Alaska Airlines: Pacific Northwest Charm Can Beat Luxury
Skift Take
Alaska may not be the sexiest carrier in North America, but its brand management and consistent execution across various customer touch points is a masterclass.
On Experience
Colin Nagy is a marketing strategist and writes on customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. You can read all of his writing here.Alaska Airlines recently introduced an innovative year-end initiative for its frequent fliers. Instead of the usual "mileage runs" to accumulate miles at the last minute for elite status, the airline now allows customers to purchase carbon offsets to boost their status for 2024.
This move saves passengers time and also discourages unnecessary travel.
Loyalty members can earn 500 elite-qualifying miles for every $100 spent on carbon credits, up to a limit of 5,000 miles. Although this initiative might have gone unnoticed by many, it's a significant and thoughtful gesture.
Earlier in October, Alaska also embarked on a collaboration with Stumptown, a well-known Pacific Northwest coffeemaker, to create
