00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 37                                                                     
01 Congratulating Alaska Airlines on its 70th Anniversary.                                                                 
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines had its beginning in May 1932 as McGee Airways,                                         
04 which provided service between Anchorage and Bristol Bay using a three-seat Stinson; and                                
05       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines continued to expand its service in Alaska through several                               
06 mergers with local carriers during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s; and                                                     
07       WHEREAS the Alaska Airlines name was adopted in 1944; and                                                       
08       WHEREAS by the 1960s Alaska Airlines was providing jet air service between                                      
09 Alaska and Seattle; and                                                                                                 
10       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines strengthened its operating base in Alaska by merging                                  
11 with Alaska Coastal-Ellis Airlines and Cordova Airlines in the late 1960s; and                                          
12       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines expanded methodically throughout the West Coast of the                                  
13 United States during the 1980s; and                                                                                     
14       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines joined with its sister carrier Horizon Air and merged                                   
15 with Jet America in 1987; and                                                                                           
16       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines had grown to be the 10th largest domestic airline in 2000                               
01 and is the dominant carrier in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest; and                                                    
02       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines continues to distinguish itself by offering more flights                                
03 than any competitor in almost every market it serves, providing a superior level of customer                            
04 service, and pioneering technologies that improve on-time performance and expand flight                                 
05 safety margins; and                                                                                                     
06       WHEREAS it is the people of Alaska Airlines and their spirit -- the unique spirit of                            
07 "The Great Land" where Alaska Airlines began -- that makes Alaska Airlines unique; and                                  
08       WHEREAS Alaska Airlines will celebrate its 70th anniversary in May 2002;                                        
09       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature acknowledges 70 years of                                       
10 service to Alaska by Alaska Airlines; and be it                                                                         
11       FURTHER RESOLVED the Alaska State Legislature congratulates Alaska Airlines                                     
12 on reaching this significant landmark in its corporate history.