Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines was recently released as the 25th and latest book by the dean of airline biographies, Robert J. Serling. The book includes a chapter on the acquisition of Horizon Airlines which had its own character in Founder Milt Koult. The contest to buy Horizon was between Alaska and United and, while United told Koult at the last minute not to sign anything until its rep arrived, Milt went ahead with Alaska because the rep never arrived. Other Horizon tidbits revealed that when he was ready to be replaced he told Alaska “just not the pretty boy, referring to his ultimate successor John Kelly who later went on to head Alaska itself as did Horizon alum Bill Ayer who heads the major carrier now. The flamboyant Koult later allowed that Kelly was exactly what the airline needed – discipline.
Also fascinating is the story of the advent of code-sharing, especially in the 49th state itself as well as revealing the financing methodology for many regional airlines when Koult grew the airline. Koult, according to Serling, sometimes bought aircraft when it needed cash. In a deal with Swearingen, Koult said, “So they agreed to sell me an airplane and pay be $100,000 in what manufacturers called a ‘fleet integration fee. So, I’d get a new airplane and some cash and then defer payments on the airplane until we could afford it. But we never reneged.”
Horizon’s chapter brings back fond memories of the beginnings and growth of one of the industry’s finest carriers.
Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines, published by Documentary Media, recounts the colorful and rich history of the 75-year-old airline, a history that is remarkable similar to many of today’s largest regional airlines. Anyone interested in aviation history will enjoy this book and the look back on the formative days of not only the major but regional airline industry.
"Alaska is an airline built from humble beginnings in 1932 by a cast of always dedicated, sometimes quirky and often brilliant characters," said Serling. "For more than 75 years, it has been an airline that has defied all odds. It has proven to be as rugged, as rich in tradition and as resourceful as its namesake state."
Serling uses the voices of others to tell the airline's story and parts of the book read like a Hollywood script. Serling recounts how every time it appeared that Alaska Airlines' flaps had been lowered for the last time, another person with a passion for the business stepped in to save it from the scrap heap of aviation history -- a fate shared by many of its competitors.
Much of Alaska Airlines' history parallels the growth of its namesake state. Born during the Great Depression, the company evolved from a bush carrier to a major airline. It began as a gnat-sized passenger and cargo transportation service connecting remote locations across vast reaches. Since the 1970s, Alaska Airlines has supported the Trans Alaska Pipeline during its construction and operation. The airline has also partnered with others to promote and develop the state of Alaska as one of the nation's finest tourist destinations. Today, from its headquarters in Seattle, the airline stretches north to Canada and 19 destinations in the 49th state, south along the West Coast and deep into Mexico, to major cities across the continental United States and, most recently, across the Pacific to Hawaii.
In Serling's view, "Alaska Airlines' history has been peppered with creative characters whose actions or inventions have become a part of its legacy." Flight attendants, customer service and reservations agents, pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, baggage handlers, leaders, lenders and others tell the story. "Alaska Airlines is a people business, so I used historical accounts that came from its employees, passengers and associates every chance I could," Serling said.
His perspective, affectionate yet candid, stems from a remarkable career as an aviation writer. While Serling's brother, Rod, moved to Hollywood and established a reputation as a screenwriter with credits including "The Twilight Zone," Bob Serling wrote about the emerging aviation industry and became United Press International's aviation editor.
Serling, will be in Anchorage the week of June 16 to promote his latest book as a featured guest at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum on Tuesday, June 17, when the museum hosts a reception and book signing for its members and the general public. The author is also scheduling other appearances at area bookstores on Wednesday, June 18, including a book signing at the University of Alaska Anchorage campus bookstore.
Since becoming an author in the early 1960s, Serling has written more than two dozen non-fiction and fiction books -- almost all on the business of flying -- including the histories of Eastern, Western, TWA, Continental and American Airlines. In 1992, he wrote Legend & Legacy: The Story of Boeing and Its People, the definitive 75-year history of The Boeing Co. Now 90, Serling is writing another aviation book -- this time on airline humor.
Published by Documentary Media, Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines will go on sale in bookstores everywhere June 15 for $29.95.