Alaska Airlines launches new way for guests to join the journey to help make air travel more sustainable

Rhea-AI Summary

Alaska Airlines has introduced a new way for guests to reduce the environmental impact of their air travel by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) credits during the booking process. Guests can choose to support SAF in 5%, 10%, or 20% amounts, earning elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) for their contributions. This initiative reinforces Alaska's commitment to sustainability, aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

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• Alaska Airlines is the first U.S. airline to connect guest engagement in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to earning elite status, offering Mileage Plan members EQMs for purchasing SAF credits.

• Guests can customize their travel experience by voluntarily reducing the environmental impact of their flights with SAF credits, helping Alaska scale the market for sustainable aviation fuel.

• SAF is a certified fuel that can lower carbon emissions by 80% or more on a lifecycle basis, aligning with Alaska's sustainability strategy focused on immediate actions to reduce carbon emissions and waste.

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Alaska is the first U.S. airline to link guest participation in sustainability to loyalty with an accelerated path to elite status.  

SEATTLE, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Alaska Airlines' longstanding journey to make air travel more sustainable, the airline will now give guests the choice to voluntarily reduce the environmental impact of their travel with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) credits during the booking process. Guests can choose to support SAF in an amount based on 5%, 10% or 20% of their carbon impact when they book a ticket on alaskaair.com.

Building on a successful pilot in late 2023, Alaska's Mileage Plan™ members who buy SAF credits will once again earn elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) for their contributions. Mileage Plan members will receive 500 EQMs for every $100 they spend on SAF (up to 5,000 EQMs per year), for a sustainability-linked way to accelerate the path to elite status. Alaska is the first U.S. airline to create a link between guest engagement in SAF and earning elite status.

"Alaska is on a journey to make air travel more sustainable with an ambitious goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Now we are inviting our guests to join us on the journey," said Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability, Alaska Airlines. "Today, we've launched new options for guests to customize their travel experience, take action on the environmental impact of their trip, and help us scale the market for SAF. SAF is a critical part of aviation's path to a more sustainable future, and while we use it today, there is not enough SAF available. It will take all of us to grow this market. The more people who know about and support this important technology, the better we can impact efforts to make a sustainable future for air travel a reality."  

With this new feature in the booking process, powered by climate technology company CHOOOSE, the SAF credit options will appear on the same page as other optional trip add-ons during the booking process. The SAF credit option is based on carbon emissions associated with the guest's flight and follow the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Recommended Practice 1726 (Passenger CO2 Calculation Method). This calculation method leverage parameters including aircraft fuel consumption, flight path, seat configuration, cabin class, and load factors sourced directly from Alaska's operational data.  For guests who want to support SAF equal to their full emissions of their flight, they can do so by visiting alaskaair.chooose.today. 

Alaska's sustainability strategy is centered on care – caring for our guests, our employees, the communities where we live and work, and the planet we all share. Alaska is focused on immediate actions and long-term investments that are aimed to reduce carbon emissions and waste, as well as protect local ecosystems. SAF is a safe, certified fuel that, according to IATA, can lower carbon emissions by 80% or more on a lifecycle basis. It can be used in existing fuel systems and airplane engines. Since 2010, Alaska has worked with a coalition of partners to drive the growth of the SAF market.  These efforts include programs with Microsoft and other companies to offset employee business travel, partnering with universities and scientists to leverage the latest research and knowledge, and advocating for public policy to advance SAF.

To learn more about SAF and how to have a role in Alaska's sustainability journey visit alaskaair.com/sustainability

About Alaska Airlines 

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.

About CHOOOSE

CHOOOSE ™ delivers the leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that enables both individuals and organizations to understand their carbon footprints, make more carbon-informed decisions, and support trusted climate solutions around the world. Enterprise partners in sectors including aviation, travel, and logistics deploy CHOOOSE to build, manage, and report on carbon programs. Learn more at www.chooose.today.

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SOURCE ALASKA AIRLINES