Alaska Airlines' new training facility. (Photo Credit: Alaska Airlines)
Alaska Airlines is making an investment in its
employees and in its future.
The carrier has purchased a new facility that will
serve as a training center for crew members, including flight attendants,
pilots, gate agents and more.
The training facility in Renton, Washington is scheduled to open next year.
“Our remarkable operations
team members will, for the first time in our history, all come together and
train under one roof,” said Constance von Muehlen, chief operating officer at
Alaska Airlines. “We’re excited to build on Alaska Airlines’ culture of safety,
performance and care in this purposefully-designed space worthy of our
frontline team’s contributions to every guest and every flight.”
The facility will house, among other
things, flight simulators, office space and classrooms.
It will be located in Renton, a suburb
of Seattle, and will be 173 acres in total, including an arts and entertainment
facility for mixed use purposes. If the Renton name sounds familiar, it is. Boeing
has a huge presence there and once owned the building that will now serve as
the training center.
Alaska Airlines purchased the property
for almost $86 million.
“This major commitment by Alaska
alongside the significant investment made by the (MLS’s) Sounders in opening
its new training facility earlier this year, has created significant momentum
for the mixed-use campus. Given these events, Renton is a bright spot in
the region and we’re excited to build upon these announcements to bring other
beloved Northwest brands to our exciting new community,” said Liz Thorson of
the property management company.
“We’re pleased to have secured
in excess of 670,000 square feet of occupancy since acquiring the property in a
difficult office environment throughout the country.”
“We’re thrilled to invest in our Puget
Sound home,” said Shane Jones, senior vice president of fleet, revenue
products and real estate at Alaska Airlines. “The growth opportunity this
purchase provides us cannot be overstated, and it really feels like a perfect
match.”
The move comes at a time when Alaska
Airlines is still
negotiating for a potential merger with Hawaiian Airlines.
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