document_title: The Lion King

question_text: what part of africa does the lion king take place

text: The Lion King

text: Plot

text: In the Pride Lands of East Africa, a pride of lions rule over the animal kingdom from Pride Rock. King Mufasa's newborn son, Simba, is presented to the assembled animals by Rafiki the baboon (with the colorful facial marking of a mandrill)[3] who serves as shaman and advisor. Mufasa shows young Simba the Pride Lands and explains to him the responsibilities of kingship and the "circle of life" which connects all living things. Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, covets the throne and plots to eliminate Mufasa and Simba so he may become king. He tricks Simba and his best friend Nala—to whom Simba is betrothed—into exploring a forbidden elephants' graveyard, where they are attacked by three spotted hyenas who are in league with Scar. Mufasa is alerted to the danger by his majordomo, the hornbill Zazu, and rescues the cubs. Though angry with Simba, Mufasa forgives him and explains that the great kings of the past watch over them from the night sky, from which he will one day watch over Simba.

text: Scar sets a trap for his brother and nephew, luring Simba into a gorge and having the hyenas drive a large herd of wildebeest into a stampede that will trample him. He informs Mufasa of Simba's peril, knowing the king will rush to save his son. Mufasa saves Simba but ends up hanging perilously from the gorge's edge. Scar refuses to help Mufasa, instead sending him falling to his death. He then convinces Simba that the tragedy was Simba's own fault and advises him to flee the kingdom. He orders the hyenas to kill the cub, but Simba escapes. Scar tells the pride that both Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and steps forward as the new king, allowing his three hyena minions and the rest of their large pack to live in the Pride Lands.

text: Simba collapses in a desert and is rescued by Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog who are fellow outcasts. Simba grows up in the jungle with his two new friends, living a carefree life under the motto "hakuna matata" ("no worries" in Swahili). Now a young adult, Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness who turns out to be Nala. She and Simba reunite and fall in love, and she urges him to return home, telling him the Pride Lands have become a drought-stricken wasteland under Scar's reign. Feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off. He encounters Rafiki, who tells him that Mufasa's spirit lives on in Simba. Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him he must take his rightful place as king. Realizing he can no longer run from his past, Simba decides to return home.

text: Aided by his friends, Simba sneaks past the hyenas at Pride Rock and confronts Scar. Scar taunts him over his role in Mufasa's death and backs him to the edge of the rock, where he reveals to Simba that he murdered Mufasa. Enraged, Simba pins Scar to the ground and forces him to reveal the truth to the rest of the pride. Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses fend off the hyenas while Scar, attempting to escape, is cornered by Simba at the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for mercy and attempts to blame the hyenas for his actions; Simba spares his life, but orders him to leave the Pride Lands forever. Scar attacks his nephew, but Simba manages to toss him from the top of the rock. Scar survives the fall, but is attacked and killed by the hyenas, who overheard his attempt to betray them. With his enemies gone, Simba takes over the kingship as the rains begin to fall, restoring life to the land.

text: Later, with Pride Rock restored to its former glory, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub to the assembled animals, continuing the circle of life.

text: Cast

text:
Matthew Broderick as Simba, son of Mufasa and Sarabi, who grows up to become King of the Pride Lands. Rock singer Joseph Williams provided adult Simba's singing voice. Mark Henn and Ruben A. Aquino respectively served as the supervising animators for young and adult Simba.[4]
Jonathan Taylor Thomas voiced young Simba, while Jason Weaver provided the cub's singing voice.[4]
Jeremy Irons as Scar, Mufasa's younger brother and Simba's uncle, who takes the throne. Andreas Deja served as the supervising animator for Scar.[4]
James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Simba's father, King of the Pride Lands as the film begins. Tony Fucile served as the supervising animator for Mufasa.[4]
Moira Kelly as Nala, Simba's best friend and later his wife. Sally Dworsky provided her singing voice. Aaron Blaise and Anthony de Rosa respectively served as the supervising animators for young and adult Nala.[4]
Niketa Calame provided the voice of young Nala while Laura Williams provided her singing voice.[4]
Nathan Lane as Timon, a wise-cracking and self-absorbed yet somewhat loyal meerkat who becomes one of Simba's best friends and adoptive parents. Michael Surrey served as his supervising animator.[4]
Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, a naïve warthog who suffers from flatulence and is Timon's best friend and also becomes one of Simba's best friends and adoptive parents. Tony Bancroft served as his supervising animator.[4]
Robert Guillaume as Rafiki, an old baboon (with mandrill markings[3]) who serves as shaman of the Pride Lands and presents newborn cubs of the King and Queen to the animals of the Pride Lands. James Baxter served as the supervising animator for Rafiki.[4]
Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, a hornbill who serves as the king's majordomo (or "Mufasa's little stooge", as Shenzi calls him). Ellen Woodbury served as the supervising animator for Zazu.[4]
Madge Sinclair as Sarabi, Mufasa's mate, Simba's mother, and the leader of the lioness hunting party. Russ Edmonds served as the supervising animator for Sarabi.[4]
The three spotted hyenas who serve Scar were animated by Alex Kupershmidt and David Burgess.[4]
Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi, the sassy and short-tempered female leader of the trio.
Cheech Marin as Banzai, an aggressive and hot-headed hyena prone to complaining and acting on impulse.
Jim Cummings as Ed, a dim-witted hyena who does not talk, only communicating through laughter. Cummings also voiced a mole that talks with Zazu and made a guest appearance as Scar in certain lines of "Be Prepared" after Irons blew his voice.[5]
Zoe Leader as Sarafina, Nala's mother, who is shown briefly talking to Simba's mother, Sarabi.
Brian Tochi as Fighting hyena (uncredited)

text: Production

text: Development

text: The idea for The Lion King was conceived in late 1988 during a conversation between Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney and Peter Schneider on a plane to Europe to promote Oliver & Company. During the conversation, the topic of a story set in Africa came up, and Katzenberg immediately jumped at the idea.[6] The idea was then developed by Walt Disney Feature Animation's vice president for creative affairs Charlie Fink.[7] Katzenberg decided to add elements involving coming of age and death, and ideas from personal life experiences, such as some of his trials in his bumpy road in politics, saying about the film, "It is a little bit about myself."[8] In November of that year Thomas Disch (author of The Brave Little Toaster) wrote a treatment entitled King of the Kalahari,[9] and afterwards, Linda Woolverton spent a year writing drafts of the script, which was titled King of the Beasts and then King of the Jungle.[7] The original version of the film was very different from the final film. The plot was centered in a battle being between lions and baboons with Scar being the leader of the baboons, Rafiki being a cheetah,[8] and Timon and Pumbaa being Simba's childhood friends.[10] Simba would also not leave the kingdom but become a "lazy, slovenly, horrible character" due to manipulations from Scar, so Simba could be overthrown after coming of age. By 1990, producer Thomas Schumacher, who had just completed The Rescuers Down Under, decided to attach himself to the project "because lions are cool".[7] Schumacher likened the script for King of the Jungle to "an animated National Geographic special".[11]

text: Oliver & Company director George Scribner was the initial director of the film,[12] being later joined by Roger Allers, who was the lead story man on Beauty and the Beast in October 1991.[6] Allers brought with him Brenda Chapman, who would become the head of story.[7] Afterwards, several of the lead crew members, including Allers, Scribner, Hahn, Chapman, and production designer Chris Sanders, took a trip to Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya, in order to study and gain an appreciation of the environment for the film.[13] After six months of story development work Scribner decided to leave the project, as he clashed with Allers and the producers on their decision to turn the film into a musical, as Scribner's intention was of making a documentary-like film more focused on natural aspects.[6][14] Rob Minkoff replaced Scribner,[13] and producer Don Hahn joined the production as Schumacher became only an executive producer due to Disney promoting him to Vice President of Development for Feature Animation.[11] Hahn found the script unfocused and lacking a clear theme, and after establishing the main theme as "leaving childhood and facing up to the realities of the world", asked for a final retool. Allers, Minkoff, Chapman and Hahn then rewrote the story across two weeks of meetings with directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, who had just finished Beauty and the Beast.[13] The script also had its title changed from King of the Jungle to The Lion King, as the setting was not the jungle but the savannah.[6]

text: The Lion King was the first Disney animated feature to be an original story, rather than be based on an already existing work. The filmmakers have said that the story of The Lion King was inspired by the lives of Joseph and Moses, from the Bible, and William Shakespeare's Hamlet.[15] During the summer of 1992, the team was joined by screenwriter Irene Mecchi, with a second screenwriter, Jonathan Roberts, joining a few months later. Mecchi and Roberts took charge of the revision process, fixing unresolved emotional issues in the script and adding comic business for Pumbaa, Timon, and the hyenas.[4]  Lyricist Tim Rice worked closely with the writing team, flying to California at least once a month because his songs needed to work in the narrative continuity. Rice's lyrics—which were reworked up to the production's end—were pinned to the storyboards during development.[13] Rewrites were frequent, with animator Andreas Deja saying that completed scenes would be delivered, only for the response to be that parts needed to be reanimated because of dialog changes.[7]

text: Casting

text: The voice actors were chosen for how they fit and could add to the characters—for instance, James Earl Jones was cast because the directors found his voice "powerful" and similar to a lion's roar.[16] Jones commented that during the years of production, Mufasa "became more and more of a dopey dad instead of [a] grand king".[17]

text: Nathan Lane originally auditioned for Zazu, and Ernie Sabella for one of the hyenas. Upon meeting each other at the recording studio, the actors, who at the time both co-starred in Guys and Dolls, were asked to record together as hyenas. The directors laughed at their performance and decided to cast them as Timon and Pumbaa.[16][18] For the hyenas, the original intention was to reunite Cheech & Chong, but while Cheech Marin accepted to play Banzai, Tommy Chong was unavailable. Thus his role was changed into a female hyena, Shenzi, who was voiced by Whoopi Goldberg.[10]

text: Matthew Broderick was cast as adult Simba early during production, and during the three years of voice acting only recorded with another actor once, and only discovered Moira Kelly voiced Nala at the premiere.[19] English actors Tim Curry and Malcolm McDowell were originally considered for the role of Scar,[20] however, Curry left the role due to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and it was ultimately won by English actor Jeremy Irons.[21] Irons had at first refused the role due to not being comfortable going from the dramatic performance as Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune to a comedic role. But once he came in, Irons' performance even inspired the writers to incorporate more of his acting as von Bülow—adding one of that character's lines, "You have no idea"—and animator Andreas Deja to watch both Reversal of Fortune and Damage to pick up Irons's facial traits and tics.[17][22]

text: Animation

text:
"The Lion King was considered a little movie because we were going to take some risks. The pitch for the story was a lion cub gets framed for murder by his uncle set to the music of Elton John. People said, 'What? Good luck with that.' But for some reason, the people who ended up on the movie were highly passionate about it and motivated."
Don Hahn[18]

tag: div

text: The development of The Lion King coincided with that of Pocahontas, which most of the animators of Walt Disney Feature Animation decided to work on instead, believing it would be the more prestigious and successful of the two.[15] The story artists also did not have much faith in the project, with Chapman declaring she was reluctant to accept the job "because the story wasn't very good",[7] and writer Burny Mattinson saying to co-worker Joe Ranft "I don't know who is going to want to watch that one."[14][self-published source] Most of the leading animators either were doing their first major work supervising a character, or had much interest in animating an animal.[8] Thirteen of these supervising animators, both in California and in Florida, were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the film's main characters. The animation leads for the main characters included Mark Henn on young Simba, Ruben A. Aquino on adult Simba, Andreas Deja on Scar, Aaron Blaise on young Nala, Anthony DeRosa on adult Nala, and Tony Fucile on Mufasa.[4] Nearly 20 minutes of the film, including the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence,[10] were animated at the Disney-MGM Studios facility. More than 600 artists, animators, and technicians contributed to The Lion King.[12] Weeks before the film was to be released, the 1994 Northridge earthquake shut down the studio and required the animators to finish their work from home.[23]

text: The character animators studied real-life animals for reference, as was done for the 1942 Disney film Bambi. Jim Fowler, renowned wildlife expert, visited the studios on several occasions with an assortment of lions and other savannah inhabitants to discuss behavior and help the animators give their drawings authenticity.[13] The animators also studied animal movements at the Miami MetroZoo under guidance from wildlife expert Ron Magill.[24] The Pride Lands are modeled on the Kenyan national park visited by the crew. Varied focal lengths and lenses were employed to differ from the habitual portrayal of Africa in documentaries—which employ telephoto lenses to shoot the wildlife from a distance. The epic feel drew inspiration from concept studies by artist Hans Bacher—which, following Scribner's request for realism, tried to depict effects such as lens flare—and the works of painters Charles Marion Russell, Frederic Remington and Maxfield Parrish.[13][25] Art director Andy Gaskill and the filmmakers sought to give the film a sense of grand sweep and epic scale similar to David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. Gaskill explained: "We wanted audiences to sense the vastness of the savannah and to feel the dust and the breeze swaying through the grass. In other words, to get a real sense of nature and to feel as if they were there. It's very difficult to capture something as subtle as a sunrise or rain falling on a pond, but those are the kinds of images that we tried to get." The filmmakers also watched the films of John Ford and other filmmakers, which also influenced the design of the film.[26]

text: Because the characters were not anthropomorphized, all the animators had to learn to draw four-legged animals, and the story and character development was done through use of longer shots following the characters.[10]

text: Computers helped the filmmakers present their vision in new ways. For the "wildebeest stampede" sequence, several distinct wildebeest characters were created in a 3D computer program, multiplied into hundreds, cel shaded to look like drawn animation, and given randomized paths down a mountainside to simulate the real, unpredictable movement of a herd.[27] Five specially trained animators and technicians spent more than two years creating the two-and-a-half-minute stampede.[4] The CAPS helped simulate camera movements such as tracking shots, and was employed in coloring, lighting, and particle effects.[10]

text: Music

text: Lyricist Tim Rice, who was working with composer Alan Menken on songs for Aladdin, was invited to write the songs, and accepted on the condition of finding a composing partner. As Menken was unavailable, the producers accepted Rice's suggestion of Elton John,[16] after Rice's invitation of ABBA fell through due to Benny Andersson being busy with the musical Kristina från Duvemåla.[8] John expressed an interest in writing "ultra-pop songs that kids would like; then adults can go and see those movies and get just as much pleasure out of them", mentioning a possible influence of The Jungle Book, where he felt the "music was so funny and appealed to kids and adults".[28]

text: John and Rice wrote five original songs for the film ("Circle of Life", "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "Be Prepared", "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"), with John's performance of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" playing over the end credits.[29] The IMAX and DVD releases added another song, "The Morning Report", based on a song discarded during development that eventually featured in the live musical version of The Lion King.[30] The score was composed by Hans Zimmer, who was hired based on his work in two films in African settings, The Power of One and A World Apart,[13] and supplemented the score with traditional African music and choir elements arranged by Lebo M.[29] Zimmer's partners Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin helped with arrangements and song production.[31]

text: The Lion King original motion picture soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on April 27, 1994. It was the fourth-best-selling album of the year on the Billboard 200 and the top-selling soundtrack.[32] It is the only soundtrack for an animated film to be certified Diamond (10× platinum) by the Recording Industry Association of America. Zimmer's complete instrumental score for the film was never originally given a full release, until the soundtrack's commemorative 20th anniversary re-release in 2014.[33] The Lion King also inspired the 1995 release Rhythm of the Pride Lands, with eight songs by Zimmer, Mancina, and Lebo M.[34]

text: The use of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in a scene with Timon and Pumbaa led to disputes between Disney and the family of South African Solomon Linda, who composed the song (originally titled "Mbube") in 1939. In July 2004, Linda's family filed suit, seeking $1.6 million in royalties from Disney. In February 2006, Linda's heirs reached a legal settlement with Abilene Music, who held the worldwide rights and had licensed the song to Disney for an undisclosed amount of money.[35]

text: Release

text: For The Lion King's first film trailer, Disney opted to feature a single scene, the entire opening sequence with the song "Circle of Life". Buena Vista Pictures Distribution president Dick Cook said the decision was made for such an approach because "we were all so taken by the beauty and majesty of this piece that we felt like it was probably one of the best four minutes of film that we've seen", and Don Hahn added that "Circle of Life" worked as a trailer as it "came off so strong, and so good, and ended with such a bang". The trailer was released in November 1993, accompanying The Three Musketeers and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in theaters; by then, only a third of The Lion King had been completed.[36][37] Audience reaction was enthusiastic, causing Hahn to have some initial concerns as he became afraid of not living up to the expectations raised by the preview.[36] Prior to the film's release, Disney did 11 test screenings.[38]

text: Upon release, The Lion King was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign which included tie-ins with Burger King, Mattel, Kodak, Nestlé and Payless ShoeSource, and various merchandise,[39] accounting 186 licensed products.[40][41] In 1994, Disney earned approximately $1 billion with products based on the film,[42] with $214 million for Lion King toys during Christmas 1994 alone.[43]

text: Home media

text: The Lion King was first released on VHS and laserdisc in the United States on March 3, 1995, under Disney's "Masterpiece Collection" video series. The VHS tape contained a special preview for Walt Disney Pictures' then-upcoming animated film Pocahontas, in which the title character (voiced by Judy Kuhn) sings the musical number "Colors of the Wind".[44] In addition, Deluxe Editions of both formats were released. The VHS Deluxe Edition included the film, an exclusive lithograph of Rafiki and Simba (in some editions), a commemorative "Circle of Life" epigraph, six concept art lithographs, another tape with the half-hour TV show The Making of The Lion King, and a certificate of authenticity. The CAV laserdisc Deluxe Edition also contained the film, six concept art lithographs and The Making of The Lion King, and added storyboards, character design artwork, concept art, rough animation, and a directors' commentary that the VHS edition did not have, on a total of four double sided discs. The VHS tape quickly became the best-selling videotape of all time: 4.5 million tapes were sold on the first day[45] and ultimately sales totaled more than 30 million[46] before these home video versions went into moratorium in 1997.[47]

text: On October 7, 2003, the film was re-released on VHS and released on DVD for the first time, titled The Lion King: Platinum Edition, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of animated classic DVDs. The DVD release featured two versions of the film on the first disc, a remastered version created for the 2002 IMAX release and an edited version of the IMAX release purporting to be the original 1994 theatrical version.[48] A second disc, with bonus features, was also included in the DVD release.  The film's soundtrack was provided both in its original Dolby 5.1 track and in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, making this one of the first Disney DVDs so equipped.[49] By means of seamless branching, the film could be viewed either with or without a newly created scene – a short conversation in the film replaced with a complete song ("The Morning Report"). A Special Collector's Gift Set was also released, containing the DVD set, five exclusive lithographed character portraits (new sketches created and signed by the original character animators), and an introductory book entitled The Journey.[47] The Platinum Edition of The Lion King featured changes made to the film during its IMAX re-release, including re-drawn crocodiles in the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence as well as other alterations.[48] More than two million copies of the Platinum Edition DVD and VHS units were sold on the first day of release.[45] A DVD boxed set of the three The Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film, along with the sequels, went back into moratorium.[50]

text: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the Diamond Edition of The Lion King on October 4, 2011.[51] This marks the time that the film has been released in high-definition Blu-ray and on Blu-ray 3D.[51][52] The initial release was produced in three different packages: a two-disc version with Blu-ray and DVD; a four-disc version with Blu-ray, DVD, Blu-ray 3D, and digital copy; and an eight-disc box set that also includes the sequels The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1½.[51][52] A standalone single-disc DVD release also followed on November 15, 2011.[51] The Diamond Edition topped the Blu-ray charts with over 1.5 million copies sold.[53] The film sold 3.83 million Blu-ray units in total, leading to a $101.14 million income.[54]

