,and Delta Air Lines; as well as Air Pacific, Era Aviation, Frontier Alaska, Mokulele Airlines, and PenAir.^[28]

The Mileage Plan program has no membership fee and any mileage will be valid to the last day of the 24th month following the month of the last flight or transaction date. In addition, if a Mileage Plan member does not accumulate mileage within nine months after becoming a member, or a Mileage Plan member's account remains inactive at zero mileage for a consecutive 24 month period, the Mileage Plan account will be canceled.^[29]

MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K are Mileage Plan's elite tiers for experienced travelers.^[30] Higher-tiered members are provided with increased travel benefits such as bonus mileage, priority boarding and airport lounge access.^[26]

• MVP level is achieved or retained when the member earns 20,000 miles on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, 25,000 miles on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, or LAN, or 30 one-way segments on any combination of Mileage Plan members. Membership benefits include 50 percent bonus mileage, priority check-in at First Class counters, priority seating on board Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights, as well as a 50 percent discount on Board Room membership. Members booked in fare class Y and YAS can be upgraded to First Class at anytime, and all other rate categories with in 48 hours of flight.^[26]

• MVP Gold level is achieved or retained when the member earns 40,000 miles on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, 50,000 miles on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, or LAN, or 60 one-way segments on any combination of Mileage Plan members. Membership benefits include 100 percent bonus mileage, priority check-in at First Class counters, priority seating on board Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights. Members booked in fare class Y, S, B, M, H, or Value and Full Flex fares can be upgraded to First Class at anytime, and all other rate categories with in 72 hours of flight. Companions also receive this benefit, and members are given four complimentary upgrade certificates for guests annually.^[26]

• MVP Gold 75K level is achieved or retained when the member earns 75,000 miles on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, 90,000 miles on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Air France, or LAN,or 90 one-way segments on any combination of Mileage Plan members. Membership benefits include Top Priority on the first class waitlist when Purchase a qualifying fare in fare class Y, S, B, M, H, or Value and Full Flex fares,ability to upgrade 5 days before departure when purchasing a non-qualifying fare, opportunity to nominate a friend or family member to MVP Status, 50,000 bonus miles when attaining the MVP Gold 75K Level ,dedicated MVP Gold 75K customer care and reservations phone lines, complimentary DigEplayer when flying in the main cabin, discounted Board Room Membership plus 4 complimentary day passes, 100 percent bonus mileage, priority check-in at First Class counters, priority seating on board Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights. Companions also receive this benefit, and members are given four complimentary upgrade certificates for guests annually.^[31]

On board Meals

• Complimentary meals or light snacks are served to passengers in the first class cabin. In 2006 the airline launched its buy on board meal program, known as Northern Bites, on most flights over three hours, including all transcontinental flights.^[32] As part of the buy on board program, the airline offers various "Picnic Packs" for a charge in coach class on all flights.

On board Entertainment

• Alaska Airlines is recognized by the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) as having an "historic first" in Inflight entertainment by introducing in October 2003 the first portable, hard-drive based, audio-video-on-demand (AVOD) players that deliver a variety of film, TV, and audio programs.^[33] The device, called the digEplayer was conceived and brought to market by an Alaska Airlines baggage handler named Bill Boyer Jr.^[34][35]
• Alaska Airlines received the "Airline IFE Service of the Year" award at the March 2004 IPEC/LARA Inflight Online Awards Dinner based upon the implementation of the digEplayer, which was awarded "IFE Product of the Year."^[36]
• digEplayers are available for rent on most long-haul flights for a fee, although they are complimentary to passengers seated in First Class.^[37]

On board internet access

• Alaska launched trials of in-flight broadband wireless internet service in 2009.^[38][39]

On April 24, 2010 Alaska decided on offering the AirCell Gogo ^[40] land-based Internet Service for all its planes after it finishes testing it on a 737-800. It was initially testing the competing Row44 satellite-based system. ^[41]

Codeshare agreements

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-400 landing at Vancouver International Airport.

Alaska Airlines does not participate in any major global airline alliances, but the airline has codeshare agreements with several United States airlines. It currently has codeshare agreements with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, PenAir, and Era Aviation. Alaska Airlines also has codeshare agreements with foreign carriers, such as Air France-KLM, Air Pacific, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, LAN Airlines, and Qantas.

On July 8, 2008 Alaska Airlines announced Frontier Flying Service (d/b/a Frontier Alaska) as a new codeshare partner beginning in fall of 2008.

