Northwest Aerospace News Issue No. 26 April | May 2022 | Page 28

Creating Long Term Value for Sustainability Efforts

What Alaska is Doing in Environmental Sustainability

1 . Winglets have been added , increasing fuel efficiency by 3-5 percent .

Creating Long Term Value for Sustainability Efforts

How does Alaska create value for employees and guests ? Birkett Rakow said , “ In working toward our purpose of ‘ creating an airline people love ,’ we create value for guests , offering a reasonable , great value fare with a phenomenal experience . Care is at our core ; we sometimes say that our employees just care more .”
She shared that there is a spirit with the Alaska Airlines employees that resonates with guests . “ I remember flying with my own babies before I came to work at Alaska , and the flight attendants just always made me feel welcome and like we were being taken care of .”
Both Birkett Rakow and Saleh echoed the growth opportunities with the company ; there are opportunities to move through different work groups and into management and leadership . They also consider an inclusive environment to be a part of their operations as they continue to expand opportunities .
Investment into new technologies , for less environmental impact , will be better for the airline and guests . In summary , sustainability means a lot of things to people . In the case of Alaska Airlines , it means they are working to lead the industry in both environmental and social sustainability .
2 . The company started test flights with sustainable aviation fuel ( SAF ) in 2011 . Now SAF is a consistently-used dropin fuel – long past test flights – and Alaska started the first-of-its-kind domestic program with Microsoft using SAF to offset the carbon emissions of flights between SEA and California .
3 . Investing in 737-9 MAX jets while retiring outdated Airbus A319s and A320s .
4 . Using route optimization software called Flyways to save time , fuel , and emissions .
5 . Using efficient procedures such as single engine taxi where appropriate .
6 . Reducing the climate impact of non-electric ground-service equipment ( GSE ) 50 percent by 2025 , by using electric GSE at airports where charging infrastructure is available .
For more information : Alaska is investing in emerging technologies to help the planet – Alaska Airlines Blog https :// blog . alaskaair . com / values / fly-greener / asv-launch /
28 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS