Diana Birkett-rakow on regional aviation
From H2 Aviation Summit 23 - Opening Keynote: In Conversation – Diana Birkett-Rakow & Val Miftakhov · · ZeroAvia
“In the state of Alaska we serve 19 communities directly; only three of those are accessible by road. The other ones are either only accessible by air or by sea. We need a solution that can be environmentally responsible while enabling the commerce required just the stuff of life that is required to support those communities.”
On , Diana Birkett-rakow, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs & Sustainability - Alaska Airlines Inc at ALASKA AIR GROUP INC, spoke about regional aviation during H2 Aviation Summit 23 - Opening Keynote: In Conversation – Diana Birkett-Rakow & Val Miftakhov on ZeroAvia.
About Diana Birkett-rakow
Diana Birkett-Rakow, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Alaska Airlines, has spoken about the company's goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. She has described a five-part path to achieve this, including operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuel, electrified aircraft, and carbon removal projects. Birkett-Rakow stated that the company has integrated a carbon efficiency metric into its annual employee incentive pay program and has created an investment fund, Alaska Star Ventures, to support emerging technologies. She has also discussed the company's efforts to engage consumers on sustainability, such as a platform that allows guests to view flight emissions and purchase sustainable aviation fuel credits. Birkett-Rakow has addressed the company's operations and hiring in Hawaii, noting that Alaska Airlines has increased frequency to Honolulu and has about 600 employees across the islands. She has discussed the company's support for the "Malama Hawaii" initiative, which encourages responsible tourism, and its signing of a student-developed pledge focused on environmental stewardship. Regarding industry challenges, she has expressed optimism about aviation's future, citing increased innovation and collaboration among government, consumers, technologists, and investors. She has also noted that the company is hiring pilots and investing in training programs to address workforce needs.