On January 31, 2000 Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was in route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Seattle, Washington with a stop planned for San Francisco, California. Things went catastrophically wrong, even with the subtle hints of disaster that could be seen lurking in the shadows from takeoff. All 83 passengers and 5 crewmembers aboard the MD-83 (N963AS) ultimately paid the price for simple oversights. This paper will try to shed light into the underlying circumstances that led up to the uncontrollable
Prior to 2008, it looked as Alaska Airlines might follow the path of other major airlines and file for bankruptcy. The numbers were dismal, at the lowest point only 60% of flights were on-time and seven per 1,000 customers’ bags were mishandled. The system was broken; there was a lack communication amongst the different roles and the goal of the company was to provide mediocre but “nice” service to customers. Major problems included delays mishandled baggage and long waits at carousel. These problems
Alaska Airlines (ALK) is an airline holding company that operates in out of Seattle. Alaska Air runs a mainline division which focuses on domestic and international flights under the names of Virgin American and Alaska Airlines. Then there are the fees and cargo portion of the company and the regional affiliates. The main driver of the companies revenue is the mainline division. Alaska Airlines competes with western based airlines such as Sky West and more recently Delta as they attempt to expand
Alaska Airlines is very unique in its extensive flight coverage of remote towns throughout Alaska. As one of the smallest independent airlines it uniqueness is through its ability to build state-of the art processes and technology that will yield high customer satisfaction. The airline is most proud of its twenty minute baggage guarantee. Its twenty minute baggage process is illustrated in the flowchart below: 1. Passengers tag their bags with bar code stickers and check in their baggage at the
Alaska Airlines was founded in Anchorage, Alaska in 1932. It then expanded to 22 aircraft operating within the state by 1934. In the late 1970s, the airline began to expand to the lower Western states and by 1987 it had acquired Horizon Air and Jet America. These acquisitions bolstered Alaska Airline’s North/South route structure and complemented the seasonal passenger travel to Alaska. (Sterling,2008) Today, Alaska Air Group, Inc. (Alaska Air) is the holding company for Alaska Airlines, Inc. and
The timing of this assignment couldn’t be more fitting, as Alaska Airlines has just released a comprehensive overhaul of its brand and image, the first in 25 years (Alaska airlines unveils first). Often times when one hears of a company re-branding, it is in response to some form of adverse press event to distance the image of the company from that tarnish. However, in this case, Alaska Airlines simply seeks to modernize its brand image as it pursues increased economy of scope to new markets.
Creating Short-Term Wins contribute to the success of a change effort by enabling all involved parties to make meaningful contributions to an organization’s progress, while seeing timely results that maintain the effort’s momentum (Cohen, 2009). Alaska Airlines successfully implements a sustainable change agent with key performance indicators and measurable metrics to empower employees for broad-based action that allows employees to see how short-term successes within each department turn into long-term
Since I was young I have always thought of being a pilot for Alaska Airlines. Due to the fact that I am already an airline pilot, I have a general understanding of the how the industry works. However, in order to gain more insight on this specific airline I solicited the opinions of two current pilots for Alaska Airlines. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet in person, but these pilots were kind enough to answer any questions I had via email. I asked the same set of questions to both pilots and
January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Details On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines, Inc., flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80, crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California. The two pilots, three cabin crewmembers, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the impact destroyed the airplane. Flight 261 was operating as a scheduled international passenger flight from Lic Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR), Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle-Tacoma
Introduction a. State what actually occurred in the case study of Alaska Airlines regarding Kotter’s steps 5 and 6 of empowering employees for broad-based action and generating short-term wins. After recognizing for their long-term survival, Alaska Airlines implemented two modifications, appointed a vice-president of operations of their Seattle hub, Ben Minicucci, and created a structure where each employee reported to their manager and Minicucci to support his initiatives (Avolio, Patterson, & Baker
Death is never easy to accept, especially the death of someone young and full of life. In John Krakaur’s bestselling novel, Into the Wild, Chris McCandless is a young man that leaves everything behind to create a new life. Chris is so determined to get his epic journey that he is willing to leave behind everyone he cares about. McCandless’ had a noble goal – to find his true self outside of the constraints of an organized society and return to “nature”. A philosophy espoused by Tolstoy, Muir, Rousseau
two-year road trip and ended up in Alaska. He didn't have any contact with his parents in all of that time. Krakauer does a great job of interviewing everyone who had anything to do with McCandless from his parents, when he grew up, to the people who found his body in Alaska. The story starts off with Chris hitchhiking in Alaska. He had decided to get away from the world and live in Alaska, Jack London style. He had hitchhiked all the way from South Dakota to Alaska. Chris was very excited about
Imagine your first home. The place where you lived right after you were born. Where you took your first steps, and where you said your words. This place is closely attached to your heart and you cherish it despite the hardships you may or may not have had there. You love this place and everything in it. Now imagine leaving this place. Just up and leaving everything behind. Family friends, basically the proof of your existence. You just cut the ties to the life that binds you so you can go live in
Helen Keller once said “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”. Chris McCandless believed in this thought. However, Chris’s “daring adventure” also cuased his quick demise. People risk their lives for many reasons. Perhaps a person is suicidal or maybe they are foolish and ill prepared. I believe many people, including Chris McCandless, risk their lives for an adventure because life is short, and why not take risks while a person still can. Or on the contrary, a person could be seeking
by the end of his lifestyle he had incorporated elements of Neolithic (74). This reveals his intensions from the beginning of his state of being an ultimately the beginning of his un... ... middle of paper ... ... the milky crisp mountains of Alaska, it was everything he imagined it to be. However his burgeoning haplessness ended in the tragedy of his death. Though he abated in a world of reverie, he found enough energy to say his impeccable goodbyes to his loved ones and family. McCandless
Christopher McCandless was a man shaped after his rough, sharp-edged, family life. He was born in El Segundo, California on February 12th, 1968. Chris grew up in a very unique situation. His father, Walt McCandless, was probably the closest thing to why Chris left in the first place. Walt lead a very dysfunctional family where he lived and worked with his wife, Billie, which created a nasty combination and left a bad taste in the mouths of each family member. Chris’s sister, Carine, was probably
So he set off in his car to find himself and to rid himself of the expectations placed upon him by society. Even though he encountered many triumphs along the way to Alaska "McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic
Upon hearing the word “narcissist”, many people may come to mind--from the original Narcissus to celebrities, it is easy to characterize someone as narcissistic. However, the name Chris McCandless is extremely unlikely to be the primary response to this question. A determined and intelligent young adult, McCandless died in the Alaskan wilderness at just 24. A review of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer mentions the unclear portrayal of McCandless being either an idealist or a narcissist. Yet, due to
Ameen Khan Mrs. Lavin English 04 September 2017 Heroic Journey or a Suicide Attempt? In April of 1992 a young man named Chris McCandless made a daring journey into the wilderness of Alaska. Chris left his family and all of his belongings at home and left without anyone knowing. All alone Chris ventured out into the wild with minimal resources and the knowledge to survive. The harsh wilderness caused a very misfortunate end for Chris’s life. If Chris had any sense why would he go out in such a remote
Every single great voyage or expedition began with a simple plan, preparation and execution. Why should someone’s hiking trip be any different? Hiking trips are meant for people to explore both the wilderness and even a little bit of themselves. In my experiences I have learned what makes a trip successful, and even life-changing. It is easy to idealize the perfect trip, but as any veteran hiker knows. Those who do not prepare carefully, remain smart with their decisions, and understand the wonderful