text: The Lion King was once again released to home media as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection;[55] first released on Digital HD on August 15, 2017 and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 29, 2017.[56]

text: Reception

text: Box office

text: The Lion King earned $422,783,777 in North America and an $545,700,000 in other territories for a worldwide total of $968,483,777.[2] It is currently the 35th highest-grossing film of all time,[57] the seventh highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide and the third highest-grossing film of Walt Disney Animation Studios (behind Frozen and Zootopia).[58] The film was also the highest-grossing motion picture of 1994 worldwide.[59] After its initial run, having earned $763.4 million,[60] it ranked as the second-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, behind Jurassic Park .[61] It held the record for the highest-grossing animated feature film (in North America, outside North America, and worldwide) until it was surpassed by the computer animated Finding Nemo (2003), Shrek 2 (2004), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), and Toy Story 3 (2010) prior to the 2011 re-release. With the earnings of the 3D run, The Lion King surpassed all the aforementioned films but Toy Story 3 to rank as the second-highest-grossing animated film worldwide—later downgraded to eighth after Despicable Me 2, Frozen (both 2013), Minions (2015), Zootopia, Finding Dory, (both 2016), and Despicable Me 3 (2017)—and it remains the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated film.[62] It is also the biggest animated movie of the last 50 years in terms of estimated attendance.[63]

text: Original theatrical run

text: The Lion King had a limited release in North America on June 15, 1994, playing in only two theaters, El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles and Radio City Music Hall in New York City.[64] It still earned $1,586,753 across the weekend of June 17–19, standing at the tenth place of the box office ranking.[65] The average of $793,377 per theater stands as the largest ever achieved during a weekend.[66] The wide release followed on June 24, 1994, in 2,550 screens.  The digital surround sound of the film led many of those theaters to implement Dolby Laboratories' newest sound systems.[67] The Lion King grossed $40.9 million – which at the time was the fourth biggest opening weekend earning ever and the highest sum for a Disney film  – to top the weekend box office.[12] It also earned a rare "A+" rating from CinemaScore.[68] By the end of its theatrical run, in spring 1995, it had earned $312,855,561,[2] being the second-highest-grossing 1994 film in North America behind Forrest Gump.[69] Outside North America, it earned $455.8 million during its initial run, for a worldwide total of $768.6 million.[60] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 74 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run.[70]

text: Re-releases

text: IMAX and large-format

text: The film was re-issued on December 25, 2002 for IMAX and large-format theaters. Don Hahn explained that eight years after The Lion King got its original release, "there was a whole new generation of kids who haven't really seen it, particularly on the big screen." Given the film had already been digitally archived during production, the restoration process was easier, while also providing many scenes with enhancements that covered up original deficiencies.[38][71] An enhanced sound mix was also provided to, as Hahn explained, "make the audience feel like they're in the middle of the movie."[38] On its first weekend, The Lion King made $2.7 million from 66 locations, a $27,664 per theater average. This run ended with $15,686,215 on May 30, 2003.[72]

text: 3D conversion

text: In 2011, The Lion King was converted to 3D for a two-week limited theatrical re-issue and subsequent 3D Blu-ray release.[51][73] The film opened at the number one spot on Friday, September 16, 2011 with $8.9 million[74] and finished the weekend with $30.2 million, ranking number one at the box office. This made The Lion King the first re-issue release to earn the number-one slot at the American weekend box office since the re-issue of Return of the Jedi in March 1997.[62] The film also achieved the fourth-highest September opening weekend of all time.[75] It held off very well on its second weekend, again earning first place at the box office with a 27 percent decline to $21.9 million.[76] Most box-office observers had expected the film to fall about 50 percent in its second weekend and were also expecting Moneyball to be at first place.[77]

text: After its initial box-office success, many theaters decided to continue to show the film for more than two weeks, even though its 3D Blu-ray release was scheduled for two-and-a-half weeks after its theatrical release.[76] In North America, the 3D re-release ended its run in theaters on January 12, 2012 with a gross $94,242,001. Outside North America, it earned $83,400,000.[78] The successful 3D re-release of The Lion King made Disney and Pixar plan 3D theatrical re-releases of Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., and The Little Mermaid during 2012 and 2013.[79] However, none of the re-releases of the first three films achieved the enormous success of The Lion King 3D and theatrical re-release of The Little Mermaid was ultimately cancelled.[80] In 2012, Ray Subers of Box Office Mojo wrote that the reason why the 3D version of The Lion King succeeded was because, "the notion of a 3D re-release was still fresh and exciting, and The Lion King (3D) felt timely given the movie's imminent Blu-ray release. Audiences have been hit with three 3D re-releases in the year since, meaning the novelty value has definitely worn off."[81]

text: Critical response

text: The Lion King was released to critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 93%, based on 122 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. It also ranked 56th on their "Top 100 Animation Movies".[82] The site's critical consensus reads, "Emotionally stirring, richly drawn, and beautifully animated, The Lion King stands tall within Disney's pantheon of classic family films."[83] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 83 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[84] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade.[85]

text: Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of a possible four and called it "a superbly drawn animated feature" and wrote in his print review, "The saga of Simba, which in its deeply buried origins owes something to Greek tragedy and certainly to Hamlet, is a learning experience as well as an entertainment."[86] On the television program Siskel & Ebert, the film was praised but received a mixed reaction when compared to previous Disney films. Ebert and his partner Gene Siskel both gave the film a "Thumbs Up" but Siskel said that it was not as good as earlier films such as Beauty and the Beast and was "a good film, not a great one".[87] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post called it "an impressive, almost daunting achievement" and felt that the film was "spectacular in a manner that has nearly become commonplace with Disney's feature-length animations", but was less enthusiastic toward the end of his review saying, "Shakespearean in tone, epic in scope, it seems more appropriate for grown-ups than for kids. If truth be told, even for adults it is downright strange."[88]

text:
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised the film, writing that it "has the resonance to stand not just as a terrific cartoon but as an emotionally pungent movie".[89]
Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers praised the film and felt that it was "a hugely entertaining blend of music, fun and eye-popping thrills, though it doesn't lack for heart".[90] James Berardinelli from ReelViews praised the film saying, "With each new animated release, Disney seems to be expanding its already-broad horizons a little more. The Lion King is the most mature (in more than one sense) of these films, and there clearly has been a conscious effort to please adults as much as children. Happily, for those of us who generally stay far away from 'cartoons', they have succeeded."[91]

text: Some reviewers still had problems with the film's narrative. The staff of TV Guide wrote that while The Lion King was technically proficient and entertaining, it "offers a less memorable song score than did the previous hits, and a hasty, unsatisfying dramatic resolution."[92] The New Yorker's Terrence Rafferty considered that despite the good animation, the story felt like "manipulat[ing] our responses at will", as "Between traumas, the movie serves up soothingly banal musical numbers and silly, rambunctious comedy".[93]

text: Accolades

text: The Lion King received four Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. The film would go on to win two Golden Globes; for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Original Score,[94]  as well as two Academy Awards, for Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) and Best Original Song with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John and Tim Rice.[95] The songs "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" were also nominated.[95]  "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" also won the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance.[96] The Lion King also won Annie Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Achievement in Voice Acting (for Jeremy Irons) and Best Individual Achievement for Story Contribution in the Field of Animation.[97]

text: At the Saturn Awards, the film was nominated in two categories, Best Fantasy Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor although it did not win in either category.[98] The film also received two nominations at the British Academy Film Awards, for Best Sound as well as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music although it lost in both categories to Speed and Backbeat respectively.[99] The film received two BMI Film & TV Awards for Film Music and Most Performed Song with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."[100] At the 1995 MTV Movie Awards, the film received nominations for Best Villain and Best Song, though it lost in both categories.[101] The Lion King won the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie at the 1995 Kids' Choice Awards.[102]

text: In 2008, The Lion King was ranked as the 319th greatest film ever made by Empire magazine,[103] and in June 2011, TIME named it one of "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films".[104] In June 2008, the American Film Institute listed The Lion King as the fourth best film in the animation genre in its AFI's 10 Top 10 list,[105] having previously put "Hakuna Matata" as 99th on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs ranking.[106]

text: In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

text: Controversies

text: Certain elements of the film were considered to bear a resemblance to a 1960s Japanese anime television series, Jungle Emperor (known as Kimba the White Lion in the United States), with characters having similar analogues, and various individual scenes being similar in composition to the show. Matthew Broderick believed initially that he was, in fact, working on an American version of Kimba since he was familiar with the Japanese original.[107] The Lion King director Roger Allers claimed complete unfamiliarity with the show until the movie was almost completed, and did not remember it being ever mentioned during development.[108] Co-director Rob Minkoff also stated that he was unfamiliar with it.[109][110] Minkoff also observed that whenever a story is based in Africa, it is "not unusual to have characters like a baboon, a bird or hyenas."[109] Yoshihiro Shimizu, of Tezuka Productions, which created Kimba the White Lion, has refuted rumors that the studio was paid hush money by Disney but explains that they rejected urges from within the industry to sue because, "we're a small, weak company. It wouldn't be worth it anyway ... Disney's lawyers are among the top twenty in the world!"[111] Fred Ladd, who was involved early on with importing Kimba and other Japanese into America for NBC, expressed incredulity that Disney's people could remain ignorant.[112][110] Ladd stated there was at least one animator remembered by his colleagues as being an avid Kimba fan and being quite vociferous about Disney's conduct during production.[112] Animators Tom Sito and Mark Kausler who both have story credits have both admitted to watching Kimba, and assumed many of their colleagues had too, especially if they grew up in the 60s. But Sito insisted there was no conscious effort to derive work from Kimba, and Kausler emphasized Disney's own Bambi as being their model during development.[113][114]

