(upbeat music) >> Hey, welcome back everybody, Jeff Frick here with theCube. We're at San Francisco International Gate 54B, at the Alaska Elevated Experience Event. It's pretty exciting, they're really used the opportunity on the Virgin integration, to kind of rebrand everything. Redo the planes, add a lot of new technology, and we're really happy to have our next guest , she's Annabel Chang, she's the vice president of the Bay area for Alaska. Annabelle great seeing you. >> Thank you for having me. >> So congratulations on the event,-- >> Yes. >> I'm sure there's a lot of work that went into this thing. >> Just to say the least, yes. >> So in your remarks during the pressor you spent a lot of time talking about the community involvement >> Yes >> I think you said that you guys invested over a million dollars in kind of local community >> Yes >> Types of activity. So highlight a couple of those organizations and why is it important for Alaska to play in the community that has nothing to do with me getting on an airplane and flying to Seatag. >> Ah, well it actually has everything to do with that. For example, last year we partnered up with the San Jose Mayor's office and the San Jose Public Library Foundation to offer the first ever free coding camp for girls. It was a week long coding camp. Parents didn't have to worry about providing breakfast or lunch. We had it all taken care of. Why does it matter to Alaska Airlines? We also need engineers to help create the apps, to help run the planes and it is super important that we have a diverse workforce that represents our community. Whether we fly and all of the focus that are onboard, as well. >> Right, so that's pretty interesting. Cause I don't think most people would think of you doing that, right? That's a little bit outside the seat mile, kind of calculation and really investing in the community. >> Yes >> A lot of conversation too about the investment in this terminal. You guys are at all 3 Bay Area airports thank you very much. I like to be able to hop on a plane if I'm delayed. >> Yeah >> But you guys are making a big investment here at SFO. >> Yes, so actually I will add a couple of things. We actually are at 6 Northern California airports. So in addition to our big Bay Area airports, we have flights out of Santa Rosa, right into wine country, Monterey and Sacramento. >> Flights out of Santa Rosa? >> Yes. You can bring that wine right onboard. Not, not a problem. Which is really exciting. But last week we just announced that we are going to be opening up a San Francisco lounge. 8500 sq ft. in 2020 on the third floor. You'll have stunning views of the runway. It'll be like nothing else. It'll be the highest domestic lounge at SFO. >> Right. I was wondering if you could just talk about, a little bit about, thinking about the entire customer experience. I had really interesting interview at GE Aviation. >> Yes >> Years ago, where even GE was thinking about kind from the time you leave your door at your house to the arrive at your destination, and all kind of that whole experience between. When you guys talk about lounges, and terminals, and gates, you really are trying to take a much more wholistic view then simply the travel of actual miles in the air. >> 100 percent. It is all about the guest experience. We are trying to be your favorite airline. And we have to earn that loyalty. So from the moment that you are thinking about booking the flight, we already want that to be as easy of a process as possible. From the moment that you deplane and get your bags. And hopefully, we are always looking for ways to be innovative. So, you know many years ago, Alaska Airlines was the first ever to have the kiosks and mobile check-in. And we continue to look for ways to be top in the field. And actually in flight, I'm proud to share that we have the most free movies in the sky, of any airlines. All I tend to watch a few of the same movies over and over again But literally you could scroll, scroll, scroll. It goes from A to Z. Most people kind of get stuck in like the Gs. >> They don't make it past the Gs. >> Yeah, but I promise there's some goodies in the back of the alphabet. >> Right, to just kind of close. You know you talk about WiFi, and you talked about movies, about kind of the role of technology and how Alaska continues to be innovative, leveraging technology with that, with the lounge, with the new C configurations. >> Yeah >> How important to you guys to be able to execute your vision. >> So we want to be your top west coast airline. And the west coast is obviously the tech hub of the entire world. So we know that our travelers care very much about technology. So we're looking ways creative, to make sure that everyone has power. As I always say ABC, always be charging. >> Right, right. >> So we want to make sure your tablets, your phone, your laptop is always available to charge. And we are looking for ways to be creative. So, for example, we know that everyone has personal mobile phones or laptops now. And we're looking for ways to make sure we can take advantage of that technology and offer it to you. >> Right. >> I know, number 1, fast WiFi is going to be key to our success. >> Well Annabel, thanks for taking a few minutes. We look forward to getting on the plane here >> Yeah. >> In a few minutes and >> We're going to have some ice cream aren't we. >> Oh we're going to have ice cream? Yes >> Salt and straw, you don't have to wait in line hopefully. >> Yeah, thank you. >> She's Annabel, I'm Jeff >> Thank you. >> You're watching theCube, we're here at SFO, Gate 54B. Soon we'll be at 35,000 feet. Thanks for watching. >> Awesome >> Catch you next time >> (upbeat music)

