This airline has come a long way since the 1970’s when I lived in Alaska and was jokingly called “Elastic Scarelines” by the Alaskan residents. Ever since I moved to the Seattle area in 1988, Alaska has been my favorite airline.
While most people outside the State of Washington think of Seattle-based Alaska as a local carrier serving mainly West-coast routes (including Alaska and Hawaii), the airline now serves cities all across the US, including East-coast cities such as New York/Newark, Washington DC (all 3 airports), Charleston SC, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale, plus heartland cities such as Chicago and Kansas City. Beyond domestic flights, they also serve Canada and Mexico, and now Tokyo. And as a One-World Alliance member, they partner with major foreign airlines such as British Airways, Qantas, Finnair, Iberia, and more.
Also, Alaska miles can be redeemed on even more airlines, including Aer Lingus, Icelandair, Air Tahiti Nui, Condor and more. Their mileage program has been very good to us, providing First Class flights on Qantas (to Australia) and Japan Airlines, and Business Class on Condor and British Airways to Europe. I will caution, however, that there is a learning curve involved in scoring the seats in premium cabins, starting with planning well in advance.
All of this is mainly of interest to people living in the western states (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, etc.), but those living further east might consider Alaska for flights to Hawaii, Mexico, Alaska, and Japan.