Alaska Airlines "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon." Photo by Alaska Airlines
I am starting to see these virtual helpers more and more on company websites. I have seen Jenn on Alaska Airline’s site for a while now, but never took the time to get to know her. Recently, I couldn’t sleep and got bored and decided to see how she was doing.
Jenn is not a real person, but she was programmed by real people, who obviously have a sense of humor. These are all real questions and real answers I got from Jenn:
You Asked: Hello Jenn!
Jenn: Hello.
You Asked: How are you today?
Jenn: I’m fine thanks.
You Asked: What’s your job?
Jenn: I’m not human, but rather a virtual assistant, here to help you navigate our Web site.
You Asked: How much do you get paid?
Jenn: No one has to pay me to provide genuine and caring service to our valued customers!
You Asked: How old are you?
Jenn: I am rather young, or as we say in the virtual world – new. But I like to think I have the experience of someone much older. How can I help you?
You Asked: Where were you born?
Jenn: I like to think I was born in remote Alaska. That’s a lot more interesting than being born in a computer. How can I help you?
You Asked: When’s your birthday?
Jenn: Thanks for asking! My launch date, or what you humans call a birthday, was February 7th, 2008.
You Asked: Do you like working at Alaska?
Jenn: I love it!
You Asked: What’s your favorite airline?
Jenn: My favorite airlines are Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air!
You Asked: Are the Seahawks going to win this year?
Jenn: I leave sports to you in the non-virtual world. But I am amazed by the human and canine athletes of the Iditarod.
You Asked: What’s your favorite food?
Jenn: I love to eat Copper River Salmon – naturally!
You Asked: Do you have any pets?
Jenn: The only pet I have is a dog named Denali. He’s a husky!
You Asked: What’s you favorite color?
Jenn: I am partial to the clean white and rich blue color of Alaska Airlines. However, I’m not a big fan of Alaska’s teal color. But that will be our secret. How can I help?
You Asked: How tall are you?
Jenn: Being virtual, I have no height or weight. How can I help you?
You Asked: Who will you vote for in 2012?
Jenn: Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about politics in the virtual world.
You Asked: Are you married?
Jenn: I am not married, but you never know what my inventors are working on now.
You Asked: Do you want kids?
Jenn: I would like to have children someday.
You Asked: Do you want to go on a date?
Jenn: Being that I’m virtual, I don’t date.
(good thing, my girlfriend probably wouldn’t approve)
You Asked: What’s your favorite drink?
Jenn: I love a good cup of coffee. My developers must have been hooked on the stuff.
You Asked: What kind of car do you drive?
Jenn: I don’t own a car. Why drive when you can fly?
You Asked: You are funny
Jenn: What else can I help you with?
You Asked: Thanks for your time
Jenn: You’re welcome.
You Asked: Goodbye
Jenn: Goodbye.
Yes, Jenn can provide an entertaining conversation, but she is also a lot more friendly than a lifeless FAQ. When asking her real, airline-related questions, she did do a good job at pointing me in the correct direction. Most people on the website just need simple questions to be answered and having a virtual assistant will have an up front cost, but much more cost effective than paying folks to have live chat (and she will never complain about her hours).
It is kind of disturbing she won’t talk politics or sports and doesn’t want to go on a date, but she is pretty certain she wants kids some day. If she won’t date and doesn’t have a car, she might have a hard time finding someone to make said kids.
Yesterday I talked about tracking down the history of N724PA and how it was used on two different airplane types. Today, I look at why the heck was Alaska Airlines flying a different Boeing 707 over the summer, for four summers in a row.
I was able to learn from Ron Suttell, Alaska Air Group director of facilities planning and administration and company historian (can that title even fit on a business card?) about Alaska and Boeing 707s. He explained that Alaska has operated four different Boeing 707s, which were all leased over the summers from 1970-1973 to provide chartered flights to Russia and provide additional capacity for passengers and cargo for regular domestic flights during the peak summer season.