In October, 2008 it was announced that Alaska Airlines, and its affiliate Horizon Air, flights would be allowed as part of oneworld Global Explorer fares.^[42]

In November 2008, it was announced that Alaska Airlines, along with its affiliate Horizon Air, would be forging a new partnership with Delta Air Lines, thereby mirroring the long-standing relationship that Alaska Airlines has with Northwest Airlines. Part of the announcement was that by the end of 2009, Delta Crown Room and Northwest WorldClub members would receive access to Alaska Airlines's Board Room lounges in Anchorage, Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and Vancouver, British Columbia. Alaska Airlines Board Room members would receive access to the Delta Crown Room lounges and Northwest WorldClubs lounges.^[43] (Delta subsequently announced that its Crown Room lounges would be merging with Northwest's WorldClubs lounges to form the brand-new Delta Sky Club lounge.^[44]) The other major part of the announcement from Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines was that Delta SkyMiles members who are gold or platinum and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members frequent fliers who are MVP or MVP Gold members would have reciprocity in priority boarding, check-in and seat assignment benefits by the end of 2009.^[43]

In May 2009, Alaska Airlines and Fiji-based Air Pacific announced a codeshare agreement.^[45]

Corporate affairs

Employees

As of January 2010, Alaska Airlines employs 9,809 employees.^[46] Since 2005, Alaska has outsourced its baggage handling duties at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Menzies Aviation. Menzies also handles Alaska's ramp services at a number of other airports along the West Coast and in Mexico, while Alaska retains its own ramp employees in the State of Alaska. Alaska's heavy aircraft maintenance used to be performed by the carrier in Oakland, California, but since 2005 it has been performed by companies at Paine Field in Everett, WA, Abbotsford, British Columbia, and Oklahoma City. The airline still performs routine maintenance at its hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Alaska's pilot group consists of approximately 1300 pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International.

Philanthropy

The Alaska Airlines Foundation, headquartered on the grounds of Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, gives grants to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that are classified as charities in the U.S. states of Alaska and Washington.^[47]

Livery

The "alaskaair.com" 737-400 and "Spirit of Disneyland" 737-400 together at Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon

The Alaska "Starliner 75th Anniversary" scheme on a 737-800 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2009.

Alaska's first livery consisted of the words "Alaska" in gold on its tails. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, a painting of a native Alaskan, still used by the carrier today, was added to the livery. There are numerous anecdotes linking the Eskimo face wearing a parka to different celebrities, including once to Chester Seveck by an Alaskan senator.^[48] In 1988, the airline hired a design firm and planned to replace the native face with a new logo, featuring a stylized image of a mountain, citing customer confusion with the original logo among its other markets in California and Southwestern United States. The plan was ultimately withdrawn after many Alaskans became upset with the idea of abandoning the original Eskimo design.^[48]

Today most of its aircraft are white with a blue and teal stripe running the length of the left and right sides of the fuselage, with "Alaska" in the company's present-day wordmark displayed prominently on the sides, and the native Alaskan portrait on the vertical stabilizer.^[49] The carrier also has several special liveries:

• Two 737-400 aircraft feature special Disney paint schemes, all of which promote vacations to the Disneyland Resort:
  • "Magic of Disneyland" features Tinkerbell and was painted to promote the Disneyland Resort's 50th Anniversary.^[49]
  • "Spirit of Make-A-Wish" is a cross-promotion with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. It features the Genie from the Disney film Aladdin^[49] and was painted to promote the Resort's Year of a Million Dreams promotion. Its registration number is N706AS.
• One 737-400 registration number N792AS is painted to look like a giant salmon, and is known in aviation circles as the "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon".^[49]
• One 737-400 has been converted to a full freighter and features Alaska Air Cargo titles.^[49]
• One 737-800 N548AS features a "reverse color scheme" livery with alaskaair.com painted on the sides.^[49]
• One 737-800 N569AS , dubbed "Starliner 75", features Alaska's first color scheme, painted to celebrate the carrier's 75th anniversary. The aircraft features the carrier's 75th anniversary logo on the vertical stabilizer, as well as a Boeing logo from the same period on the fuselage below the flight deck windows.^[49]
• Nineteen 737-800's feature a native Alaskan on the vertical stabilizer wearing a Hawaiian lei to indicate Aircraft certified to fly to Hawaii
• One 737-800 N512AS, dubbed "Spirit of Seattle," is a hybrid of two companies' liveries, with the fuselage painted in Boeing's corporate livery, the "Alaska" wordmark near the aft end of the fuselage, and native Alaskan from Alaska's livery on the vertical stabilizer.^[49] This aircraft was painted to commemorate Alaska's conversion to an all-Boeing fleet, as well as the Seattle roots of both companies (Boeing was founded in Seattle and still accomplishes final assembly for all its commercial aircraft in the Seattle area).
• One 737-400 N705AS, features a musher and sled dog, state ferry, Native Alaskan canoe, bear and whale, along with the statement, "We're all pulling together" to celebrate 50 years of Alaska statehood. The unique design dubbed "The Spirit of Alaska Statehood" was created by 16-year-old Sitka student Hannah Hamberg.^[50]
• One 737-800 featuring Apolo Ohno, encouraging people to support him at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
• One 737-900 registration number N318AS is dubbed the "Spirit of Disneyland II," prominently featuring Mickey Mouse and other classic Disney characters. This aircraft replaced the original "Spirit of Disneyland" 737-400 retired at the end of November 2009.^[49]