text: Protests were raised against one scene where it appears as if the word "SEX" might have been embedded into the dust flying in the sky when Simba flops down,[115] which conservative activist Donald Wildmon asserted was a subliminal message intended to promote sexual promiscuity. Animator Tom Sito has stated that the letters spell "SFX" (a common abbreviation for "special effects"), not with an "E" instead of the "F", and were intended as an innocent "signature" created by the effects animation team.[116]

text: Hyena biologists protested against the animal's portrayal: one hyena researcher sued Disney studios for defamation of character,[117] and another—who had organized the animators' visit to the University of California's Field Station for Behavioural Research, where they would observe and sketch captive hyenas—[118] included boycotting The Lion King among the ways it would help preserve hyenas in the wild.[119] The hyenas have also been interpreted to represent an anti-immigrant allegory, where the hyenas would be black and Latino ethnic communities.[120][121][122][123] The film has also been criticised for advancing a fascist narrative in its portrayal of the lion kingdom and the circle of life where "only the strong and the beautiful triumph, and the powerless survive only by serving the strong."[124]

text: Legacy

text: Sequels and spin-offs

text: The first Lion King-related animated projects involved the characters of Timon and Pumbaa. First, the duo starred in the animated short "Stand by Me", featuring Timon singing the eponymous song, which was released in 1995 accompanying the theatrical release of Tom and Huck. The duo then received their own animated series, The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa, which ran for three seasons and 85 episodes between 1995 and 1999. Ernie Sabella continued to voice Pumbaa, while Timon was voiced by Quinton Flynn and Kevin Schon in addition to Nathan Lane.[125]

text: Disney released two direct-to-video films related to The Lion King. The first was sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, released in 1998 on VHS. The film centers around Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male lion who was raised in a pride of Scar's followers, the Outsiders.[126] 2004 saw the release of another Lion King film on DVD, The Lion King 1½. It is a prequel in showing how Timon and Pumbaa met each other, and also a parallel in that it also depicts what the characters were retconned to have done during the events of the original movie.[127]

text: In June 2014, it was announced that a new TV series based on the film would be released called The Lion Guard, featuring Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala. The Lion Guard is a sequel to The Lion King and takes place during the time-gap within The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.[128] It was first broadcast on Disney Channel as a television film titled The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in November 2015 before airing as a series on Disney Junior in January 2016.[129][130]

text: CGI remake

text: In September 2016, following the critical and financial success of The Jungle Book, Walt Disney Pictures announced that they were developing a CGI remake of The Lion King by the same name, with Jon Favreau directing.[131] The following month, Jeff Nathanson was hired to write the script for the film.[132] Favreau originally planned shoot it back to back with the sequel to The Jungle Book.[131][133] However, it was reported in early 2017 that the latter film was put on hold in order for Favreau to instead focus mainly on The Lion King.[134] In February 2017, Favreau announced that Donald Glover had been cast as Simba and that James Earl Jones would be reprising the role of Mufasa.[135] The following month, it was reported that Beyoncé was Favreau's top choice to voice Nala, but she had not accepted the role yet due to a pregnancy.[136] In April 2017, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen joined the film as Timon and Pumbaa, respectively.[137] Two months later, John Oliver was cast as Zazu.[138] At the end of July 2017, Beyoncé had reportedly entered final negotiations to play Nala and contribute the soundtrack as well.[139] The following month, Chiwetel Ejiofor entered talks to play Scar.[140] Later on, Alfre Woodard and John Kani joined the film as Sarabi and Rafiki, respectively.[141][142]  On November 1, 2017, Beyoncé and Chiwetel Ejiofor were officially confirmed to voice Nala and Scar with Eric Andre, Florence Kasumba, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph joining the cast as the voices of Azizi, Shenzi and Kamari, young Simba and young Nala, respectively while Hans Zimmer would return to score the film's music.[143][144][145][146][147] On November 28, 2017, it was reported that Elton John had signed onto the project to rework his musical compositions from the original film.[148]

text: Production for the film began in May 2017.[149] It is scheduled for release on July 19, 2019.[150]

text: Video games

text: Along with the film release, three different video games based on The Lion King were released by Virgin Interactive in December 1994. The main title was developed by Westwood Studios, and published for PC and Amiga computers and the consoles SNES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Dark Technologies created the Game Boy version, while Syrox Developments handled the Master System and Game Gear version.[151] The film and sequel Simba's Pride later inspired another game, Torus Games' The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure (2000) for the Game Boy Color and PlayStation.[152] Timon and Pumbaa also appeared in Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games, a 1995 PC game collection of puzzle games by 7th Level, later ported to the SNES by Tiertex.[153]

text: The Square Enix series Kingdom Hearts features Simba as a recurring summon,[154][155] as well as a playable in the Lion King world, known as Pride Lands, in Kingdom Hearts II. There the plotline is loosely related to the later part of the original film, with all of the main characters except Zazu and Sarabi.[156] The Lion King also provides one of the worlds featured in the 2011 action-adventure game Disney Universe,[157] and Simba was featured in the Nintendo DS title Disney Friends (2008).[158]

text: Stage adaptations

text: Walt Disney Theatrical produced a musical stage adaptation of the same name, which premiered in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1997, and later opened on Broadway in October 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The Lion King musical was directed by Julie Taymor[159] and featured songs from both the movie and Rhythm of the Pride Lands, along with three new compositions by Elton John and Tim Rice. Mark Mancina did the musical arrangements and new orchestral tracks.[160] The musical became one of the most successful in Broadway history, winning six Tony Awards including Best Musical, and despite moving to the Minskoff Theatre in 2006, is still running to this day in New York, becoming the third longest-running show and highest grossing Broadway production in history. The show's financial success led to adaptations all over the world.[11][161][162]

text: The Lion King inspired two attractions retelling the story of the film at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The first, "The Legend of the Lion King", featured a recreation of the film through life-size puppets of its characters, and ran from 1994 to 2002 at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.[163] Another that is still running is the live-action 30-minute musical revue of the movie, "Festival of the Lion King", which incorporates the musical numbers into gymnastic routines with live actors, along with animatronic puppets of Simba and Pumba and a costumed actor as Timon. The attraction opened in April 1998 at Disney World's Animal Kingdom,[164] and in September 2005 in Hong Kong Disneyland's Adventureland.[165] A similar version under the name "The Legend of the Lion King" was featured in Disneyland Paris from 2004 to 2009.[166][167]


document_title: Alaska Airlines

question_text: who is the image on alaska airlines planes

question_tokens: who is the image on alaska airlines planes

root

text: Alaska Airlines

text: History[edit]

text: Early years (1932–1945)[edit]

text: The airline traces its roots to McGee Airways, which was started by Linious "Mac" McGee in 1932. The airline flew its inaugural service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay with a Stinson single-engined, three-passenger aircraft.[13] At the time, there were no scheduled flights; a flight took place when there were passengers or a load of cargo or mail.[14]

tag: p

text: It was the middle of the Great Depression and the airline was struggling financially. There were too many airlines in Anchorage at the time, and not enough demand to support them. In the next few years the airline performed many mergers and acquisitions that produced changes in the name and saw business expand throughout Alaska. The first of these mergers was in 1934, when McGee sold his namesake airline for US$50,000 to Star Air Service, an airline also located in Anchorage. This allowed McGee to enter the mining industry.[15] With a fleet of fifteen aircraft, Star Air Service was a dominant airline in Alaska. But Star continued to struggle financially because of high maintenance costs for its wooden planes.[16]

text: In 1937, McGee came back to the airline and opened a liquor store, and the airline began flying liquor to remote Alaskan communities. That year, Star Air Service purchased Alaska Interior Airlines and was incorporated as Star Air Lines.[14] Star was again sold later that year to a group of miners.[15]

text: In 1938, federal regulation began when Congress created the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). The CAB awarded the airline most of the routes that it wanted in Alaska, but the coveted route between Seattle and Anchorage was awarded to Pan American Airways.[16]

text: In 1941, Star Air Service was purchased by Raymond Marshall, a businessman from New York. In 1942, the airline purchased three other airlines in Alaska, Lavery Air Service, Mirow Air Service, and Pollack Flying Service as well as a hangar at the Anchorage airport. That year, the airline's name was changed to Alaska Star Airlines.[16] The name Alaska Airlines was adopted on May 2, 1944, having narrowly beaten a competitor who was also applying for the name.[13] In the 1940s Alaska's headquarters were in Anchorage.[17]

text: When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Alaska Airlines faced a shortage of pilots. During the war, the airline lacked funds and equipment, and pilots were often forced to buy fuel for their planes out of their own pockets. The company, which was frequently subjected to lawsuits, also went through many different presidents during this time. In 1943, Alaska Airlines purchased the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar, its first multi-engine aircraft. That same year the company's stock was traded for the very first time on the American Stock Exchange.[15][16]

text: Expansion after World War II (1945–1949)[edit]

text: In 1945, Alaska Airlines hired its first stewardesses.[16] In 1947, jockey James Wooten became president of the airline and he began to expand the airline greatly.[16][17] Under his leadership, the company purchased many surplus military aircraft from the government that were used during World War II. The airline purchased Douglas DC-3s, Douglas DC-4s and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commandos.[13] Alaska Airlines was the first carrier certified to operate DC-3s on skis.[15]

text: Alaska Airlines' large charter business made it profitable, and the airline moved its base of operations to Paine Field, an airport north of Seattle. It kept a branch office in Anchorage, however. Despite its success, Alaska Airlines' worldwide charter business was short-lived. In 1949, the CAB tightened its regulations and placed heavy fines on the airline and shut it down completely for safety violations. The airline was prohibited from operating worldwide charter flights, and president James Wooten left the company.[15][16]  Also in 1949, Alaska Air began operating five Bell 47B helicopters in order to support oil exploration on the North Slope thus becoming the first airline in Alaska to operate rotary-wing aircraft.[18]

