Everyone knows snow can make the holidays extra cozy. But it can also cause headaches for people traveling during the ‘most wonderful time of the year.’

Peek inside Alaska Airlines’ first 737-800 retrofit(Opens in a new browser tab)

Pacific Northwest forecasts are calling for the possibility of snow beginning this weekend and continuing throughout the week. We could see up to three separate snowstorms that could span rain/snow showers to snow actually accumulating on the ground.

How should I proceed if an aircraft is about to crash?(Opens in a new browser tab)

At Alaska, it prepared to pull every lever to get you to your holiday destination, but disruptions from the snow and ice do happen. While team is working hard to get guests where they need to go, we want to share some of the reasons why we do what we do:

Why do the impacts feel worse in Seattle?

Seattle is Alaska’s hometown, and  operations represent the largest percentage (by a wide margin) of departures and arrivals at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) compared to other airlines. Because of this, more of guests are impacted when something impacts operations at Seattle. If another airline’s main hub got hit with a snowstorm, hurricane or power outage, they would be disproportionately impacted.

For context, SEA has a very small footprint by acreage compared to other metropolitan airports. This constrains  ability to deice entire schedule of flights in wintry weather. Because the space doesn’t allow for that type of volume, they have to thin out their schedule to keep planes moving.

Why do we cancel flights before snow arrives?

We use numerous tools and resources to help us predict the weather. When forecasts tell us to expect snow or ice, we know we need to act. Freezing temperatures and precipitation mean that we need to deice aircraft before they can safely fly. Much like putting chains or studded tires on your car before hitting a snowy road, deicing aircraft slows down operation. This means we can’t move normal number of aircraft into and out of the airport. In order to reduce traffic jams, they need to proactively cancel flights from schedule so they can keep as many aircraft moving as possible.

If need to cancel flights, they try and let impacted guests know as early as possible. This means it could look clear and beautiful outside, but your flight tomorrow may have been canceled.

Why does an airplane need to be deiced?

Whenever there’s any snowfall or ice on aircraft, it begin deicing procedures as part of safety protocol. Aircraft cannot safely operate if there is snow or ice accumulation on the wings or tails, so it’s critical that remove it before takeoff.

It has a full fleet of trucks, equipment and personnel across stations ready to do that work, along with a well-stocked amount of deicing solution. They work as quickly as the airport and weather conditions will safely allow. However, deicing aircraft at the gate can lead to longer wait times on the tarmac—but safety comes first.

How to be a pro winter traveler

• Download mobile app to check-in, pay for bags and stay up to date on any changes to your reservation—it’s like having a travel agent at your fingertips.
• Always check the status of your flight before heading to the airport. You can do this on mobile app or alaskaair.com.
• Allow extra time to travel to the airport and navigate security.
• Stay up to date on restrictions for unaccompanied minors and pets flying in the cargo hold. Often during winter weather, it will impose these restrictions to keep everyone safe.