Alaska Airlines names Bay Area vice president

Airline continues to grow its presence to become the preferred carrier of travelers in California

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May 09, 2017, 08:10 ET

SEATTLE, May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group's board of directors named Annabel R. Chang vice president, Bay Area. In this new position, Chang will shape and execute Alaska Airlines' strategic external relations, local government advocacy and community relations efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area, building upon the success Virgin America has achieved in the last nine years. She will also provide local support and insight for the company's sales and marketing efforts in the Bay Area.

"We are delighted to have someone of Annabel's caliber leading Alaska Airlines efforts as we continue creating an airline that our Bay Area guests love," said Joe Sprague, Alaska's senior vice president of external relations. "As a Bay Area resident, with proven expertise in building local relationships, she will help us develop strong connections within the community."

Chang will start in June and will be based at Virgin America's office located in Burlingame, California, where she will work closely with Ben Minicucci, chief operating officer and president of Alaska Airlines and chief executive officer of Virgin America, and Peter Hunt, president of Virgin America.

Chang joins Alaska Airlines from Lyft, where she is the director of public policy and oversees state and local political efforts in Lyft's Western U.S. markets. Before joining Lyft in 2014, Chang was a prosecuting attorney for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and was a litigation attorney at one of San Francisco's largest firms, Morrison & Foerster. Prior to practicing law, she worked as a legislative staffer for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Washington, D.C.

Chang holds a juris doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Chang sits on UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies National Advisory Council. In 2016, Chang was recognized as a "Top 40 under 40" of Asian Pacific Islander political operatives and public affairs professionals by the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs (NAAPPPA).

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million customers 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, customers can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Mileage Plan ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. 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).