text: In 1949, the airline was a major participant in an effort by the newly established state of Israel to airlift Jews out of Yemen to Israel in what became known as Operation Magic Carpet. C-46 or DC-4 aircraft were used for the nearly 3,000 mile flight, made necessary to avoid overflying Arab nations. Planes flew from Eritrea to Aden, then along the Gulf of Aqaba to Tel Aviv. After unloading the refugees, crews then immediately continued to Cyprus, afraid to stay on the ground in Tel Aviv in fear of being bombed. Some 49,000 Yemenite Jews were airlifted by Alaska Airlines and other carriers without a single loss of life.[19]

text: New leadership (1950s)[edit]

text: Alaska Airlines started the 1950s without its worldwide charter business and operations restricted to the state of Alaska. In 1950, it purchased two smaller Alaskan airlines, Collins Air Service and Al Jones Airways.[16]

text: Though the airline had grown much under the ownership of Raymond Marshall, the CAB forced him out in 1951 due to continuing financial troubles. Also, Marshall had owned Alaska Airlines with the intent of getting money for himself and he was not concerned about the long-term stability of the company.[16] In 1951, the CAB awarded Alaska Airlines with a temporary certificate allowing them to operate on routes from the Alaskan cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks to Seattle and Portland in the contiguous United States; this award would become permanent in 1957.[14][15]

text: In 1952, the CAB appointed Nelson David as president, and he began to improve the financial stability of the airline. By 1957, with the carrier in a better financial situation, David left and Charles Willis, Jr. became the company's new president and CEO. A pilot during World War II, Willis introduced several marketing gimmicks that set the airline apart from other ones of the day. Under his leadership, Alaska Airlines became the first to show inflight movies. The company began service of the Douglas DC-6, the airline's first pressurized plane, enabling flights above clouds and weather disturbances. On these DC-6's, the airline introduced "Golden Nugget" service, which included an on-board saloon and piano.[16]

text: The jet age (1960s)[edit]

text: In 1961, competitors began introducing jets on routes Alaska Airlines flew. To counter this competition, Willis negotiated with aircraft manufacturer Convair to purchase a Convair 880 jetliner with no money down for use on routes between Alaska and the contiguous United States. The company introduced the new jet aircraft the same year. In 1966 the company received its first Boeing 727-100 jets and removed the Convair 880 from the fleet as a financing condition by Boeing concerning the purchase of the 727 jetliners. Several of Alaska's first 727s were series 100C models which could be operated either as all cargo freighters, in an all passenger configuration or as mixed passenger/freight combi aircraft.[20]  In the spring of 1967, greatly increased passenger loads required quick addition of fleet aircraft and Alaska purchased a Convair 990 jetliner formerly operated by Brazilian air carrier Varig as PP-VJE which then became Alaska Airlines N987AS. This aircraft remained in service along with an increased fleet of Boeing 727-100's which were then joined by stretched Boeing 727-200s which in turn became Alaska Airlines' signature aircraft for the next 25 years. It also became the first carrier to fly the Lockheed L-100 Hercules (L382 model), the civil version of the military C-130 cargo turboprop, which was used to transport oil drilling rigs to Alaska's North Slope and later to Ecuador.[14] Alaska also owned Lockheed Constellation propliners including two Lockheed L-1649A Starliners from 1962 to 1968, and three L-1049's which were used for Military Air Transport Service operations.[21][22][23]  Smaller prop and turboprop aircraft were also operated, including the Convair 240, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Super Catalina amphibian aircraft as well as two versions of the Grumman Goose amphibian aircraft, one with piston engines and the other model being a conversion to turboprop engines which the airline called the "Turbo-Goose".[24] The Catalina and Grumman amphibian seaplane aircraft joined the fleet when the airline acquired local southeast Alaska operator Alaska Coastal Airlines in 1968.

text: During this time, Alaska Air faced some tough competition with other airlines such as Northwest Airlines, Pan Am and Pacific Northern Airlines, the latter being an Alaska-based air carrier operating Boeing 720 jetliners which was subsequently acquired by and merged into Western Airlines in 1967. Northwest and Pan Am at different times operated Boeing 747 wide body jetliners on their services to Alaska with Northwest flying Seattle–Anchorage nonstop with the jumbo jet and Pan Am flying Seattle–Fairbanks nonstop with the 747.  To set itself apart from the competition, Alaska Air turned to some cheap but imaginative gimmicks such as having safety instructions read as rhymes, staging fashion shows in the aisles and having bingo games on board while en route.[16]

text: In December 1962 Air Guinée signed a contract with Alaska Airlines which saw the latter company providing management expertise, in addition to two Douglas DC-6s. The deal would have seen Alaska Airlines contracting with the airline over a seven-year period but the contract ended after only six months, leading to the United States Agency for International Development paying a US$700,000 debt owed by the Guinean airline to Alaska Airlines.[25]

text: In 1965, Alaska Airlines turned over some routes between small Alaskan communities, as well as some smaller aircraft, to Wien Air Alaska. This allowed Alaska to focus on more heavily traveled routes and allowed them to sell off smaller aircraft.[15]

text: Throughout the 1960s, Alaska Airlines worked to promote tourism to Alaska by offering charter flights to the continental United States. In an attempt to increase the state's appeal, Alaska Airlines conducted a promotional tour of Japan in 1963. In 1967, as the state of Alaska celebrated its centennial, Alaska Airlines introduced a promotional "Gay Nineties" theme with stewardesses dressed in Edwardian outfits. That year, Alaska Airlines expanded to southeast Alaska with the introduction of service to Sitka. This led to the purchase of two smaller airlines, Alaska Coastal Airlines and Cordova Airlines, in 1968.[16]

text: Economic hardship (1970s)[edit]

text: In the beginning of the 1970s, Alaska Airlines began charter service to Siberia in the Soviet Union. This was the result of three years of secret negotiations between Alaska Airlines and Soviet authorities, in which the US Department of State reluctantly chose not to block the plan for fear of a potentially negative response from the Soviets. The airline gained permission to fly more than two-dozen flights in 1970, 1971 and 1972.[15][16] Alaska Airlines was also operating Boeing 707, Boeing 720 and Boeing 720B jetliners during the early and mid 1970s.[26]

text: However, the airline was not in good financial shape at that time. Like much of the airline industry, Alaska Airlines was hit with rising fuel and operating costs and was on the verge of bankruptcy.[13] Revenues were significantly reduced when work on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was delayed. The airline's cargo aircraft had played a key role in building the pipeline, but now sat idle. The airline took another blow on September 4, 1971, when a Boeing 727-100 jetliner crashed on landing in Juneau, killing 111 people and resulting in America's worst single-plane crash at the time. Because the airline was struggling financially, the airline's board ousted the president and CEO Charles Willis. Former board member Ronald Cosgrave succeeded him. The airline was US$22 million in debt when Cosgrave took over, so Cosgrave began to make major cuts. The airline's cargo business was dropped completely, as well as many flights and employees. Cosgrave also sought to improve the airline's tarnished image of "Elastic Airlines." The logo was changed to an image of a smiling Eskimo, which remains today. As a result of these efforts, the airline made a profit in 1973 and continued to be profitable thereafter.[16]

text: Post-deregulation expansion (1978–1990)[edit]

text: Alaska Airlines was one of only three US carriers that supported the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, knowing that they would reap significant growth and other benefits from deregulation.[14] After deregulation, the company's real-estate division was spun off into its own company, with Cosgrave becoming its chairman. Leadership of the airline was passed to Bruce Kennedy, a close associate of Cosgrave. Cosgrave made an alliance with Alaska Airlines to purchase competitor Wien Air Alaska, but this ultimately failed and resulted in fines for Alaska Air and its leaders for improprieties during the attempted acquisition.[16]

text: At the time of deregulation, Alaska Airlines served ten cities in Alaska and one in the contiguous US —the city of Seattle—, and it had only ten planes in its fleet.[14] Immediately after deregulation, the airline began to expand, adding the cities of Portland and San Francisco to its network. Soon later, the airline resumed services to the Alaskan cities Nome and Kotzebue, and it also introduced service to Palm Springs, California. Burbank and Ontario were added in 1981.[14][16] In 1979, Alaska also studied the possibility of acquiring and merging with Hughes Air West, however this never came to fruition. Other cities in the continental US that were added to the airline's route map by 1985 were Oakland and San Jose in California, Spokane in Washington, Boise in Idaho, and Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona.[14]

text: Deregulation also brought challenges to the airline, however. The airline was faced with increased competition and inflation that put tremendous pressure on costs, profits and salaries. By 1979, competitors Northwest Airlines and Western Airlines were both flying wide body McDonnell Douglas DC-10 jets on the core Anchorage–Seattle nonstop route with additional competition being provided by Wien Air Alaska which had begun flying nonstop jet service between Anchorage and Seattle.[27]  Northwest was operating nonstop DC-10 service on the Fairbanks–Seattle route at this time as well.[28]  There were also tensions with unions, particularly mechanics and flight attendants.[13] In 1985, the company had a three-month-long strike with its machinists. By June the same year, it was able to end the strike by promising to reduce labor costs and maintain peace with unions. In November 1985, the airline introduced a daily air-freight service called Gold Streak with service to and from Alaska.[16]

text: In the 1980s, Alaska Airlines began acquiring McDonnell Douglas MD-80s to replace their aging 727s. Alaska was the launch customer for the MD-83, taking delivery of their first MD-80s in 1985.[29]