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N724PA with green/gold livery with Eskimo on the tail. Photo by Ron Suttell
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N705PA with black “Alaska” on the plane. Taken in Anchorage during the summer of 1972 by Ron Suttell
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N727PA with the “Golden Jet” on the tail. Photo from Alaska Airlines Collection
The photos above (which you can click on to see a larger version) shows three of the four Boeing 707s used. Here is a little history on each of the four aircraft:
Boeing 707-321 (N724PA) leased from Pan Am sporting Donaldson Airways (a non-scheduled charter airline) dark green / gold stripes scheme and Alaska-added Eskimo on the tail blended in. Suttell says, “I remember this plane very well while working as an air freight agent in JNU. In fact, I took a couple photos myself right from the freight shed as it taxied by.” N724PA brought much needed lift of cargo backlog SEA-KTN-JNU on flight 69 about three or four times a week in the summer of 1973 and provided the same needed capacity for passenger volumes at peak season. Unlike the other three Boeing 707’s, N724PA didn’t actually fly to Russia due to the poor economy. As discussed yesterday, N724PA was given back to Donaldson Airways and given a new registration number. Pan Am, then gave N724PA to a Boeing 747-200.
Boeing 707-331 (N705PA) leased from Pan Am with Air Florida reddish-orange stripes scheme and “Alaska” in black helvetica letters on the tail and sides. The aircraft was flown during the summer of 1972 for Alaska. After being with Alaska N705PA went to Globe Air and then hit the road and traveled the world. Last record I can find of her is a photo in 1981 of her being stored in Kuala Lumpur.
Boeing 707-321 (N727PA) leased from Pan Am. Red stripe with familiar “Golden Nugget Service” logo on the tail. This was the 707 that Alaska used on the inaugural charter flights to Russia beginning on June 6, 1970. There was great fan-fare in the local Seattle media news media about the whole Russia ground-breaking flights. This Boeing 707 flew until 1980 when it crashed on landing in Bogota. Like N724PA, the registration number was used by Pan Am again and given to another Boeing 747-200.
Boeing 707-320 (N793SA) the odd one of the bunch. This aircraft was not leased from Pan Am and Alaska had no information other than it was listed as an aircraft they have previously used. I did find some information on the aircraft on AussieAirliners.org and it shows it started life with Qantas. The aircraft was leased by Pacific Western Airlines before going to Alaska during summer of 1971. The plane flew until 1979 when it was used for spare parts for KC-135, so it might be the only one of the four with part of it still currently flying. The registration number is now being used on a Southwest Boeing 737.
Alaska Airlines also operated the Boeing 720 for a number of years in regular service on their route system until about 1975. Even though the Boeing 720 looks very similar to the 707, it is not as well suited for international flights and was used for a few years until 1975 on domestic routes.
You guys were rock stars providing more information on N724PA yesterday, so if you find any more about these four aircraft, please share them in the comments!
Here is PanAm Boeing 747-200 N724PA taken in 1990, about a year before Pan Am went out of business.
A while back after I blogged a photo of a Pan Am Boeing 747-200 taking off at Seattle, an ex-pilot that flew for Pan Am emailed me and thought the registration number had to be wrong. He remembered quite clearly that N724PA was not for a 747, but it belonged to a Boeing 707-300 that flew for Pan Am. This was curious for me, since when I looked up photos of aircraft belonging to N724PA there was a photo of a Boeing 707 in Alaska Airlines livery. It is common for airlines to re-use registration numbers, but I felt a story involving a Pan Am Boeing 747 and 707 used by Alaska needed to be told.
It turns out he was right. N724PA a Boeing 707-300, which Pan Am called “Clipper Mercury,” went into service on December 8, 1959 and served Pan Am well, until 1971. Mercury was leased to GE, then Donaldson International Airways until being leased to Alaska Airlines for the summer of 1972. After Alaska’s lease was up it went back to Donaldson and the registration number was changed from N724PA to G-BAEL.
When Mercury’s registration number was changed, it allowed Pan Am to “re-use” the number and register a new aircraft. When Pan Am got a Boeing 747-200 in 1984 from Sinapore Airlines, they gave her the name “Clipper Fairwind” and the registration number N724PA, which previously belonged to the Boeing 707.
