People
In this section
Everything we do starts with our people. How we treat each other, care for our guests and make everyday decisions all shape an environment where people genuinely care, feel a sense of belonging and can perform at their best. This is fundamental to our long-term success. This past year, as our brands have come together, we’ve aligned as one team with shared values, while honoring local cultures. Our employees naturally reflect the communities we serve, and their unique experiences and perspectives help us make smarter decisions, enhance operations and deliver remarkable service. By investing in each employee — ensuring everyone feels valued, supported and empowered — we are creating a workplace where talented people want to stay, grow and build rewarding careers.
Our Culture
Our culture is not just something we talk about — it is what sets us apart. With over 30,000 employees across our combined organization, fostering a strong culture grounded in care and belonging is essential. Our vision is to connect guests to the world through a remarkable travel experience rooted in safety, care and performance. Yet for us, it is about much more than simply getting people and goods from one place to another — it is about creating an environment where our employees feel safe, valued and deeply connected to their work and our shared success.
Creating a Thriving Workplace
In 2025, we brought our Shared Values and brand promises to life for leaders through workshops and interactive sessions, helping them see how these values connect to their everyday work.
We also introduced an updated Employee Value Proposition that reflects the shared journey ahead: We are people-powered airlines where care, collaboration and continuous growth create possibilities in every connection we make — on the ground, in the air and with each other.
Anchoring our EVP is our employee experience promise, Remarkable Journeys Start Here, a recognition that the remarkable journeys we create for our guests begin with the experiences of our own people. The promise is built on four pillars that serve as proof points of what we want every employee to feel and experience across our combined organization:
- The Sky is the Limit — Enabling growth for individuals as our organization evolves.
- Rooted in Care — Building an employee experience grounded in compassion, empathy and belonging.
- Driven to Succeed — Enabling ownership, accountability and innovation at every level.
- Powered by Community — Fostering connection and collaboration across our teams.
Together, these pillars reflect our commitment to building a workplace where every employee can thrive, grow and be proud of what we're building together.
Cultivating Care & Belonging
In 2025, we continued to strengthen the programs and resources that foster belonging across our combined organization. Our annual employee surveys and our latest double materiality assessment indicate that belonging is one of the greatest drivers of employee engagement. We have built our airlines with genuine and caring relationships, community involvement and cultural celebration. We know that our Alaska and Hawaiian employees each have strong connections to their own brands, and we are committed to celebrating and preserving what makes each part of our family distinct. Hawaiian Airlines employees, in particular, carry a deep pride in their brand and heritage, and we are committed to honoring the traditions and culture that make the Hawaiian brand truly special.
Unified Business Resource Groups
In 2025, we unified our Business Resource Groups (BRGs) from Alaska and Horizon with the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) from Hawaiian Airlines, bringing together 13 enterprise BRGs and more than 5,000 engaged employees across our combined organization. BRG leaders from Alaska first traveled to Honolulu to listen, build relationships and better understand the legacy and traditions at Hawaiian Airlines. This investment in people first meant that when Hawaiian's six ERGs were integrated into Alaska's 13 BRGs, the transition felt like a collaborative evolution rather than a top-down mandate, honoring where we come from as we build where we are going. BRGs are a core component of belonging. Our BRGs are voluntary, employee-led professional networks that foster a culture of belonging in the workplace aligned with our mission and our Shared Values. These groups grow connections, support career development, advocate for mental health and wellness and build meaningful bridges to the communities we serve. Their input is instrumental in key business decisions and to help make an impact on our Culture and Belonging commitments.
In 2025, our 4th Annual BRG Leadership Summit brought BRG leaders together with executive leadership, including CEO Ben Minicucci, where 93% of attendees agreed that their time and contributions as BRG leaders matter and 90% reported feeling more empowered and confident in their BRG leader roles. At our 3rd Annual BRG Leader Recognition & Showcase, standout groups, including the Latin Culture Resource Group, Young Air Group Professionals, Green Team and One Team Champions, were recognized for their contributions to belonging, sustainability and cross-BRG collaboration — a reminder that leadership is defined not by title, but by vision and action on behalf of others. Over four years, participation, program scope, senior leader engagement and BRG leader satisfaction have steadily increased — demonstrating that investing in clarity and cross-group alignment strengthens leaders’ ability to lead effectively within their roles.