(upbeat music) >> Hey welcome back, Jeff Rick here with theCUBE. We're in San Francisco International, actually at gate 54B if you're trying to to track us down. It's the Alaska Airlines improved flight experience launch event. A lot of vendors here, they're rebranding their planes, they've rebranded all the Virgin Airbus planes, and they've taken that opportunity to add a lot of new innovations. So we're excited to be here, to talk to some of the people participating, and our first guest. It's Rene Donkworth, he is the general manager of Aircraft Seating America's for Recaro. Rene, great to see you. >> Thank you, great to be here. >> So I've seen a lot of people are familiar with the Recaro seats, we think of them as racing seats or, you know, upgrading our cars when we were kids, everybody wanted a Recaro seat. I had no idea you guys played such a major role in aviation. >> Absolutely. And we are since the early 70s already in the aircraft seating business, and really a major player, a global player in this business and you know it's a very long term experience and people are often flying and they're sitting on an aircraft and to be comfortable in traveling is very important and it's our mission. >> Right, it's funny because people probably usually don't think of the seat specifically until they're uncomfortable or, you know, they're in it. But you've got a lot of technology and a lot of innovation in the past but also some of these new seats that you're showing here today. >> Right. So we are showing the seat for first class here that we have displayed for Alaska Airlines, and we developed together in a very intensive process, a lot of thing on the seat here. We have a memory foam cushion with netting, a six way head rest which overall comes to a very comfortable seating experience for the passenger, and that's really one step ahead of other products, and we went through a very intensive process with Alaska and we are proud to present it and to see the roll out now because it's exciting. If you've worked all the time on such a project to see it's flying now. >> So there's a couple components to this seat, right? There's obviously the safety, its' got to stay bolted on, but you've got kind of this limited ergonomic space in terms of what the pitch is from one seat to the other. What are some of the unique challenges there and what are some of the things you guys have done to operate, you know, in kind of a restrained space? >> Of course it's always to optimize everything with the given conditions that you have. But really looking into the small details. Reduced pressure points on the body, we are using kind of pressure mapping methods to develop that together with the customer, looking into a cushy experience for the passenger, optimizing it so that you have really kinds of luxury feeling on the seat. But in addition it's also important to look into solutions like content. How is content provided and what kind of tablet integration is there, so we have very smart solutions there that we are showing today with the right viewing angles there's the right power, the high power USB which support the power, so the overall package needs to be optimized, and that's what we are working with. >> And that's where I was going to go next, is when you're sitting there for 2 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours now we're talking about 20 hour flights, right, some of these crazy ones, people are doing things in their seat. They're not just sitting, as you said. They want power, they want connectivity, they want to watch their movie on their laptop or their tablet or their phone. So you guys have really incorporated kind of that next gen entertainment experience into this new seat. >> Right. So as I explained, there is a lot about tablet integration, not only for the first class as well also for the economy class that you can see today that you can experience. But there's also a lot about stowage in total. You know, stowage is always a big topic. Where do you stow your belongings? And there you will also see here smart solutions, lots of stowage options. For example also on the coach class seat you can use the tablet, you have the right viewing angle. In addition you can fold or unfold the table, you can use the stowages, so everything is really optimized in the details. >> And this is a huge kind of change in thought process when you think of the entertainment world, right, where it used to be you have a projector TV and then they put individual seat screens, but the airlines woke up and figured out everyone's already packing their screen of choice so how do we support that experience versus putting our own screen on that seat. >> Yeah, that's where we are going, and if you look into today's passengers almost everybody has his own tablet or iPhone or whatever with him, so it's important to be able to stow everything, to connect every kind of device, to have the power. But I think then the content is really important to be provided. The integrated solutions are not so important anymore. >> Right, well Rene congratulations and enjoy the flight and seeing all your hard work up in the air. >> Thank you very much. >> Alright, he's Rene, I'm Jeff, we're at the San Fransisco International Gate 54B at the Alaska Airlines Elevated Flight Experience. Thanks for watching.