text: Also in 1985, the Alaska Air Group was formed as a holding company for Alaska Airlines. In 1986 Alaska Air Group acquired regional airline Horizon Air, which remained a separate brand from Alaska Airlines; since then, both airlines have been subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group. In 1987, Alaska Airlines purchased Jet America Airlines.[30][31] Alaska initially operated Jet America as a separate airline, but this proved economically unviable and Jet America's operations were merged into Alaska's. Alaska also discontinued all flights to the Midwest and the East coast formerly operated by Jet America.[32] Additional MD-80s entered the fleet via the acquisition of Jet America Airlines in 1987.[33]

text: There was also a big seasonal imbalance in travel to Alaska, which mainly took place in the summer. In an effort to compensate for this, the airline introduced service to Mexican resorts, where most travel takes place in the winter. In 1988, the airline began servicing the Mexican resort cities of Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. By the end of the 1980s, 70 percent of Alaska Airlines' passengers flew south of Seattle and the airline served 30 cities in six states outside Alaska. The airline had successfully used the state of Alaska as a springboard to expand into larger, more profitable markets.[16]

text: New competition, new technologies (1990s)[edit]

text: The airline began the 1990s with plans to lease 24 Boeing 737-400s from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC).[16] The first aircraft was delivered in April 1992.[34]

text: In 1991, Alaska Airlines added several routes. In the Russian Far East, it added the cities of Magadan and Khabarovsk, as well as service to Toronto, its first Canadian city and the first city east of the Rocky Mountains. However, Toronto was later dropped, in 1992.[16]

text: As the airline marked its 19th consecutive year of profits in a turbulent industry and racked up many awards for customer service, Bruce Kennedy retired in May 1991 and was succeeded by Raymond J. Vecci.[16]

text: Alaska Airlines also faced increased competition from low-cost carriers. One carrier that competed with Alaska was MarkAir. Since it began operating in 1984, competition had been reduced because it had worked out feeder agreements with Alaska Airlines. However, after Alaska Air declined to buy the airline in the fall of 1991, it intensified competition with Alaska. The airline offered low-cost service on the Anchorage-Seattle route and other routes in Alaska, where Alaska Airlines earned almost one-third of its revenues. This hurt Alaska Airlines; for the first time in 20 years, it posted a loss of US$121 million. To save money, the airline canceled two proposed maintenance facilities and deferred a large aircraft purchase worth US$2 billion. It was able to increase utilization on its existing planes, though. The airline also cut labor costs, but this ended up making relations with unions tense.[16]

text: The cost reductions produced quick results. In 1993, their losses decreased to US$45 million and they made a US$40 million profit the next year. Eight percent of these revenues were generated by record-setting cargo operations.[16]

text: Alaska had more competition in 1993 when low-cost airline Southwest Airlines entered the Pacific Northwest by purchasing Morris Air. Nevertheless, Alaska Airlines was able to keep its costs down, but it maintained its high level of customer service. The airline also promoted itself as "the last great airline" and with the motto "For the same price, you just get more", yet analysts felt that Alaska Air needed deeper cost cuts.[14][16] At the same time, the company had many strikes by the flight attendants' union.[16]

text: Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system, and to replace its aging and fuel inefficient 727 fleet. Their last 727 was retired in March 1994.[35] The airline's MD-80 fleet peaked at 44 aircraft in 1996.[36]

text: Vecci was dismissed in 1995 and replaced with John Kelly, former Horizon Air CEO. The airline soon expanded West Coast routes to take advantage of an "open skies" agreement between the US and Canada.[16]

text: Alaska Airlines also pioneered some new technologies through the 1990s. It added a heads-up guidance system in 1989 to operate better in foggy conditions, becoming the first airline to use this technology. In 1995, the airline became the first U.S. airline to sell tickets on the Internet. By 2000, all the airline's planes carried automated external defibrillators, for use in in-flight emergencies. The airline also installed self-service kiosks called "Instant Travel Machines" that printed boarding passes, allowing customers to bypass the traditional ticket counter. An X-ray device, an addition to the unit allowing passengers to check their own baggage was being tested in 1999 at Anchorage.[16] This concept, known as "Airport of the Future" by the airline, was first tested in Anchorage and was later brought to its Seattle hub, and it drew attention from other airlines as well.[15] The airline would also become the first airline in the world to integrate GPS and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) technology, adding a real-time, three-dimensional display of terrain. The system was operational in all the carrier's Boeing 737-400s by April 1999.[16]

text: The late 1990s also saw the carrier recording much profitability. The airline added new training and maintenance facilities.[16] Also, the airline began buying new 737s, ordering three Boeing 737-700s and becoming the launch customer for the Boeing 737-900 when it placed an order for ten of the jets in November 1997.[37][38]

text: Introducing flights across the U.S. (2000s)[edit]

text: With the delivery of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft starting in 1999, Alaska began launching more medium-haul flights. In 2000, Alaska started service between Anchorage and Chicago. On May 15, 2001, the airline took delivery of its first 737-900.[39] In 2001, the airline was granted slot exemptions by the Department of Transportation to operate a nonstop flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Seattle, but it was halted after only a week due to the September 11 attacks. The airline resumed service to Reagan Airport on December 4, 2001, to meet the demand.[40]

text: In January 2002, William Ayer was named CEO of Alaska Airlines. Ayer had been serving as president under Kelly since 1997, having come to Alaska from Horizon two years earlier after spending 13 years with the smaller airline. Ayer took over as chairman and CEO of the Alaska in 2002 upon Kelly's retirement. He led the company through a transformation called Alaska 2010 that was intended to insulate the airline from the traditional boom-bust cycle of the airline industry.[15]

text: In 2002, flights to Newark, New Jersey, were launched and in 2003, services to Orlando began.[41][42][43] In 2003, service to Boston began.[44]

text: In 2003, Alaska Airlines won the Technology Leadership Award from the magazine Air Transport World for its pioneering of new technologies both in the airport and within the airplane itself.[15]

text: In 2005, due to the greater efficiency of the Boeing 737 Next Generation and rising costs for maintenance, fuel, and crew training, Alaska Airlines decided to phase out its remaining 26 MD-80s and trained its pilots to fly the newer Boeing 737-800s that were being ordered to replace them. According to the airline, the MD-80 burned 1,100 US gallons (4,200 l) of fuel per hour, while the 737-800 burns just 850 US gallons (3,200 l) per hour. The last MD-80 flights flew on August 25, 2008, with one flight from San Jose to Seattle and another from Sacramento to Seattle.[29] To mark its transition to an all-Boeing fleet, Alaska Airlines unveiled a 737-800 called Spirit of Seattle with Boeing's house colors painted on the fuselage and the airline's Eskimo logo painted on the tail fin.[45]

text: Also in 2005, Alaska Airlines contracted out many of its jobs, including ground crew positions, to Menzies Aviation. In some cases this resulted in an almost 40% decline in wages.[46] This agreement was found to be a violation of union agreements in 2008 and the new ground crews caused enough damage to aircraft in the first year to make the savings negligible.[47][48] In addition, Menzies contractors gained a reputation of stealing from checked bags after a few incidents in 2007.[49]

text: Starting in June 2006, Alaska Airlines introduced new cargo aircraft to the fleet: five 737-400C "combi aircraft" and one 737-400F "freighter." The aircraft were originally purchased by Alaska as passenger aircraft in 1992, and converted by Pemco Air Services.[50] The 737-400C "combi" aircraft were uniquely suited for the needs of Alaska, carrying a combination of four cargo pallets and 72 passengers, allowing goods and people to be transported to remote towns. 737-400 based aircraft had 20% more passenger and cargo capacity than the aging Boeing 737-200 cargo aircraft they replaced.

text: On September 9, 2007, Alaska Airlines introduced daily nonstop service between Portland, Oregon, to Boston.[51] On October 12, 2007, the airline began service to Hawaii with a flight to Honolulu from Seattle. Seattle–Kauai service began on October 28, 2007, and Anchorage–Honolulu service began on December 6, 2007.[52]

text: On October 26, 2008, Alaska launched service from Seattle to Minneapolis-Saint Paul.[53] On August 3, 2009, service from Seattle to Austin, Texas, began.[54] Service from Seattle to Houston began on September 23, 2009[55] and from Seattle to Atlanta on October 23, 2009.[56]

text: In March 2010, Alaska Airlines began service from San Jose, California, to Kahului and Kona, Hawaii, and also from Sacramento, California, to Kahului, Hawaii.[57]

text: On September 27, 2010 Alaska Airlines began service between Seattle and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.[58][59]

text: 2011 brought a major change for the Alaska Air Group; starting at the beginning of the year, Horizon Air would no longer operate as a separate regional airline.[60] Instead, it transitioned to a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) business model, which had by that time become the regional airline industry standard. Under the CPA, Horizon operates and maintains its aircraft, while Alaska Airlines is responsible for scheduling, marketing and pricing all flights.[60][61] As part of the change to the new business model, the Horizon Air brand was retired and all Horizon planes were repainted with a co-branded "Alaska Horizon" livery.[62][61]

text: Alaska Airlines also entered into a similar capacity purchase agreement with the nation's largest regional airline, SkyWest Airlines. Starting on May 2011, SkyWest started operating several routes for Alaska under the brand "Alaska SkyWest".[63]

text: In January 2011, Alaska Airlines placed an order for thirteen 737-900ERs. The aircraft have been delivered between 2012 and 2014[needs update] Alaska also ordered two 737-800s as part of this order.[64][65][66]

text: The airline also recorded record profits for 2010, as well as record profits for the fourth quarter of 2010. The profit for the entire year was $251.1 million, an increase from $121.6 million a year earlier. Alaska's 2010 fourth-quarter profit of $64.8 million was up from $24.1 million from the fourth quarter of the previous year.[65] Also in 2010, Alaska ranked as the most efficient airline operating in The United States.[67]

