Alaska Airlines CEO to speak at chamber meeting in Kennewick

The top executive of the Northwest’s leading airline is the featured guest for the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon.

Brad Tilden, chairman and chief executive officer of Alaska Air Group, is the guest for the noon to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 25 event at the Three Rivers Convention Center.

Cost is $22 for members and $32 for others. Contact Jillian Marquez at 509-491-3234.

Tri-City business executives are keenly interested in Alaska’s plans for the local airport. The Port of Pasco and TRIDEC are asking four carriers, including Alaska, to add two daily flights between Pasco and Los Angeles to serve the 150 or so people who travel to Los Angeles daily.

About half leave from other airports because of difficult connections. Allegiant Air offers bi-weekly flights to Los Angeles in the summer but its schedule caters to leisure travelers, not business.

Seattle-based Alaska operates Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. It serves 104 destinations, including the Tri-Cities Airport.

The company employs nearly 12,000 people. In 2014, it reported 28 million boardings and $5.3 billion in revenue.

It operates a fleet of about 212 aircraft with plans to expand to 220 by 2017.

This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Alaska Airlines CEO to speak at chamber meeting in Kennewick."