Incidents and accidents

• On November 30, 1947, an Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-4 (Registration NC91009), flying as Flight 009 with routing Anchorage-Yakutat-Port Hardy-Seattle, crash landed while attempting to make an ILS approach at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. The plane went off the runway, rolled down an embankment, struck a ditch, and continued onto the intersection of Des Moines Highway and South 188th Street where it struck an automobile, catching fire and spilling gasoline all over the area. Of the 28 occupants onboard, there were 8 fatalities, plus the person driving in the car. The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error.^[51]

• On January 20, 1949 Flight 8, a Douglas DC-3, was on routing Homer, Alaska-Kenai, Alaska when the plane struck the side of Ptarmigan Head 9 miles (14 km) E of the center of the airway to Kenai. Of the 6 passengers onboard, there were 5 fatalities. The cause was determined to be the action of the pilot in straying off the designated airway.

• On August 8, 1954, a Douglas DC-3 operating the routing of McGrath, Alaska-Colorado Creek, Alaska crashed into the side of a mountain about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of McGrath. Both crew members perished.

• On August 27, 1954, an Alaska Airlines plane crashed during a take-off at Seldovia killing the pilot and three passengers. There were two survivors. The fatal accident was the 7th in a series in Alaska which started July21, when a Korean airlift plane with 38 aboard disappeared on flight to Tokyo. [51]

• On March 2, 1957, an Alaska Airlines Douglas C-54B (Registration N90449) operating as Flight 100 routing Seattle-Fairbanks-Seattle "hit a mountain 3.8 miles from Blyn while on approach to Seattle. All 5 occupants perished. The Captain intentionally entered an area of low overcast in mountainous terrain.".^[52]

• On July 21, 1961, Alaska Airlines Flight 779, a DC-6A (Registration N6118C) operating Seattle-Shemya "crashed short of the runway due to the fact that the air traffic controller in the tower had forgotten to turn on the runway and approach lighting systems during a landing at night." All 6 on board were killed.^[53]

• On September 4, 1971, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, a Boeing 727-193 operating Anchorage-Cordova-Yakutat-Juneau-Sitka, crashed into a mountain in the Chilkat Mountain Range about 18.5 miles (29.8 km) from the airport while on approach to Juneau. All seven crew members and 104 passengers were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be misleading navigational information given to the flight, the failure of the crew to use all navigational aids and not performing the required audio identification of the navigational facilities.^[53]

• On April 5, 1976, Alaska Airlines Flight 60, a Boeing 727-81 (Registration N124AS) operating Juneau-Ketchikan, overran the runway while landing in Ketchikan after the Captain decided to attempt a go around at the last moment. One passenger died of a heart attack following the accident. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error for initiating a go-around after commitment to landing and the pilot's "unprofessional decision" to abandon the precision approach.^[54]

• On March 13, 1990, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-227 (Registration N271AF) operating Phoenix-Tucson, struck and killed a pedestrian during the takeoff roll. The man had apparently wandered away from a nearby mental hospital. How he made it onto runway 26L was not determined. (Runway 26L is now 25R)

NTSB animation of N963AS (Alaska Airlines Flight 261)

• On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, an MD-83, plunged into the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu, California while preparing to attempt an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to San Francisco and Seattle, killing all 88 people on board. In its final report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the cause of the accident to be failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew acme nut threads due to insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly by Alaska Airlines. NTSB further determined that the insufficient lubrication resulted from Alaska's extended lubrication and inspection intervals and from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) approval of those intervals. NTSB also found that the lack of a fail-safe mechanism for the failure of the acme nut threads on the MD-80 design contributed to the accident. This incident, along with the earlier ValuJet crash, led to closer FAA oversight of airline maintenance operations.^[55] The accident was the subject of episode 6, season 1, of the documentary series, Mayday, and also the National Geographic documentary Air Crash Investigation.

• December 26, 2005: Flight 536, which was headed from Seattle to Burbank, California, was forced to return to Seattle and make an emergency landing. The cause was a foot-long hole in the fuselage of the MD-83 aircraft, which caused the plane to lose cabin pressure. According to NTSB spokesman Jim Struhsaker, a baggage handler admitted to failing to immediately report bumping the plane at the gate with baggage handling equipment. The Associated Press quotes Struhsaker saying "The bump created a crease in the plane's aluminum skin, which opened to a 12- by 6-inch (150 mm) gash as the plane came under increased pressure differential at 26,000 feet (7,900 m).^[56][57]

See also

• Horizon Air

References

External links

• Alaska Airlines
• Alaska's World