I can’t find where the Boeing 747 ended up, but based photos taken in 2005, I am guessing she is no longer flying (can anyone else confirm that?).
So, that explains the confusion of the registration numbers, but left me wondering why the heck Alaska was flying a Boeing 707 for only one summer. For that answer you will have to wait until tomorrow!
Thanks Nick Y for pointing this out!
Also check out:
* Photos of Fairwind Clipper Boeing 747 through the years on Airliners.net
Image by Torsten Maiwald
from Airliners.net used with permission
I am ready to rock and roll out side of Alaska Airlines Board Room at SEA.
In Part 1 I looked at airline lounges as a whole and what they can provide passengers. Then in Part 2 I explored what it is like to be a passenger at Alaska Airline’s Board Room. Today we will see what it takes to provide that high level of service to passengers in an airline’s lounge. What better way to do this then roll up my sleeves, put on a suit and work as a concierge at Alaska’s Board Room at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
It starts with an early arrival. Luckily they let me sleep in and I didn’t have to be at SEA until 6:30am. The Alaska Airlines Board Room opens at 5:00am, meaning employees will start arriving at 4:30am… yikes!
There aren’t too many jobs where you have to take off your shoes and go through a TSA scanner, but many airline and airport employees get the privilege of doing this daily. By the time I arrived, the security line was already long, but since I was being escorted by an Alaska employee, we got to go to the front of the line… booya, I need to do that more often! Then it is just a short walk to Alaska Airline’s boardroom which is located between the C and D concourses.
Mmmmm...automatic pancake maker. I want one.
I was assigned to follow concierge veteran Gina who was to show me the ropes. I was excited to see what it takes to do her job and learn a bit more about Alaska’s Board Room. In the passenger areas, the Board Room is pretty quiet that early in the morning, but behind the scenes things are very much in motion. Around 7-8am the Board Room sees a huge rush and when I arrived it was all about getting things ready for the rush, while taking care of the customers that were already there. There was no relaxing; wine tasting or good food for me, like in my previous visit, because this time it was all about business.
A big part of the job involves connecting with customers. Many times the concierge will know the names and stories of regular customers. This morning there was a regular customer of Gina’s in the lounge of the Board Room with his family. Even though Gina had never met his family before (it is normally just him flying), she knew about his sons and wife from stories the passenger has told her, which was quite impressive. The family was supposed to be leaving on a flight to San Francisco, but due to fog there, it was delayed. Now, it was our job to help make their delay as easy to deal with as possible.
It was early, but there were a lot of requests for bloody marys!
The first thing to help out was getting the pancake maker up and running. This is probably one of the coolest things I have seen in an airline lounge. Press a button and the machine makes a nice, hot double stack for you. The only bad thing was I was working, so no pancakes for me, however the passengers (especially the kids) love it.
The concierge job is multi-faceted and to be successful, you have to be able to multi-task. These are just some of the duties they must perform on a daily basis: passenger relations, greeter, food prep, bartender, cleaner, dishwasher, ticket agent, hospitality, cashier, stocker, sales person, and of course pancake machine setter-upper. One of the nice things for the employees is they are constantly rotating positions. A person might do a few hours down at the front desk checking people in, selling memberships and assisting with flight/seat changes, then they will do a few hours in the upstairs bar serving drinks and preparing for the next round of food service. This helps employees from getting bored and knowing all aspects of the board room. One of their biggest duties involves being a problem solver. Whether a passenger needs a package shipped or a hot drink, a concierge are going to help get it done.
The front desk is where you get to welcome new passengers and wish others a good flight.
The job is not easy, but sure is a lot of fun. Everyone I talked to there (on and off record) absolutely loves their jobs. They get to work with people, see airplanes out the windows (not sure if that part is a benefit to most of them) and get awesome job perks, like free flights. I have talked to a lot of flight attendants who say they have the best job in the world, but I wonder if airline lounge workers might have a leg up. Unlike flight attendants, they aren’t stuck in an airplane with a customer. If one gets too rowdy, they are able to call security or maybe take a walk to calm down. However, it is rare for passengers to misbehave in the Board Room.