(upbeat music) >> Hey welcome back everybody. Jeff Frick here with theCUBE. We're at San Francisco International at Gate 54B if you want to stop by and say hello. We're here for Alaska's Elevated Flying Experience launch. It's really an interesting opportunity. Alaska took advantage of the purchase of Virgin to kind of rethink the brand, rethink the branding of the planes, and add a bunch of new amenities. This is the one that you're going to care about more than any of the others, and we're really excited to have the founder and CEO of Salt & Straw the ice cream, Kim Malek. >> Hi! >> Great to meet you! >> Thank you! >> I am a huge fan! >> Aw! I appreciate that. >> I don't know how many hours I've stood in line and burned, waiting to get into your restaurant in Portland. >> Aw, thank you so much! >> So for folks that haven't stood in line for their Salt & Straw, give us a quick update on Salt & Straw, who you guys are, what you're all about. >> Yeah, so we started actually in 2011 as a little push cart which is a big deal in Portland, and we've grown now to 19 shops up and down the West Coast. We make all of our ice cream in 5 gallon batches, so we savor the smallest and we're the largest small batch ice cream company in the world and we're excited to have this new partnership with Alaska. >> Right, so I don't know kind of what the official industry categories are, but you would certainly be like in the super rich premium category. (laughter) Right. Really, really rich ingredients, fresh ingredients >> Yeah >> crazy flavors. >> So, each city that we operate in we make a different menu, so it reflects that city's local flavors, what's going on with the food scene and we make everything in house, so whether it's a brownie or rendering bone marrow, or making gummy bears ourselves, it's all made in house with great great care and love. >> I'm just curious if you have a feel for, you know, what is the formula for your success? Right, it's ice cream. There's a lot of ice cream choices, of course Farrell's was one of my favorite back at Portland >> Aw, I love Farrell's. Yeah. >> and they don't have that anymore at the zoo. But, what are some of the secrets to have, you know, "a commodity product" if you will, it's ice cream, but to build such a passionate following and really have people that are so connected to the product and the brand? >> Yeah, well we feel so fortunate to have this loyal following and I think it's really, you know we invest a lot in earning people's business and earning that attention, and so like I said, we have a different menu in every city that we operate in, we change our menu every 4 weeks, so it's reflective of what's happening locally and seasonally, and then when you come into our store, we try to offer a pretty special experience, so from the store design to the way we take care of people, they can sample through the whole menu. I was just at one of our stores and a customer said this is like a wine tasting, I mean I'm tasting all of these flavors, hearing the stories behind how they were made, and the collaborations that went into it, so we pack a lot into the experience. >> Right and so it's interesting that we are here at Alaska because Ben and the opening talked about really the culture and about people because the seat, it's kind of the same thing, a seat mile is a seat mile, so how do you differentiate your product and your offering, and he talked about values and wanting to work with companies that reflect the similar values. You're here, so tell the people why are you here at the Alaska event? >> I love that he talked about values. I noticed that as well and you know I think that's definitely one thing that we share, is a care for the people first and foremost. I mean, we scoop ice cream, but you know we offer people I think four days of training before they show up to actually start scooping ice cream, and that's all about you know, how to create connections with people, how to have a really special experience when someone is standing in front of you and how to connect. So, you know, we invest a lot in our team and I think that really shines through in the way that they take care of customers and I definitely see that when I fly with Alaska Airlines and it was one of the reasons I was so excited to be able to partner with them. >> Right, so we got to tell the people, so you can now get Salt & Straw on Alaska Airlines. >> Yeah, that's right, so just for a couple of months now we've been offering a little single serve container that we actually developed in conjunction with Alaska Airlines, so they helped us design the packaging, so that it would really fit with the experience that they were offering and then we launched it in the air and we don't really sell ice cream outside of our stores very much, so it was really a big deal to work with them on this project. >> Yeah and I would imagine in terms of the packaging and the experience, you're so dialed into that, that is such a part of your brand that you probably have a lot of, I would imagine initial concerns about making sure that was consistent with the brand that you guys represent. >> Yeah, definitely, I mean we had a lot of conversations about how they were going to handle the product, how they were going to educate their team about the ice cream so they can be communicating it with the people who were flying and they were of course there in spades and it was a really easy conversation to have. >> Alright, well Kim, thanks for, thanks for the ice cream earlier. >> Aw, thank you. >> And thanks for taking a few minutes. Congratulations and safe flying back to Portland. >> Awesome! I appreciate being here. Thank you! >> You're welcome! She's Kim, I'm Jeff, you're watching theCUBE. We're at San Francisco Gate 54B at the Alaska Airlines Better Experience. Thanks for watching. (upbeat music)

