Some great stuff for airline history fans in Alaska. Western Airlines came to Alaska when they acquired Pacific Northern Airlines back in the 1960s. Western and Alaska were quite competitive then and we had some good deals. Of course, Alaska didn't have the extensive west coast route system they have now so Western competed heavily with United in the lower 48 west coast market.

Alaskan sourdoughs might recall the famous "three feet for your two legs motto" that Western touted along with their every popular Hawaii Triangle Fare. When Western first started service to Hawaii, they had a deal whereby you could fly to Honolulu for free if you booked a round trip triangle to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other west coast cities. It was later raised to a $50.00 fee but no passengers ever complained about such a deal. Furthermore, Alaska Airlines didn't have near the clout or status; in fact, locals used to refer to them as "Elastic Airlines".

After Delta bought Western, service to Alaska was slowly but seriously curtailed. All that's left is the Salt Lake City run and seasonal service to LA and Atlanta although that will technically change with the addition of Northwest Airlines flights brought about by the merger.