Alaska Airlines named Official Airline of the San Francisco Giants

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines announced today that the company has signed an agreement to become the official airline of the San Francisco Giants for the next seven years, extending the partnership that Virgin America established with the organization in 2008. To celebrate this partnership and Alaska's commitment to the Bay Area, the company unveiled the design for an Airbus 321 featuring the Giants logo and team colors that will begin flying early next year.

"Our commitment to San Francisco and our Bay Area employees has never been stronger and, as part of that, we're thrilled to extend the Giants sponsorship for the next seven years," said Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer at Alaska Airlines. "As the official airline of the Giants, we look forward to supporting both the organization and fans at the airport and on the field for many years to come."

"The Giants are grateful to Alaska for recognizing the value we built through our partnership with Virgin America in serving both our baseball fans and airline passengers over the past ten years. We look forward to working with the great people at Alaska to continue enhancing our customers' experiences both at the park and on the plane through our new and expanded partnership," said Jason Pearl, Giants senior vice president of partnerships and business development.

The extended partnership features several cobranded elements which will be introduced over the next several months leading into the 2018 season. They include:

• An Alaska Airlines customized suite located in AT&T Park's right field with views of McCovey Cove;
• The naming rights to the AT&T Park Club Level which will be called the "Alaska Airlines Club Level" and be updated to combine the look and feel of the airline with the premium level experiences Giants fans have appreciated on this level of the ballpark; and
• The new Giants-themed Airbus 321, operated by Virgin America, will feature the iconic Golden Gate bridge in orange across the fuselage with the orange and black Giants logo above the wing and a large black "SF" on the back section of the fuselage.

The Alaska/Giants partnership will also feature many fan-friendly components including:

• Alaska in-flight Giants offers;
• Special vacation packages for Giants fans through the Giants Vacations program;
• Alaska serving as the presenting partner for the Giant Races, which are a series of foot races that include events such as a Half Marathon, 10k, 5k and Kids Race/Family Relay, held in Scottsdale, Sacramento, San Jose and San Francisco and benefit local community groups;
• Continuation of the highly popular "Two-For-One" Flight Voucher event for the first 40,000 Giants fans attending a Giants home game each season. The first "Two-For-One" event will be this coming Sunday, Sept. 17; and
• Alaska will launch a seasonal, twice daily flight from San Francisco to Phoenix, Arizona for Giants fans to attend Spring Training in 2018. The flight schedule is being finalized and tickets will go on sale later this year.

Another important element of this partnership will be the collaboration and support of both Alaska Airlines and the Giants on important community initiatives and programs focused on youth and education throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

An image of the new San Francisco Giant - themed aircraft is available on the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at: www.alaskaair.com/newsroom

About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

About the San Francisco Giants
One of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, the 135-year old franchise moved to San Francisco from New York in 1958. After playing a total of 42 years in Seals Stadium and Candlestick Park, the team moved to the privately constructed AT&T Park in 2000. The organization is widely recognized for its innovative business practices and baseball excellence. In 2010, the franchise was named the Sports Organization of the Year by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal and in 2012 was named Organization of the Year by Baseball America. 

Since opening its gates, AT&T Park has become internationally-renowned as a premier venue in the world of both sports and entertainment. On the diamond, more than 53 million spectators have witnessed a number of magical moments, including three World Series Championships (2010, 2012 & 2014), the raising of four National League Pennants and seven playoff appearances.  On June 13, 2012, the first-ever Perfect Game was thrown by Giants ace Matt Cain. In 2008, the Giants celebrated the team's 50^th year in San Francisco and it was the center of the baseball universe when it hosted the 78^th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 10, 2007. AT&T Park has also played host to some of music's biggest acts, including Beyoncé & Jay Z, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band, Green Day and Billy Joel. 

Off the field, the Giants have one of the premier community outreach programs in professional sports. Through its community outreach programs, the Giants and the Giants Community Fund work with corporate and non-profit partners to raise awareness, educate and generate interest in a variety of issues important to both their fans and community. These issues include education/literacy, violence prevention, health and youth recreation and fitness. The Giants Community Fund's Junior Giants Baseball Program received the 2015 Commissioner's Award for Philanthropic Excellence, and the San Francisco Giants were named ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year in July of 2016.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines