The story behind the best-managed airline in the United States

Alaska Airlines is the only major US airliner that hasn’t gone through bankruptcy or a merger, as the New York Times documented today. Its unique association with the most remote state in the US has helped Alaska Airlines build a resilient business ferrying passengers and cargo around the West coast and made it one of the few successes in a trouble-plagued industry. It’s also a technological pioneer, developing satellite tracking technology that will be the centerpiece of a massive upgrade to America’s aerospace infrastructure—if sequestration doesn’t put the whole project on hold.