Spokane International Airport experienced a slight operation shutdown on Wednesday after an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to divert following a bomb threat from a first class passenger. While there have been several wild excuses previously given as to why such passengers would even think of spilling threats, this particular passenger claims he thought cartel members would kill him.

Alaska Airlines, based out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), is very excited about the Boeing 737 MAX 10, which carries 189 passengers in a multi-class layout and can travel 3,100 nautical miles. For the carrier, the ability to have a slightly larger aircraft go the same distance as its Boeing 737-900ERs is significant.

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture, and it is an important day for Mexicans and Mexican Americans alike. This holiday is widely celebrated in some parts of Mexico and the United States, and airlines have taken notice of the festivities over the years. Just as airlines recently celebrated Easter, they also commemorate Cinco de Mayo in unique ways.

Earlier this month, Alaska Airlines celebrated 91 years of its foundation. Following this milestone, here's a look at the carrier's evolution over the years, particularly when it comes to its main bases.Alaska Airlines has been operating out of Seattle, Washington, for approximately seven decades. The company has the word Alaska in its name, and its branding represents the state with pride. So, why is the firm based approximately 1,200 nautical miles away from the area that it is labeled after?

Alaska Airlines' unique Boeing 737-800, nicknamed "Salmon Thirty Salmon II," has flown its last milk run service before being repainted. The aircraft operated flight AS65 for the final time on April 17th.The flight's routing began in Seattle (SEA) and ended in Anchorage (ANC), calling at Ketchikan (KTN), Wrangell (WRG), Petersburg (PSG), and Juneau (JNU) along the way. The shortest of the sectors is between Wrangell and Petersburg, taking just 11 minutes, while the longest is from Seattle to Ketchikan, taking 91 minutes. Flight AS65's unique route can be seen below:The lucky passengers were given gifts, including shirts, hats, and other Alaska Airlines memorabilia, and a free ticket for future travel. Among those onboard were 30 of the airline's employees, selected from over 800 applicants. The flight's best bits were captured by Airways reporter Brandon Farris and posted to Twitter:

A woman had to be restrained with zip ties after a verbal altercation with a flight attendant on an Alaska Airlines red-eye out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) last Friday. The occurrence is the latest in a series of incidents involving rowdy passengers and is reflective of a growing trend. Let's take a closer look at what happened.

With less than a month to go for the start of the 2023 Major League Baseball Season, Alaska Airlines is already rooting for its favorite team by unveiling a new livery. The carrier is kicking off the season by featuring a special livery dedicated to the San Francisco Giants, its third overall since its partnership with the team began in 2017.

You've probably heard of petitions being started within the aviation industry to save jobs, call for better work contracts, or to salvage a beloved aircraft. And now, a petition has been created to protect a special livery from being repainted, as aviation enthusiasts are asking Alaska Airlines to keep the Salmon Thirty Salmon livery flying.

For several countries, February represents LGBT History Month, which began to be observed in the US in 1994, and has since spread worldwide. For example, 2005 saw it begin to be celebrated in the UK, where its observance coincides with the 2003 abolition of anti-LGBT legislation known as Section 28. With this in mind, we thought we'd look at which airlines have had the best Pride-themed liveries.

The Northern Lights, or the aurora borealis, is a spectacular natural light show visible to the naked eye in regions close to the Arctic Circle. Something of a bucket list experience; seeing them is regarded as the ultimate in sky-watching. But did you know that it is also possible to see the Northern Lights from the window of an aircraft?As Icelandair recently said, flying into destinations where the Northern Lights are visible after dark and “you might even get to enjoy some of the best views of the aurora borealis from high altitude.”For most people, experiencing this fantastic natural phenomenon means traveling to places in the very far north. Think Fairbanks or Anchorage, Alaska; Tromsø, Norway; Finnish Lapland; Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, and Iceland. But for those flying in commercial aircraft, there is sometimes a unique opportunity to spot them without visiting any of these places.While the dancing waves of light seem captivating, they are caused by a violent event. When energized particles from the sun slam into the Earth's atmosphere at 45 million miles an hour, our planet's magnetic field protects us by redirecting the particles over the poles. This phenomenon happens at the north and south poles and is called the “aurora australis” in the Southern Hemisphere. Simple Flying has published a short YouTube video on the subject which you can see here.

According to an announcement by parent company Alaska Airlines on Friday, Horizon Air has retired its last Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. The announcement comes exactly 22 years after the aircraft made its first flight for the regional airline.

Several US and Canadian air carriers have decided to cancel select flights to Mexico following civil unrest in the state of Sinaloa. The decision to cancel flights comes after an Aeromexico flight and two Mexican Air Force planes were shot at last week. The airlines have stated that flights will be resumed once the threat to public safety has been neutralized.

Around 270 Alaska Airlines flights out of Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA) have been canceled this morning following icy weather across the Pacific Northwest.