Honoring Long-time Tradition
At Hawaiian Airlines, our traditions reflect who we are and the culture that grounds our work. Rooted in Hawaiian culture, they bring people together in ways that go beyond business practices or transactions, creating moments of connection, shared purpose and belonging. These practices invite us to pause to recognize one another and to appreciate the collective effort behind the work we do. They help transform milestones into meaningful moments, honoring growth, abundance and the many contributions that make progress possible.
One meaningful expression of this culture is the tradition of Hawaiian blessing ceremonies. Since the beginning of Hawaiian Airlines, blessings have marked important moments by honoring the people involved, the place we are in and the work we are undertaking together. They acknowledge beginnings, recognize the present and offer gratitude for the future we are building — creating space to celebrate the work accomplished and the good that comes from it. Thoughtfully prepared and customized to each occasion, these ceremonies are not symbolic gestures but sincere moments to recognize spirit intention and humanity, reflecting our respect for Hawaiian culture and our commitment to letting it live and thrive as part of who we are.
Employee Experience
We attract and retain great people by creating a workplace built on care and belonging. We help employees feel connected to each other, support their growth and make sure they feel valued every day. Because when people feel cared for and like they truly belong, they want to stay, build careers and grow with us.
Attracting Talent
We are committed to attracting the best talent and investing in the pipelines that will sustain and elevate the future of aviation. In 2025, we unified talent development programs across our brands into one integrated group, leveraging the best of both Alaska and Hawaiian initiatives, and refined our recruitment and development efforts to provide unmatched opportunities for individuals to see themselves in aviation — from early education to advanced career transitions. Through over 300 talent acquisition outreach events, we expanded student immersion programs and launched new development initiatives across our existing markets and new ones, including Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air. For the third consecutive year, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines earned recognition from ClimbHI as a 2025 Outstanding Business, honoring our sustained commitment to building Hawai‘i's future aviation workforce.
2025 Career Pathway Highlights
Horizon Air expanded its Pilot Development Program to Hawai‘i, the first of its kind in the state, offering aspiring pilots a pathway to join the carrier while providing training stipends. This program demonstrates our commitment to expanding successful initiatives to create more career opportunities in the communities we serve.
Hawaiian Airlines and Honolulu Community College expanded their workforce development relationship with the launch of the Maintenance Technician Development Program, an initiative to train the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians. This relationship strengthens our talent pipeline while investing in Hawai‘i's workforce.
Alaska Airlines launched the Military Technician Transition Program, providing a structured pathway for transitioning service members and veterans to pursue an aircraft technician career. This program helps to remove barriers and build a strong pipeline of skilled maintenance technicians.
Horizon Air welcomed its first nine Ascend Pilot Academy graduates as First Officers in 2025, marking a milestone moment for the program. The Ascend Pilot Academy provides aspiring pilots with a structured pathway to earn their ratings, access financing support and secure a conditional job offer with Horizon Air. Their success reflects the power of investing in people and creating clear, accessible pathways to the flight deck.
Welcomed 18 high school interns to our teams in Seattle, Portland and Anchorage in summer 2025, marking our largest class of high school interns to date. Our high school internships offer an opportunity to dive deeper into the operations of our Flight Operations and Maintenance & Engineering teams at Alaska and Horizon, and to open opportunities for students to think about future career pathways in aviation.
Technicians from Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines represented our organization at the inaugural Association of Women in Aircraft Maintenance Conference, supporting workforce development, mentorship and inclusion in aviation maintenance while engaging with emerging industry talent.
talent acquisition outreach events introducing students to careers in aviation
college interns
high school interns
Engaging and Developing Employees
Supporting employees through change remains a top priority. In 2025, our leaders played a critical role in supporting their teams through major milestones and transitions by providing tools, resources and clear messaging.
