Environment

In 2021, we set a goal to restore inflight recycling to the 2019 capture rate of 83% after the program was paused during the pandemic. We introduced third‑party waste audits and expanded education and engagement initiatives to increase our inflight recycling rate from 41% in 2022 to 67% in 2025, a 26 percentage point increase over three years. While we have not yet returned to pre‑pandemic performance, the journey has surfaced important learnings, and we remain committed to continuous improvement.

Credibility is foundational — flight attendants are far more engaged when they have confidence that recycling is actually being processed correctly after offload. Kitchen recycling capacity, waste handling practices and clear communication back to crews all play a critical role. We also learned that visibility drives performance: recycling rates improved meaningfully once we increased touchpoints through leadership messaging, audit result sharing, educational content and employee engagement initiatives like our recycling photo contest. Finally, audit cadence matters — spreading audits more evenly across the year, rather than clustering them quarterly, creates a steadier rhythm for engagement and course correction.

In 2025, we expanded the number of waste audits for Alaska and Horizon flights and conducted a waste material analysis for Hawaiian flights to better understand recycling trends, identify key opportunities and improve how guidance is communicated to flight attendants. Carrying these lessons forward, we aim to achieve and maintain an inflight recycling rate of 80% across Alaska and Horizon flights. With the integration of Hawaiian Airlines, we are also committed to exploring opportunities to strengthen and evolve inflight recycling across Hawaiian‑branded flights