SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and
Horizon Air announced today the launch of LIFT, the new name for
the airlines' social and environmental impact programs. LIFT is
inspired by the airlines' core purpose of creating an airline
people love, as well as the natural force behind lift-off as we
carry guests' safely to where they need to go, and by its
employees' values.
Last year, the airline announced four new pillars to
characterize its sustainability focus: 1. We're all about people;
2. We fly greener; 3. We invest for strong communities; and 4. We
make flying matter. To bring these together with a unifying
principle, Alaska Airlines is launching LIFT and celebrating our
employees' values with a "Week of LIFT," Oct. 11-19, where employees across the nation
will volunteer in local communities, from California to New
York.
"Our employees make us who we are – connecting personally and
locally – on a national and even greater scale. And because of
them, we're driven to think about our impact – from fuel-efficient
planes to giving back to the people and places they fly," said
Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska
Airlines' vice president of external relations. "Our employees are
out there living our values, and for that, we're in awe. This
month, we celebrate that spirit. We're focused especially on
inspiring, empowering and equipping young people to reach their
potential – and helping to keep our natural environment beautiful
and strong."
During the week of LIFT more than 500 employees will volunteer
at over 20 events in nine cities across the United States. Alaska and Horizon employees will work
alongside community members in cities such as Honolulu, San
Diego, New York City,
Anchorage, Phoenix, the Bay Area,
Portland, Seattle and Boise. Volunteer events include serving at
local food banks, teaching classes and participating in outdoor
cleanups through organizations like:
- Kupu (Honolulu)
- Barrio Logan College Institute
(San Diego)
- San Diego Food Bank (San
Diego)
- New York Cares (New York
City)
- Covenant House Alaska (Anchorage)
- Feed My Starving Children (Phoenix)
- Reading Partners (Bay Area)
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland)
- FIRST Washington (Seattle)
- FareStart (Seattle)
- Mary's Place (Seattle)
- Bonneville Environmental Foundation (Portland and Tacoma)
- The Idaho Food Bank (Boise)
"We are honored to collaborate with Alaska Airlines on their
'Week of Lift' and the volunteer efforts of their employees who
will roll up their sleeves to paint the walls of Barrio
Logan College Institute's new
administration offices, and donate books to BLCI's library
area in its new student center," said United Way of San Diego
County President and CEO Nancy
Sasaki. "These 'days of service' is an excellent example of
how business and nonprofit partnerships can work."
In addition to employee volunteer efforts, Alaska's LIFT program incorporates the
following social and environmental impact programs:
- LIFT Miles: Alaska
gives Mileage Plan™ members the opportunity to donate their miles
to help people and organizations who have an urgent or
mission-driven need to travel. In 2018 alone, more than 53,000,000
miles were donated by Alaska
passengers, valued at approximately $1.4
million.
- Community Investment: Alaska is focused on investing for strong
communities where our guests fly, and our employees call home. In
2018, Alaska Airlines provided over $17
million of in-kind and cash sponsorships, partnering with
organizations and events across our network. Alaska also provides airline tickets for
nonprofit organizations to support fundraising and other travel
needs crucial to achieving their mission. In 2018, more than 6,000
airline tickets were donated to nonprofit organizations, valued at
approximately $7.6 million.
- LIFT Grants from the Alaska Airlines Foundation: As a
part of Alaska Airlines Foundation initiatives, LIFT Grants
provides cash grants to non-profit organizations that inspire,
empower, and equip young people to connect to career opportunities
and to imagine what's possible Updated grant guidelines for the
Foundation will be available online this fall. The Alaska Airlines
Foundation has provided over $2 million
dollars in grants.
- Environmental Sustainability Initiatives: Alaska is focused on operating and growing in
an environmentally responsible manner by flying only the most
fuel-efficient and environmental-friendly fleet of planes,
implementing innovative inflight recycling programs and encouraging
passengers to #FillBeforeYouFly.
- Employee Volunteer Rewards: Alaska and Horizon employees earn $10 an hour for the time they spend volunteering
in their communities, which can be donated to the qualifying
charitable organization of their choice. In 2018, employees
volunteered more than 44,000 hours for causes of their choice.
- Employee Matching Gifts: Alaska matches employee donations to nonprofit
organizations. In 2018, employees donated $493,160, which Alaska matched for a total of $986,300.
To learn more about Alaska Airlines' LIFT program, visit
https://bit.ly/2VtVnRj and read the 2018 Sustainability Report, at
http://www.flysustainably.com. And to follow the volunteer
activities, tag us @AlaskaAir with the hashtag
#makingflyingmatter.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 46 million guests
a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily
flights across the United States
and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. With Alaska and
Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights
to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska ranked "Highest in Customer
Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America
Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to
2019. Learn about Alaska's
award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and
blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are
subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK)
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines
