Partner Spotlight
Alaska Airlines
The aviation industry is essential to the global economy. It helps support connectivity between cities and countries to enable the flow of goods, people, capital and technology. Since our founding over 90 years ago flying in the state of Alaska, Alaska Airlines has prioritized running our business with a commitment to caring for those who rely on us – including the over 120 places where we live and fly, and the planet we all share.
From our origins flying in the state of Alaska – a delicate ecosystem – we learned to be acutely conscious of the impact we have on one another and our communities. Since then, we have focused on innovative ways to reduce our environmental impacts. In 2011, we were one of the first airlines to begin testing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on commercial flights. We also reduced our reliance on paper through digital ticketing and was the first airline in the U.S. to offer a virtually plastics-free onboard water service. And we use artificial intelligence to help us save fuel through efficient flight navigation – one of the first airlines to do so. In 2021 we set an ambition for the future: to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. This journey involves not just incremental improvements, but a holistic approach to reducing our environmental impact across our operations.
Our five-part path to reach this goal includes:
Operational Efficiency
Enhancing fuel efficiency through practices like single-engine taxi procedures and AI-optimized flight paths via a collaboration with Air Space Intelligence on their Flyways AI Platform that reduces our fuel consumption and enhances overall operational efficiency.
Fleet Modernization
Ordering new, more efficient aircraft to reduce fuel consumption, and investing in new technology innovations like blended-wing body aircraft, like a company we recently invested in called JetZero.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)
Working from all angles – policy, purchase and use, customer engagement, and more – to mature the market for SAF and expand its availability and commercial viability.
New Technology
We are investing in promising new technologies such as ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain designed for regional aircraft.
High-Quality Carbon Credits and Removals
As a last resort, using high-quality, verified carbon credits and removals as needed to close the gap toward net zero emissions.
Central to our strategy is the adoption of SAF, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. While SAF has the potential to transform the aviation sector, it currently represents less than 1% of the total fuel available. We see SAF as the biggest opportunity to make a significant impact on reducing emissions in the near- and medium term, but it has not achieved the scale and affordability necessary to meet net zero targets, being three to five times more expensive.
We are committed to doing our part to grow and mature the market for SAF, including through partnerships – because we know it will take all of us to address this challenge. We face this as an industry, not just as individual airlines. We need creative partnerships to prove ideas and galvanize change, and an industry-wide solution.
In 2022, we signed a three-way partnership with Twelve and Microsoft to advance SAF. As part of the collaboration, we will work towards a demo flight using one of our aircraft powered by E-Jet. Additionally, Alaska, in partnership with Microsoft, committed to purchasing the initial output from Twelve’s facility, allowing Twelve to commence construction of their first production site in Washington state, where we are headquartered. We are excited they selected a location in our backyard, not only because it means we will have the first source of SAF at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, but it will also lead to job creation in our communities.
Twelve has become a standout partner in this journey, offering an innovative approach to producing their E-Jet ® SAF using the Power-to-Liquid (PtL) pathway. E-Jet ® SAF differs from other SAF because it is not a biofuel, and is made using an electrochemical process from captured CO2 as a feedstock, as well as water and renewable energy. By capturing CO2 and converting it, PtL fuels have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions beyond 80% savings obtained through other processes, with an efficient use of other resources like land and water. Twelve's technology perfectly complements Alaska’s dedication to innovation and continuous improvement on the sustainability journey. In addition to being a customer, our investment arm, Alaska Star Ventures, participated in Twelve’s latest fundraise as a new investor.
Our focus moving forward is on working collaboratively with industry stakeholders to accelerate the scale and adoption of SAF alongside decarbonization technologies. Supporting new technology that advances the market for new sources of SAF, like Twelve’s E-Jet® fuel, offers the industry expanded feedstock sources, addressing one angle in scaling SAF. And we will continue to partner and to invite others to join us on the journey – from producers and policymakers to travelers themselves. We believe that the more people who know about and understand what it will take to scale SAF as a key part of the sustainability journey for aviation, the more progress we will make for the future.