>> Hey, welcome back already, Jefe Rick here with the Q word. San Francisco International gauge fifty for being. We're not flying anywhere today, which is kind of nice. It's the Alaska Airlines events really talking about their elevated experience, and it's everything it's flying. But it's also before you get to the plane lounges, etcetera, and we're really excited. Have somebody who's really important to your flight experience. And he's the guy responsible for the food. So we're excited to welcome Joshua Wrap report. He's the executive chef meal designed for LSG food provided for Alaska Airlines. Great to see Joshua. >> Thanks a lot. Great to be here. >> So food is something that probably people don't really think about unless something goes either really bad >> or really good. So you think about it every day. >> What? One of the key things you think about in delivering >> a better experience for people in planes. >> Well, you know, for me, the biggest thing is freshness. And I think one of the most common misconceptions that people have about airline food is that it can't be fresh and way actually have flight kitchens and every locations. Alaska flies out food that you're eating on board. It was prepared within hours of when you took off >> within hours, literally within >> hours, literally. And we have a small army of people in these kitchens ensuring that you're getting the freshest food possible. The best meal experience possible. Before I started doing this, the logistics involved in getting fresh food onto an airplane where something that had never occurred to me before me, they're layers of complexity that really kind of mind blowing at times. But when you do everything right when you plan well, when you design effectively for that space, you could provide a great fresh experience for your passengers. First class in Maine, >> right? It's a really more of a logistic >> challenge to get through before you get to the culinary challenge. And it can you get a fresh tomato from the farm to your facility, packaged up it onto the plane? >> Exactly. It's almost equal parts culinary and problem solving, and that's part of what I love about, right? You know, I've been a chef my whole life. I've done fine dining, hotels, restaurants, corporate dining. But this is the most fun I've ever had, because there's that added component of trying to solve for how you provide just absolutely elevated experience for your passengers, right within restrictions >> and especially with >> all the distributed kitchens all over the place. Even if it's the same company, you know you've got different suppliers. You've got different different food suppliers, different local food. So do you incorporate the local food at the different locations? Do you try to be >> consistent across? How do you >> deal with you know so many kitchens, loading planes at so many locations? >> I spend a lot of time traveling toe are different kitchens to make sure that food is being executed consistently. That's a big part of my job. Is just managing the menus once they're actually and flight. It doesn't end when the designs were approved on food is flying. I work a lot with local vendors and individual cities to make sure that the product that we're getting is up to standard and exactly what we need. And because Alaska is leaning in so hard trying to feature great West Coast producers on our flight, I work a lot with distributor's trying to get hyper regional product from San Francisco, Seattle L. A. Distributed nationwide so we can feature those great local flavors are menu >> right and then just kind >> of philosophy for feeding people in airplanes is there is a certain things that you know you always want to do or certain things that you want to avoid, just in terms of the comfort and kind of the experience that they're gonna have. >> I try to avoid anything that's going to be too polarizing, or that's maybe going toe scare people off is something unfamiliar. A challenge for me is to try to introduce really great innovative on trend flavors. But to do it in a recognizable in approachable way, we like to say, adventurous but approachable, ous kind of our catchphrase. And so I might take something like za'atar Russell, who knew? That's a spice. That's very much on trend right now in West Coast restaurants. But I'll incorporated into a chicken dish that people can recognize it, something familiar. And then they'll find that they're really enjoying this cool new flavor that they never had before. >> All right, well, Josh, thanks for for taking a few minutes. We look forward to seeing what you're gonna have for us >> on the plane in a few minutes. >> Well, my pleasure. Thanks a lot. Great talking. >> Alright. He's Josh from Jeff. You're watching the Cube with San Francisco International Gate fifty four B for the elevated Alaska flight experience. Thanks for watching. See you next time.

