Alaska Airlines releases new commercials featuring Alaska Airlines CFO Russell Wilson; kicks off promotions for the 2016 football season

SEATTLE, Sept. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines today released its third season of popular TV commercials featuring Chief Football Officer Russell Wilson and kicked off promotions for fans and customers for the 2016 football season.

The new commercials, called "More than Miles" and "Many Thanks," center around Alaska's Mileage Plan and are more than a list of benefits, they demonstrate the airline's commitment to putting its customers first. The ads feature parents, business executives, outdoor enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, both young and old—in their environments, which create a visual representation of Alaska's unique customers.

The spot, titled "More than Miles," is scheduled to air Sunday during Seattle's home opener against Miami.

"More than Miles" features actual Mileage Plan members like Kenneth Cherryhomes, who flies to the state of Alaska to surf, and Kent Booten, a frequent flier who has racked up over one million miles in his pursuits as a mountaineer.

The idea for the "More than Miles" spot was inspired by real conversations Wilson had with Alaska Airlines customers. Wilson surprised customers by calling them to ask what they liked about Alaska Airlines and how they use their miles.

In "Many Thanks," Wilson attempts to do a pull up for every Alaska Airline's Mileage Plan member as a "thank you" for their loyalty. At one point, Wilson is doing one-handed pull-ups and attempts to take a bite of sushi, which falls to the ground. He picks it up and jokes, "five second rule." This was an unscripted line that Wilson improvised on the set.

"The new ads express our sincerest thanks to our fans from their hometown airline," said Ryan Butz, managing director of loyalty marketing. "We wouldn't be where we are today without our customers and we want to thank each and every one of them for making our Alaska Mileage Plan the highest-ranked frequent flier program in the country."

For the 2016 football season, Alaska continues to support its CFO both on the field and off, including:

• Early boarding for customers wearing Wilson's No. 3 jersey on all flights departing from Seattle beginning Sunday;
• A 12 percent discount on air travel to most of Wilson's away games this season, when departing from the Alaska's Pacific Northwest airports. To learn more, customers can visit: http://www.alaskaair.com/gorussell;
• Promotions and social media contests for customers and fans to enter to win a chance to attend every game throughout the football season. Customers can follow @AlaskaAir and facebook.com/alaskaairlines to stay up to date on the latest ways to win;
• Alaska Airlines Hometown Hangar located right outside the stadium offers fans a unique tailgate experience for all weekend home games;
• Support of Seattle Children's Hospital, one of Wilson's favorite personal causes and where both he and Alaska Airlines continue to serve as partners for Children's Hospital Foundation Strong Against Cancer initiative.

Wilson and Alaska Airlines also partner to support youth and education programs. Among them are the Russell Wilson Passing Academy, which provides children an opportunity to attend football camp for a once-in-a-lifetime experience; and Strong Against Cancer, a multi-year initiative dedicated to ending childhood cancer. Since Alaska began working with Wilson, the airline has made cash and in-kind donations of more than $500,000 to Seattle Children's Hospital to support outreach and education for this program. Also, Alaska has partnered with its customers through Alaska's Charity Miles program to donate more than 10 million miles to Children's Hospital in the past two years to provide help to families so they can be close to their loved ones.

"Partnering with Alaska Airlines, Seattle's hometown airline, is a perfect fit for me," said Wilson. "Alaska and I are like-minded and continue to work together to empower youth and emphasize the importance of education, while raising money for causes that we're both passionate about."

To watch the commercials, go to the Alaska Airlines blog at https://blog.alaskaair.com/ or Alaska's YouTube channel.

Alaska Airlines, together with its regional partners, flies 32 million customers a year to more than 110 cities with an average of 970 daily flights throughout the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and soon Cuba. With Alaska's global airline partners, customers can earn and redeem miles to more than 800 destinations worldwide. Onboard, customers are invited to make the most of their flight with amenities like power outlets at every seat, streaming entertainment direct to their device, Wi-Fi and an inspired food and beverage selection featured on most flights. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study for nine consecutive years from 2008 to 2016. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan also 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. Alaska Airlines is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK). Learn more on the airline's newsroom, blog, alaskaair.com, @AlaskaAir, facebook.com/alaskaairlines and linkedin.com/company/alaska-airlines.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

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