text: Alaska Airlines continues pioneering new technologies today. In 2011 Alaska Airlines partnered with Boeing and Fujitsu to be the first to use a new technology called Component Management Optimization, which will streamline maintenance checks. It will do this by allowing mechanics to point a handheld device at little RFID tags attached to certain parts of the aircraft, which will display information about when parts were last replaced. This will allow mechanics to perform inspections quicker than conventional methods. The program is scheduled to launch in 2012.[68] Also in mid-2011, the airline issued iPads to its pilots to replace 25 pounds of paper flight manuals that pilots are currently required to carry on flights. Alaska Airlines is the first major airline to use iPads on flights; all pilots had iPads by the middle of June 2011. This was the first part of the airline's initiative to do away with the flight bag; the airline is also considering using iPads for displaying aeronautical charts.[69]

text: In November 2011 Alaska Airlines flew 75 commercial passenger flights in the U.S. powered by biofuel using a 20 percent blend of sustainable biofuel made from used cooking oil that meets rigorous international safety and sustainability standards.[70]

text: On February 16, 2012, Alaska Airlines' CEO, Bill Ayer, retired. Ayer became the airline's CEO in 2002 and has been credited for reducing costs and keeping the airline profitable without going through bankruptcy. The airline's president Brad Tilden officially became the new CEO on May 15, 2012.[71]

text: On March 9, 2012, Alaska Airlines began service from Seattle to Kansas City[72] and on June 11, 2012, began service to Philadelphia.[73] Seattle-Miami flights ended on July 15, 2012, but service to nearby Fort Lauderdale began on July 16.[74] New service to San Antonio began on September 17, 2012.[75] Alaska Airlines also began service from San Diego to Orlando on October 11, 2012.[76][77]

text: In October 2012 (2012-10), Alaska placed the largest order in its history when it ordered a total of 50 Boeing 737s in a deal worth US$5 billion at list prices. The order consists of 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, 17 Boeing 737 MAX 9s and 13 Boeing 737-900ERs.[78][79][80]

text: Alaska Airlines announced a plan in June 2013 to begin replacing Boeing 737s on flights between Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, with Bombardier Q400s operated by Horizon Air and based out of Anchorage beginning in March 2014. The plan was intended to reduce operating expenses and eventually lower fares, but was met with a great deal of skepticism by Fairbanks residents who expressed their frustration about safety of the aircraft and outside boarding in the cold winter climate through social media. Alaska Airlines responded to the comments on Facebook attempting to reassure passengers of the safety of the Bombardier Q400s as well as promising to address the unusual aspects of flying in Alaska. The airline ended up modifying one of the jetways at Fairbanks International Airport so that passengers would not have to go outside to board.[81] In November 2017, Alaska announced that it would revert to all jet service in the state of Alaska, and that it would close its Horizon Air base in Anchorage in March 2018.[82]

text: In 2015, Alaska Airlines announced 3 new nonstop destinations from Seattle, to Charleston, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham. These, along with a flight between Los Angeles and Baltimore, began in late 2015 using their 737 aircraft.[83]

text: On January 25, 2016, for the first time in 25 years, Alaska Airlines unveiled a major update to its brand, which included a new logo and livery.[84][85][86] In the new design, the Alaska wordmark was streamlined and the design of the Eskimo logo was simplified and the ruff's on the parka were made more colorful.

text: Virgin America acquisition[edit]

text: On April 4, 2016, Alaska Air Group announced it would acquire Virgin America, an airline based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. With Virgin America operating hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the merger greatly expands the presence of Alaska Airlines in California and the West Coast.[87]

text: After the acquisition was announced, Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Group and one of the founders of Virgin America described himself as "sad" and disappointed.[87] Despite the protest from its most high-profile shareholder, the majority of Virgin America's shareholders voted to approve the sale to Alaska Air Group.[88]

text: Alaska Air Group purchased Virgin America for $57 per share, a total valuation of $2.6 billion, with additional expenses bringing the cost to approximately $4 billion.[89] The acquisition was completed on December 14, 2016.[90]

text: The United States Department of Transportation issued a single operating certificate for a combined Alaska Airlines and Virgin America on January 11, 2018. The airlines merged into the same passenger service system on April 25, 2018, meaning that most of the customer-facing portions of the company (including flight numbers, website, mobile apps, and airport check-in kiosks) have a single brand: Alaska Airlines.[91] Alaska expects to have the Virgin America brand fully retired in 2019.[92]

text: The acquisition did present one major issue for the Alaska Air Group: while Alaska operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet of aircraft, Virgin America operated an all-Airbus A320 fleet. The company announced that while the Airbus aircraft will be integrated into Alaska's fleet (and repainted into Alaska's livery), the long-term strategy would be to return to an all-Boeing 737 fleet. The transition will likely take years because the vast majority of Virgin's fleet is leased, and analysts say it would be prohibitively expensive to terminate those leases early.[93] The first leases do not expire until 2019, with most set to expire between 2021 and 2024.[94][95]

text: Corporate affairs[edit]

text: Employees[edit]

text: As of  November 2014[update], Alaska Airlines has 12,998 employees.[10] Alaska's pilot group consists of approximately 1,550 pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International and its over 4,100 flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants.[96]

text: Since May 2005 (2005-05), the airline's baggage-handling operations have been outsourced to Menzies Aviation. This was in response to rejection of a contract between IAM (the union which represented the baggage handlers), and Alaska Airlines. It also allowed the airline to save an estimated $13 million a year.[97] In late 2016, Alaska Airlines created a wholly owned subsidiary McGee Air Services which would compete with Menzies Aviation for ground handling contracts in select Alaska cities.[98]

text: Alaska Airlines Foundation[edit]

text: The Alaska Airlines Foundation, headquartered on the grounds of Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, gives grants to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that are classified as charities in the U.S. states of Alaska and Washington.[99]

text: Alaska Air Cargo[edit]

text: Alaska Air Cargo has regional operations in parts of the United States and has the most extensive air cargo operations on the west coast of the U.S., larger than that of any other passenger airline. Alaska's cargo operations are focused primarily on the northwestern contiguous states and Alaska, between Anchorage and Seattle. South from Alaska, goods that are carried primarily include fresh Alaskan seafood, while products carried north from Seattle primarily include US Postal Service mail; in addition, the airline also carries goods for remote Alaskan communities and personal packages.[100]

text: Sponsorships[edit]

text:
Portland Timbers (MLS)[101]  – The airline has a Boeing 737-700 aircraft with a Portland Timbers livery, unveiled in 2011.[102]
San Francisco Giants (MLB) – The airline has a Airbus A321neo aircraft with a San Francisco Giants livery, unveiled in 2018.[103]
Seattle Mariners (MLB)[104]
Seattle Storm (WNBA)[citation needed]
San Jose Sharks (NHL)[105]
Washington Huskies – Alaska Airlines has the naming rights for two sports venues on the University of Washington campus: Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion and Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
Alaska Anchorage Seawolves – Alaska Airlines has the naming rights to the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus.

tag: ul

text: Sister airline Horizon Air also operates planes for Alaska Airlines featuring aircraft liveries with the colors of 11 different universities from Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.[106]

text: Alaska Airlines was formerly an official sponsor of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for over 35 years.[107]

text: Destinations[edit]

text: Alaska's route system spans more than 115 destinations in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. Some of the locations served in the carrier's namesake state include Anchorage, Adak, Barrow, Cordova, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Kotzebue, King Salmon, Nome, Prudhoe Bay and Sitka, several of which are inaccessible by road. The airline began scheduled operations to the Russian Far East in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union,[108][109] but suspended the service in 1998 following the 1998 Russian financial crisis.[110]

text: Alaska has historically been one of the largest carriers on the West Coast of the United States as well as to and within the state of Alaska, with strong presences in Seattle, Portland and San Diego, and serving the three major airports in the San Francisco Bay Area and four airports in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.[111]

text: Some cities in Alaska's network with less traffic are served by regional airline partners under a capacity purchase agreement. Under that agreement the regional airline is paid to operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketAlaska's airlineaska Airlines. Alaska's  airline partners include wholly owned regional subsidiary Horizon Air, and carriers SkyWest Airlines, PenAir, and Ravn Alaska.

text: Codeshare agreements[edit]

text: Alaska Airlines does not participate in any major global airline alliances, but the airline has codeshare agreements with several carriers (many of which are themselves members of global airline alliances). Alaska Airlines' codeshare partners are as follows:[112][113]

text:
Aer Lingus
American Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Condor Flugdienst
Emirates
Fiji Airways
Finnair
Hainan Airlines
Icelandair
Japan Airlines
Korean Air
LATAM Chile
PenAir
Qantas
Ravn Alaska
Singapore Airlines

text: Since 2008, Alaska Airlines flights (including those operated by Horizon Air) have been part of Oneworld Global Explorer fares.[114][115]

text: Fleet[edit]

text: Current fleet[edit]

text: As of July 2018, Alaska Airlines operates a mainline fleet consisting primarly of Boeing 737 series aircraft, with some Airbus A320 family aircraft formerly operated by Virgin America. Regional flights are operated with Alaska branded Bombardier Q400 and Embraer 175 planes by the Alaska-owned regional airline Horizon Air and contractor SkyWest Airlines.

text: Alaska operated with an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet from August 25, 2008 until January 11, 2018. The airline's long-term strategy is to return to operating an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet, but the transition will likely take many years as most of the Airbus A320 family aircraft is leased, with contracts set to expire between 2021 and 2024.[93][94]

text: Alaska Airlines is the only passenger airline in the U.S. with dedicated cargo planes. The current cargo fleet consists of three Boeing 737-700 freighter jets that were formerly passenger aircraft and converted to cargo aircraft over 19 months in 2016 and 2017 by Israel Aerospace Industries.[116]

text:
Alaska Airlines fleet

Aircraft

In service

Orders

Passengers

Notes

F

Y+

Y

Total

Alaska Airlines passenger fleet

Airbus A319-100

10

—

8

12

99

119

Transferred from Virgin America.