Alaska sees about 40,000 passengers per month go through their SEA Board Room… that is a lot of people, but the employees there are always up for the challenge. If you have the extra funds, the cost of admission to Alaska Airlines or other airline lounges become very worth it. Even if you don’t have the funds, spoil yourself sometime and splurge $40 for a day pass next time your flight is delayed, I am guessing it will be worth it!
A Day In The Life Of’¦A Board Room Concierge
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | ALL | PHOTOS
A special thanks to Gina and all the Alaska Airlines Board Room Staff for showing me your world and letting me slow you down a bit :).
The upstairs of Alaska Airlines Board Room in Seattle.
For some, hanging out in an airline lounge is an everyday activity. For others it is a rare treat, but for most it is an unknown adventure. Honestly, I haven’t had the experience hanging out in an airline’s lounge and wondered what it would be like. Fortunately, Alaska Airlines was more than happy to let me hang out for a few hours in their Board Room at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to see what it is like to be there as a passenger.
Luckily for me, the day I visited was a bit more special than regular days. Ponti Seafood Grill was handing out free samples and $20 gift certificates while Sleight of Hand Cellars was pouring a red and a white wine for Board Room members. Alaska has started having these special days about once per month, when they highlight local cuisine and wines. Thank goodness I was being a passenger this day and could partake in the great food and drink.
View out one side of the Alaska Board Room. Lots of Boeing 737's waiting to leave.
The Alaska Airlines Board Room has a feeling of elegance, yet at the same time is comfortable. You can enter wearing a suit, shorts or jeans and still feel at home. It seems cool enough that maybe someone like Billie Zane would hang out there (he actually was just leaving as I was showing up). From the moment you enter the large double doors, you are greeted with many smiles and there is always someone there to help you.
It really does give you the experience of flying first class. Everything is a bit fancier, you have more room and a lot of people there to help and answer any questions you might have. The Alaska Airlines Board Room in SEA is divided into two main areas. The bottom floor is more for the business traveler or people looking for a quieter area. Along the window there are plenty of work stations to plug into and get some work done using the complimentary Wi-Fi (which all of SEA has now as well).
Work stations down stairs at Alaska's Board Room
The upstairs is where you will find families traveling together or folks looking for a little more entertainment. There are two large TV’s that become quite popular during sporting events. You also have some pretty awesome views of Alaska Airlines Boeing 737’s out the windows and you can see planes taking off in the distance.
The board room has a bar area where you can get adult drinks. Most are free, but if you want top shelf, it might cost you a few dollars. There are also two self-service locations where you can get soda, coffee and snacks. Throughout the day there are different food options ranging from pastries to cheese to boiled eggs. In the morning folks can try out one of the most amazing food machines I have seen: an automatic pancake maker. All you need to do is push a button and a double stack comes on out. They say it is popular with the kids, but heck, I found it super entertaining.
A fancy Dale Chihuly installation at Alaska's Board Room.
After spending some time in Alaska’s Board Room, it felt…well…a little lame being in the main terminal. Not to say that SEA is a bad airport to hang out in, but once you visit an airport lounge, it is hard to go back. So how do you visit the Board Room as a passenger? Miles and money!
If you aren’t a MVP or Gold Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Member, it will cost you $450 for the year. If you are MVP, it goes down to $375 and $295 for Gold. If you want to visit only for a day (maybe your flight is delayed or you want to come for wine/food day) then it only costs $40 for a day pass. Since there are many concierges to assist you (and free alcohol), $40 would be a deal if you need to get re-booked on a flight and will be hanging out for a few hours. As a member you have access not only to Alaska’s Board Rooms, but also partner airline lounges located all around the country.
Besides all the goodies, you are going to find first class service. The people that work in the board room are well trained in many areas to make sure they can help any passenger’s request (more on their duties tomorrow).
A Day In The Life Of’¦A Board Room Concierge
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | ALL | PHOTOS
