Founded in 1932, Alaska Airlines began on a route between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, Alaska. Shortly thereafter in 1934, a merger took place with Star Air Service, and while the airline changed several times, the name Alaska Airlines prevailed. During the 1940s, charter work including the Berlin Airlift and Operation Magic Carpet, aided thousands. Additional mergers in the late 1960s with Alaska Coastal-Ellis and Cordova Airlines further expanded routes. Alaska Airlines was also involved in the construction of the trans-Alaska Pipeline.

Service has continued to expand. The airline now has routes to the East Coast, Washington D.C., multiple Midwestern towns as well as Hawaii. Alaska Airlines contributes its success to its people, “their caring, their resourcefulness, their integrity, their professionalism, and their spirit.”