Airbus A320-200

53

—

8

12

126

146

Airbus A320neo

—

30

TBA

Order transferred from Virgin America, but may be canceled.Deliveries scheduled between 2020 and 2022.

Airbus A321neo

8

2

8

18

159

185

Transferred from Virgin America

Boeing 737-700

11

—

12

—

112

124

Boeing 737-800

61

—

12

30

117

159

Boeing 737-900

12

—

16

24

138

178

Launch customer.

Boeing 737-900ER

70

9

Boeing 737 MAX 9

—

32

TBA

Deliveries scheduled to begin in 2019.15 orders converted from MAX 8.

Alaska Air Cargo fleet

Boeing 737-700F

3

—

Cargo

Converted from 737-700 passenger aircraft.

Alaska Horizon & Alaska SkyWest fleet

Bombardier Dash 8-Q400

45

2

—

—

76

76

Operated by Horizon Air.

Embraer 175

15

18

12

12

52

76

Operated by Horizon Air.

29

6

Operated by SkyWest Airlines.

Total

317

99

Sources: [117][118][119][120]

tag: table

text: Fleet history[edit]

text: Since the 1960s, Alaska has consistently operated (Boeing) jet aircraft in its fleet although the first jetliner type operated by the airline was the Convair 880. Alaska also operated the Convair 990 jetliner. Besides the current Boeing 737 models flown by Alaska, the airline previously operated the Boeing 707 and Boeing 720 as well as the Boeing 727-100, 727-200 and 737-200.[121] The last 727 was retired in May 1994.[35]

text: In the 1980s, Alaska began acquiring McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.[29] Alaska acquired additional MD-80s via the acquisition of Jet America Airlines in 1987.[33] Alaska was the launch customer for the MD-83, and took delivery of the first airplanes in 1985.[29] Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system, and to retire its aging and fuel inefficient 727 fleet. In 2005, due to the greater efficiency of the Boeing 737 Next Generation and rising costs for maintenance, fuel and crew training, Alaska Airlines decided to phase out the remaining 26 MD-80s and trained the pilots to fly the newer 737-800s that were being ordered to replace them. The last MD-80 flights took place on August 25, 2008.[29]

text: Alaska also used eight Boeing 737-200 Combi/QCs to suit the unique needs of flying in the state of Alaska. These aircraft were valued for their ability to be rapidly reconfigured (hence the moniker QC or "Quick Change") to match the specific cargo and passenger loads for any given flight. In the all-freight configuration, the 737-200 Combis carried up to six cargo containers, known as "igloos." The palletized floor allowed for passenger seating to range from 26 to 72 seats. The 737-200s were also gravel-kitted, which allowed them to be used at airports such as Red Dog, which formerly featured a gravel runway.[122] Alaska replaced the 737-200s with six reconfigured 737-400s between 2006 and 2007. Five feature a mixed cargo/passenger "Combi" arrangement, and one is a "freighter" carrying only cargo. Unlike the 737-200 Combi, the 737-400 Combis feature a fixed seating capacity of 72 seats.[50] The last 737-200 Combi (short for combination) was retired in 2007 and is now displayed at the Alaska Aviation Museum.[123][124] The 737-400 Combi aircraft were retired in October 2017.[125]

text: Livery[edit]

text: The airline's livery and logo has remained remarkably similar for the last 50 years; with the word Alaska on the front sides of fuselage, with image of a native Alaskan Eskimo on the vertical stabilizer as a logo.[16]

text: The image of the Eskimo first appeared in 1972 alongside three other logos that each represented a part of Alaskan history: a totem pole, a gold miner, and Russian spires. The Eskimo is depicted wearing a traditional qulittaq (parka with ruff). In 1976, the airline adopted the Eskimo tail fleet-wide, with the design slightly changed to have the face smiling.[126]

text: Between the 1970s and the mid-2010s, Alaska's aircraft were painted all white (except for the eskimo), with dark blue and teal stripes running the length of the sides of the fuselage.

text: In 1988, Alaska considered replacing the Eskimo face with a new logo resembling a mountain, but dropped the plan amid widespread complaints from Alaskans and company employees.[127][128]

text: Starting the mid-1990s, the word "Alaska" was depicted as a wordmark with the letters designed to look like icicles.[126]

text: Starting in February 2015, Alaska rolled out what it called an "updated" livery. The changes included a new wordmark (where the k no longer intersected the last a in "Alaska") on the sides of the plane, navy blue paint with green accents, and an simplified eskimo design on the tail (no teal outline).[129]

text: In January 2016, the livery and logo received a major redesign. The Alaska wordmark was further streamlined and the design of the Eskimo logo was simplified and the ruffs on the parka were made more colorful. On the fuselage of planes, the stripes were eliminated and replaced by a "jelly bean" design with waves of dark blue, navy blue, teal, and green running up the side of the plane to the vertical stabilizer.[130]

text: In 2005, the airline introduced the Magic of Disneyland livery on a Boeing 737-400 aircraft, featuring various characters from the Disney franchise. The livery was later reintroduced on a Boeing 737-900 aircraft after the 737-400 was repainted back into the standard Alaska Airlines livery and retired from service in 2017.[131] It has since unveiled more than five aircraft in liveries featuring Disney and Pixar characters.[132][133]

text: The airline has aircraft liveries featuring 11 different universities:[134]

text:
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Boise State University
Montana State University
Oregon State University
San Diego State University
University of Idaho
University of Montana
University of Oregon
University of Washington
Washington State University

text: Services[edit]

text: On-board meals and beverages[edit]

text: Complimentary meals or light snacks are served to passengers in the first class cabin.[135] In 2006 the airline launched its buy on board meal program, known as Northern Bites,[136] on most flights over 2 ½ hours, including all transcontinental flights.[137] As part of the buy on board program, the airline offers various "Picnic Packs" for a charge in coach/economy class on all flights.[138]

text: On February 1, 2012, Alaska Airlines started serving coffee from fellow Seattle company Starbucks on all of its flights. Previously Starbucks coffee was only offered on Horizon Air flights. Horizon Air had offered Starbucks coffee since February 1, 1990, and was the first airline in the world to serve Starbucks coffee onboard its flights. Alaska also provides local offerings such as Beecher's Cheese, Tim's Cascade potato chips and Alaskan Amber beer.[139]

text: In 2015, Alaska updated inflight hot entrées with options created by Seattle Chef Tom Douglas.[140][141]

text: On-board entertainment[edit]

text: Alaska Airlines is recognized by the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) as having an "historic first" in Inflight entertainment by introducing in October 2003 the first portable, hard-drive based, audio-video-on-demand (AVOD) players that deliver a variety of film, TV and audio programs.[142] The device, called the digEplayer was conceived and brought to market by an Alaska Airlines baggage handler named Bill Boyer Jr.[143][144] digEplayers are available for rent on most long-haul flights for a fee, although they are complimentary to passengers seated in First Class.[145]

text: Alaska Airlines received the "Airline IFE Service of the Year" award at the March 2004 IPEC/LARA Inflight Online Awards Dinner based upon the implementation of the digEplayer, which was awarded "IFE Product of the Year."[9]

text: In 2015 Alaska introduced Alaska Beyond with Inflight Entertainment Tablets to replace the digEplayers. It is available on all wi-fi enabled aircraft (most Boeing 737s and Embraer 175 jets) — Alaska Beyond allows flyers in First Class and Coach to also use the Gogo® Video Player on their own device in lieu of purchasing the Inflight Entertainment Tablet.[146]

text: On-board Internet access[edit]

text: All Alaska Airlines jets are equipped with an in-flight Wi-Fi and streaming entertainment system. Internet service is fee-based for all passengers, depending on the length of the flight.[147][148] Streaming entertainment and electronic messaging services are free.

text: Alaska launched trials of In-flight Wi-Fi Internet service in 2009.[149][150] The airline tested both the Row44 satellite-based system, before picking the land-based Gogo Inflight Internet system on February 24, 2010.[151] In October 2010, flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks became the first to receive in-flight internet service.[152] In the following months, the system was expanded to cover all routes over the United States served by the airline with the exception of to and from Hawaii.

text: Lounge[edit]

text: Alaska Lounge is the Alaska Air Group airport lounge and are located in five airports: Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and at New York's JFK Airport. Memberships start at $45 for a single-day pass, up to $1,050 for a new three-year membership. MVP members receive a 50% discount on the initiation fee and MVP Gold/Gold 75K members have their initiation fee waived. Both MVP and MVP Gold/Gold 75K are still responsible for the actual annual membership fee.[153][154]

text: Mileage Plan[edit]

text: Mileage Plan is the frequent-flyer program of Alaska Airlines and subsidiary Horizon Air. The program's airline partners include members of all three major airline alliances; Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance, as well as unaffiliated carriers Aer Lingus, Condor,  Emirates, Fiji Airways, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, PenAir, and Ravn Alaska. The Mileage Plan program has no membership fee, allows one-way redemption and accumulated miles expire after 2 years of inactivity.[155]

text: MVP, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K are Mileage Plan's elite tiers for frequent travelers.[156] Higher-tiered members are provided with increased travel benefits such as bonus mileage, priority boarding and complimentary upgrades to first class.[153] MVP is achieved when the member flies 20,000 miles (32,000 km) on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air, MVP Gold is achieved when the member flies 40,000 miles (64,000 km),[153] and MVP Gold 75K is achieved when the member flies 75,000 miles (121,000 km) on Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air.[157]

text: Club 49[edit]

text: On November 1, 2011, Alaska Airlines began a new program called Club 49 exclusively for Mileage Plan members who are residents of the state of Alaska. Benefits include free checked bags and email notifications about fare sales and discounts.[158] The program has no joining fee[159] and memberships are valid for a year after joining before they need to be renewed.[160]

text: Accidents and incidents[edit]

text: Alaska Airlines has had ten major aviation accidents in its history, eight of which resulted in fatalities, with the other two resulting in the aircraft being written off but no fatalities.