Alaska Airlines

Tag Archives for Alaska Airlines.

Pilot Who Tried To Crash Alaska Airlines Plane Dishes On Mushroom-Fueled Episode

by Gary Leff on November 10, 2023

Nov 10 2023

He’d gotten together with friends to celebrate his friend who had died, and he mixed mushrooms and alcohol – and days later thought he was dreaming and couldn’t wake up. All he was trying to do was wake up and that’s why he tried to kill the engines, and also tried to open the plane’s emergency exit once taken to the back. He even says that the grabbed a coffee pot from the galley and drank it straight to wake himself up.

While being held by police at the airport he took off all of his clothes, he urinated on himself, and he tried cuffing the carrot… all to ‘wake up.’ When he was given a phone to call an attorney, he instead rang his wife and sang It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Boyz II Men.

JetBlue’s Surprising Merger Play: Why Alaska Airlines Was Once the Target

by Gary Leff on November 6, 2023

Nov 06 2023

JetBlue’s consideration of a merger with Alaska Airlines before proceeding with Spirit Airlines, as revealed in an anti-trust trial, raises questions about strategic fits and anti-trust issues, given their respective strongholds on the East and West coasts. The complexities of airline mergers, such as fleet commonality and culture integration, along with the current administration’s stance against mergers, make the JetBlue-Spirit deal contentious, despite potential benefits to competition and market growth.

Off-Duty Pilot’s Mid-Flight Meltdown: What Happened Inside The Alaska Airlines Cockpit

by Gary Leff on October 24, 2023

Oct 24 2023

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, riding the cockpit’s jump seat, attempted to shut off the engines mid-flight from Seattle Paine Field to San Francisco. The ensuing cockpit altercation, lasting around 90 seconds, are laid out in the criminal complaint against the jump seat rider. Here’s what happened during those crucial moments, and then once he was sent to the back of the plane.

Here’s How The Alaska Pilot Tried To Shut Off Engines Midflight And Take Down The Plane

by Gary Leff on October 23, 2023

Oct 23 2023

The answer to what transpired actually comes from an internal American Airlines communication about the incident, where the airline explains that “44 year old Joseph Emerson tried “to disable the aircraft engines while at cruise altitude by deploying the engine fire suppressions system.”

Pilot Attempts to Shut Down Engines Of Alaska Airlines Flight While In Mid-Air

by Gary Leff on October 23, 2023

Oct 23 2023

Sunday evenings Alaska Airlines flight 2059, a Horizon Air flight from Seattle’s Paine Field to San Francisco, diverted to Portland. It appears that a pilot was jumpseating and “tried to shut the engines down and crash the airplane.”

According to Alaska Airlines, “no weapons were involved, and the crew was able to secure the cabin without incident.”

A Lifeline For Delta Frequent Flyers: Alaska Airlines Offer One Level Higher Than Current Status

by Gary Leff on September 24, 2023

Sep 24 2023

After Delta Air Lines announced it was going all Keyser Söze on its elite frequent flyers, and acting like the master manipulator who leaves no loose ends, even if it means betraying those who trust him, there’s a clear opening for competing airlines.

Brand New Alaska Airlines 737 MAX Has Piece Of Tail Fall Off – After Just 4 Days

by Gary Leff on September 19, 2023

Sep 19 2023

A brand new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 had a piece of its tail fall off enroute from Seattle to Chicago on Monday. The plane landed at 6:13 p.m. local time and remained on the ground overnight. It had only been in revenue service for four days, made sixteen passenger flights, and had been registered to Alaska for just a week.

Strange Route: Alaska Airlines Will Fly From Cleveland To Pittsburgh

by Gary Leff on August 21, 2023

Aug 21 2023

Cleveland to Pittsburgh is a 106 mile flight. You can drive it in 2 hours. But Alaska Airlines is going to fly this route, and they’ll sell you a ticket for $129. But they won’t fly you back.

Wide Open Business Class Award Space To Asia For 7 Or More Passengers

by Gary Leff on July 26, 2023

Jul 26 2023

Spending Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for new partner Starlux went live today. And availability between the U.S. and Taipei, Taiwan is amazing. You will frequently find seven or more business class award seats available if you wish to travel to Asia. And redemption pricing is good!

Airline Bestows Graduation Gift On Student Who Used Miles To Commute To School To Save On Rent

by Gary Leff on July 7, 2023

Jul 07 2023

A college student living in Los Angeles used miles to commute to school at U.C. Berkeley to save on rent. He was in a one-year program for a Master of Engineering in Transportation, was living rent-free, and planned to return to L.A. Why pay rent in the Bay Area when you can just fly up there three times a week (although he did have to commute daily for a few weeks)?