>> We'll come back here ready. Geoffrey here with the Cube were at San Francisco International Airport, Gate fifty four d. If you want to stop by for getting ready to go on a little Alaska flight because it's an exciting day, they took advantage of the opportunity after the Virgin merger to kind of rebrand everything. We look at the technology of everything from the seats to the WiFi, everything in between. We're excited at the guy who's responsible for everything. He's Brett Catlin, the managing director >> of alliances and product. Bret, great to see you. >> Thanks for having my job. I really appreciate it. >> So first off, congratulations. You're a whole lot of work. Went into this day absolutely the >> team effort over the past few years, and we're just thrilled to see it all come together to deliver a better experience for our guests. >> So it's pretty interesting because I think you know, you guys are obviously thinking about this. I don't know if people are is aware that when you think of the total experience, the engagement that I have, when I'm taking a flight from San Francisco to Seattle, it's a lot more than just the air miles with my butt in a seat and moving down down the road. You guys really think that >> whole experience absolutely. Look at the entire journey from when you arrive at the airport to your lounge experience. When you walk on board, what's the Jet Jeffords feel like? The lighting, the music. When you enter the aircraft, the configuration, the seats, comfort and then ultimately, a big thing crosses food and beverage. So making sure that it's healthy local speaks to the West Coast values that we're so proud of. >> And how do you how do you kind of get input from the customers >> is toe, You know, these are things that you guys spend a lot of time on, and there are a lot of little things that add up to a total experience. How where customers are, kind of are they get in, Or do they suddenly like, Wow, you know, I feel a little bit more arrested because of a particular type of sound or a particular type of configuration on the seat. >> How do you get feedback >> on all these different things? >> Absolutely great questions on the front end. We obviously quite a bit of guest research, both kind of online quantitative studies, but then also in person with focus groups. Now that we have a lot of product and market, our focus is kind of elevating and improving. What we have and how we get that feedback is every guest receives a survey after every flight. And so we look. >> Every guest receives a survey after every flight. >> Exactly. And so we have hundreds of thousands of response as every year, which allows us to make small tweaks around the margin, but also more material changes. >> That's pretty wild. So I'm just curious some of the more crazy things that have come come through that either good things that you could actually execute on that maybe never thought about or just just funny things to make put a smile on your face and tell you it really is a mixture >> of to tell you the truth, and a lot of things are items that we want action. So certain health restrictions where maybe we didn't realize a certain kind of food wasn't hitting the mark with a wide section of our guests. We could make tweets there, but also, when you think about maybe our in flight entertainment. Do we have the right content? Are the movies that people watch resonating? So we look at all that data to say, Well, look, this kind of movie. It does really well in flight. So people love thrillers when you think about movies and flight, for whatever reason. So we try and put more thrillers onboard. >> I thought they go, Mort. The romantic comedies in the airplane. I don't know that. What a swell. But the suspense people love, right? Right. And it really goes to this bigger question of this total experience. An engagement with the airline. So I wonder you can speak to about technology in the role of technology and how you guys are using that across all these various product. Absolutely. So being >> a West Coast airline technologies critically important for us, one of the things we're focused on is offering high spider highspeed WiFi and offer a mainline aircraft. We have about a dozen done right now, by the end of twenty nineteen will have one hundred twenty five. And so the key there is you'll be all the stream entertainment on board our aircraft. Your outlook for your core, Primo will be zippy, The real basics. When you're flying coast to coast or to Hawaii, You're super excited about that. Then we look at a couple other things as well. Mobile order and one great example. So before you board your flight, you can reserve your meal in first class with the main cabin to make sure you get exactly what you want. So there's some basics like that. Then we're also looking longer term. How do we improve the technology experience in our lounge is to maybe being ableto order a barista beverage while you're still approaching the AARP point. >> Pretty thing. And a lot of that's got to be through your mobile app, right? Absolutely. Has this very significant point of contact between you and your customers? >> That's exactly right. >> Excellent. Well, thanks for taking a few minutes of your time. Way. Looked forward to drop it on the plane and get to experience some of this. And again, congratulations on the Integrative X when it's my pleasure. Thank you, Jeffrey. Really appreciate it. All right. >> He's Brad. I'm Jeff. You're watching the Cube. Where at San Francisco International Gave fifty four b. Thanks for watching. We'll catch you next time.

