In February 2021, we announced our 2025 DEI goals and commitment to a more inclusive workforce (read the March 2023 update here), with goals in three areas: representation, public leadership, and inclusive culture.
We have a little more than a year and a half to go, and while progress is slower in some areas, we continue to move the needle and have gained insights on new focus areas to get closer to our goals. Let’s recap where we are today and what we’re doing to accelerate progress.
Our frontline workgroup improved slightly by 0.1 percentage points for racial diversity year over year, while leadership representation increased by 1.9. We have seen significant progress in our talent pipeline representation among supervisors/managers and individual contributors, where we would promote into Director+ roles. Additionally, our director and above BIPOC leader count has grown by 44% since 2021.
This work, which includes building programs from the ground up, scaling them over time and building the pipeline for senior leadership, doesn’t happen overnight. We’re committed to continuous improvement in attracting, retaining and developing great talent and staying the course.
To continue building a diverse talent pipeline and promoting great talent, we are:
- Analyzing and expanding pipeline programs to ensure their effectiveness.
- Focusing on leader accountability and our succession planning process by leveraging DEI data to focus on the greatest areas of opportunity.
- Focusing on our federal requirement to have effective Affirmative Action Plans (AAP) addressing representation gaps by creating sourcing strategies and processes in partnership with Talent Acquisition.
- Scaling up mentorship opportunities, sustaining our investment in Leader Academy, and expanding access to professional development and career support to build capabilities and employee readiness for new roles.
- Launching projects to reduce turnover in our Stations workgroup.
Snapshot of progress so far:
- Scaled Leader Academy experiences, producing 200 graduates (40% BIPOC, 49% Female). We also invested in development programs such as the Career Hub, Career Runway and Professional Passport with our first-ever Career Expo this year (something we hope to make an annual event).
- Added schools in diverse geographical areas to the True North Pilot Development Program to reach a more diverse student population. The first students out of the 13 enrolled are now certified flight instructors and are slated to join the airline in late 2025.
- Implemented ELEVATE, a new program for Business Resource Group (BRG) leaders to create additional growth and development opportunities.
- 125 new students enrolled in the Ascend Pilot Academy (26% BIPOC, 36% Female).
- Surpassed commitment to increase Black female pilots at Air Group by nearly 33%.
Gender Diversity, Veteran and Disability Representation:
- BIPOC representation increased in all career levels except officers and core/frontline.
- Gender representation remained unchanged for female employees, except for officers (0.5% increase) and managing directors (4% decrease).
- Veteran representation rose by 2.8%.
- Disability self-identification remained unchanged.
Our employee engagement survey contains eight inclusion-related questions measuring our “Inclusion Index Score.” Our score decreased by 3 points, from +7 to +4.
To continue creating a culture of belonging, we are:
- Establishing a DEI council to champion inclusive policies.
- Strengthening engagement with BRGs for feedback and solutions.
- Implementing intentional DEI education and programming and reviewing policies and practices to better support diverse employees, provide resources to underrepresented groups, and inform our inclusion efforts.
Snapshot of progress so far:
- Re-launched our 13th BRG – Young Air Group Professionals.
- Created Accessible Employment and Accessible Facilities Handbooks.
- Added a non-binary option in PeopleSoft/Fly and introduced our first universal uniform piece – the Mock Neck Sweater.
- Achieved top scores on a number of industry list rankings (Human Rights Campaign, DisabilityIn and Forbes).
- Unveiled the Xáat Kwáani aircraft, the first named in Alaska Native language and to depict the ancestral importance through Northwest Coast formline art.
- Collaborated with ABEA and LCRG BRGs for cultural insights to support the starts of service to the Bahamas and Guatemala City, and PIA helped the company more authentically support victims of the Maui wildfires.
- Hosted our first “Practice Flight” experience post-COVID for guests with physical and cognitive disabilities.
- Updated inflight audio descriptions and visual menus for individuals with disabilities.
- Expanded relationships with diverse suppliers, including offering McBride Sisters wine in first class.
- Upgraded reservation systems with expanded gender options across all Alaska platforms.
We believe education is the great equalizer and a critical component on the path to equity.
We’re supporting education by:
- Continuously activating the Our Commitment aircraft for HBCU college tours and other education-related travel.
- Partnering with organizations who share our values of education and equity.
- Providing grants and mentorship opportunities to support education and career-building.
Snapshot of progress so far:
- Sponsored and participated in an HBCU college tour for 43 students on the Our Commitment aircraft. We’ve also hosted trips for the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, C5LA, and the Cliff Avril Family Foundation.
- Provided one million miles to UNCF for travel (via Mariners Home Runs for UNCF) and supported Summer Search (in partnership with Seattle Storm’s Free Throws for the Future), with miles students can use to travel to leadership camps.
- Launched our Student Talent and Exploration Partnership (STEP) program, inviting Hawai‘i high school juniors and seniors for an immersive experience exposing them to opportunities in the airline industry.
- Completed an Alaska Airlines storefront at the Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington’s Discovery Center, which includes 17 interactive areas or “businesses” representing different real-world organizations.
- Hosted nearly 2,000 young people at Aviation Days in 2023.