Who We Are

Updated June 2019

Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest U.S. airline based on passenger traffic and is one of the most popular U.S. West Coast air carriers. Headquartered in Seattle, Alaska Airlines has expanded significantly to serve several transcontinental U.S. East Coast routes, following the merger with Virgin America. The airline has also expanded internationally, with service to Costa Rica, Canada­­­ and Mexico .

Known for our industry-leading reliability, service and guest rewards, flyers continue to rank Alaska Airlines for its service and inflight experience. Alaska Airlines ranked No. 1 among traditional carriers for the 12 consecutive year. Learn more about recent awards at https://newsroom.alaskaair.com/company-information.

Reducing our environmental impact to protect the beautiful places in which we live, and fly, is part of our DNA. Alaska Airlines was the first airline to compost and remove single-use plastic straws and citrus picks from planes and our lounges and have been champions of sustainable aviation biofuels since 2011. Long considered an industry leader in sustainability, Alaska is the leading U.S. airline on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and has also been ranked No. 1 in fuel efficiency seven consecutive years by the International Council on Clean Transportation, an independent, nonprofit research organization. Learn more about our sustainability efforts here. 

With roots tracing back to 1932, the airline was founded when Linious "Mac" McGee of McGee Airways started flying his three-seat Stinson between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, Alaska. A merger with Star Air Service in 1934 created the largest airline in Alaska, which eventually became Alaska Airlines.