(energizing music) >> Hey welcome back, everybody! Jeff Frick here with theCUBE. We are at San Francisco International, Gate 54B if you want to stop by. We're here for the big Alaska Elevated Flying Experience event. They basically took advantage of this opportunity with the Virgin merger to kind of rebrand, rethink, and re-execute the travel experience. We're excited to have with us Ben Minicucci, the President and CEO of Alaska. First off, congratulations on a big event. >> Thank you, thank you so much Jeff. >> And I think you said you're two years into this merger. >> Two-- >> You're getting through it? >> We are. Two years into it, it's been a great experience bringing two great brands together and really, ya know, amplifying the flying experience. Getting a great product. We're unveiling our Airbus with new seating, new first class, premium class main cabin and we're so excited. And more than that, it's just bringing our people together and just enhancing our culture. >> Right, so you talked a lot about people and culture in your opening remarks. >> Right. >> What is it about the culture of Alaska, 85 or 86 year old airline, that makes it special? >> Yeah, you know it's a wonderful culture built on strong values. And what I'll say is, for people who know Alaska, the culture is built on kindness. People who fly us will say, "Your people are kind." And they're empowered to do the right thing. It's two of our biggest values and that's what I love about our people. And when you combine that with a great product on board. 'Cause people really feel great, they're comfortable where they're sitting and, but if our people connect with them, make them feel welcome, and they show kindness then the brand just comes to life. >> That's really interesting 'cause kindness is not something that you necessarily think about. >> With airlines. >> When you're rushing through airports. >> No. >> And you know, grinding on corporate travel, right. >> Right. >> It's tough. So that's pretty interesting. The other thing I thought was interesting in your remarks is really your focus on your partner brands. >> Right. >> Both in the community but as well as Recaro the seat manufacturer who's doing your seats. And even to the wine and Salt and Straw, we were jokin'. >> Right. >> So, you guys are really paying attention to these little details that maybe people don't notice individually but in aggregate really make for a different experience. >> No, and I think what we want to do is partner with brands that share our same values, that share our same values for you know, producing a great product, you know. And their employees love working for them. And they just love the spirit of partnership and doing something good for the community. So we always look for companies and brands that share our own values as well. >> Right, which is interesting 'cause it's such a hyper competitive space. Airline industry's a tough space you got. >> Right. >> Tough margins, you got fuel volatility but a lot of people, a lot more people are flying all the time. >> Right. >> So it's a growing business. So, you know, how do you kind of keep it balan-- >> That's a great question though. >> and compete when a seat mile is a seat mile, right, at the end of the day. >> Yeah, no, it is. >> That's what the wall street guys would tell you. >> You know, the one thing about Alaska, we've been in business for almost 87 years and ya know we're in it for the long haul. So we make decisions based on long-term returns and we do have, we know that price is important. So we do work hard keeping our cost structure low so we can offer low fares but also a product where if people want to pay a little more, they can get into premium class or first class. But we're really an airline that want to make sure that we appeal to all sorts of travelers. From people who are just starting out just traveling in their teens or twenties, or if you're retired, we want to appeal to a wide range of demographic. >> Alright, well Ben, it looks like we're boarding the-- >> Okay good, yes enjoy! >> We're boarding the new airbus so I will let you go. >> Well thank you Jeff, it was a pleasure. >> Thanks for inviting us. >> Okay, thank you so much. >> Alright he's Ben, I'm Jeff. You're watching The Cube! We're at San Francisco International, at the Alaska Airlines Elevated Flight Experience. Thanks for watching, we'll see ya next time. (mellow music)