Unifying Our Onboarding Program: Navigate
Engaging employees begins on day one through onboarding and orientation, where we establish clear expectations, foster early connections and set the foundation for ongoing growth and development. Navigate is our six-month onboarding experience to help new employees feel acclimated to our culture, connect to colleagues and begin their career journey with clarity and momentum. Navigate is designed to bring Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon new hires together, creating shared experiences from day one. The program begins with North Star Orientation, where employees learn about our values and culture, our history and our brand promises. New employees receive structured support through monthly communications that help them navigate their role, immerse themselves in our culture and understand our business. Supporting our employees’ growth and preparing them for leadership roles are essential to our success.
Employee engagement reached a 10-year high at 83% in 2025
Alaska Airlines ranked in the
for Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2026
Supporting Employees’ Continuous Growth
We believe great relationships at work start with caring leaders, genuine experiences, sincere appreciation and a commitment to listening — so employees feel heard, supported and empowered from the start. Our employee engagement survey gives everyone a confidential way to openly share what works and what does not. We want to be a great place to work, and we use this annual survey to better understand our strengths and opportunities for improvement as we continue to invest in our people and culture, one of our strategic priorities.
Guided by our Performance Philosophy — people first, performance supports — we prioritize regular, meaningful check-ins that build trust and enable honest feedback. These conversations extend beyond performance evaluation to create clarity, reinforce expectations and support employees in delivering impactful work aligned to our Shared Values and Leadership Principles. Our integrated performance and talent programs are designed to strengthen connections between employees and leaders while empowering individuals to take ownership of their career growth and development.
In 2025, we integrated our management/non-contract performance programs and introduced a continuous model for our employees, reestablishing clear expectations for both what employees deliver and how they achieve outcomes. Alongside managing this large-scale transformation, we rebuilt our talent rhythm end-to-end — strengthening goal setting, performance reviews and company-wide talent assessments to identify leadership potential and readiness. These efforts enhance accountability, support leader transitions and build a strong leadership pipeline, enabling employees to focus on meaningful contributions while progressing in their careers. We also brought our development and pipeline programs under one group, creating a unified approach to employee growth across the organization. This included expanding maintenance and pilot development programs to Hawaiian Airlines to ensure equal access to advancement opportunities.
Innovation Spotlight
In 2025, we invested in Loft Dynamics — an industry leader in virtual flight training and the developer of the only FAA- and EASA-qualified VR helicopter flight simulator — to support development of the first hyper-realistic, full-motion Boeing 737 VR simulator. Made through Alaska Star Ventures, our corporate venture capital arm, this investment aims to enhance pilot training with immersive, high-fidelity experiences that allow for more frequent and efficient skill refinement.
Retaining Talent
We retain top talent by fostering a workplace where people feel recognized, valued and motivated – reinforced by offering rewarding careers, competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and employee travel privileges. As we integrated with Hawaiian Airlines, we remained committed to retaining as many Hawaiian Airlines employees as possible and maintaining employment within the state of Hawaiʻi.
Competitive Employee Benefits
We offer a comprehensive rewards package that supports employees’ physical, emotional and financial wellbeing. We provide medical, dental and vision coverage and generous employer contributions to retirement, as well as comprehensive employee assistance programs.
Equitable Pay Practices
We have a long-standing commitment to transparency and pay equity. For fiscal year 2025, we continued to demonstrate pay equity across all levels of our workforce. Strengthening our structures, annual reviews and feedback practices helps ensure fair and consistent pay decisions while reducing bias. Attracting and retaining employees is foundational to operating a safe, reliable and remarkable airline.
All-Employee Performance-based Pay Program
All employees — from frontline team members to executives — are eligible to participate in our Performance-Based Pay program, our unique incentive-sharing program designed to drive engagement and performance around goals. Our approach is focused on both financial and non-financial measures, tracking performance across these metrics: safety reporting, guest experience, synergy capture and profit. The idea is simple: set fair, achievable goals that push us forward. In 2025, as we began to integrate our total rewards programs, Hawaiian employees became eligible for PBP.
Looking Ahead
2030 People Goal
Update our Belonging Index Our definition of belonging honors the complexity of our multi-brand organization, which is why we will be establishing a new baseline for our Belonging Index in 2026. The baseline will factor in alignment, engagement and inclusion while informing our 2030 improvement target. By taking the time to set an informed baseline, we will continue to ensure we have strategies in place that keep belonging and engagement a top priority.