Alaska Airlines empowers guests to support sustainable aviation fuel while booking flights

Inviting guests to contribute towards SAF

Alaska Airlines has partnered with Chooose to offer guests a new way to support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a crucial tool in the effort to decarbonize aviation. During the booking process on alaskaair.com, guests can now choose to contribute to SAF based on 5%, 10%, or 20% of the estimated carbon emissions from their selected flight.

A sustainability-linked way to earn elite status

Following a successful limited-time promotion at the end of 2023, where Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ members contributed to over half a million gallons of SAF while earning status, guests can once again earn elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) for their contributions.

Mileage Plan members will receive 500 EQMs for every $100 spent supporting SAF (up to 5,000 EQMs per year), providing an innovative way to accelerate the path to elite status. Alaska Airlines is the first US airline to leverage our digital solutions to connect guest engagement with SAF to earning elite status.

This new feature appears on the same page as other trip add-ons during booking. SAF contribution options are based on the estimated carbon emissions of the customer’s flight, calculated using the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s RP 1726 and parameters created based on Alaska’s operational data. This data includes:

• Aircraft fuel burn
• Flight distance
• Seat configuration
• Cabin class
• Load factors

Scaling the use of SAF

Alaska Airlines is committed to reducing its climate impact and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040. SAF plays a key role in reaching this goal, due to its ability to lower lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% as compared to traditional jet fuel and its existing compatibility with existing fuel systems and engines. Alaska invites guests to learn more about SAF and how they can help scale its use.

“Alaska is on a journey to make air travel more sustainable with an ambitious goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Now we are inviting our guests to join us on the journey,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Alaska Airlines. “Today, we launched new options for guests to customize their travel experience, take action on the environmental impact of their trip, and help us scale the market for SAF. SAF is a critical part of aviation’s path to a more sustainable future, and while we use it today, there is not enough SAF available. It will take all of us to grow this market. The more people who know about and support this important technology, the better we can make a sustainable future for air travel a reality.”