Today, we take a moment to celebrate a group of dedicated professionals whose expertise and commitment ensure the safety, reliability and excellence of our fleet. On Aviation Maintenance Technician Day (or AMT Day), we honor the incredible work of maintenance technicians at Alaska and Horizon Air—our unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us flying high.
Running a safe operation
Our maintenance technicians are essential to every flight, every day. Whether they are performing pre-flight inspections, troubleshooting technical issues, or carrying out regular heavy maintenance checks, their work allows us to fly safe and continue delivering exceptional service to our guests.
In addition to ensuring every aircraft is fit to fly each day, we remain extremely grateful to our skilled Maintenance and Engineering team that shouldered the inspection work of our 737-9 MAX aircraft earlier this year and safely returned the planes to service.
This year, we recognized the careers of some Maintenance and Engineering employees, naming them “Alaska Legends” and “Horizon Pathfinders,” our top honors for those with storied careers of always looking up, pushing higher, putting others first, and representing the very best of us.
Randy Ahrens
Line Aircraft Technician, ANC Alaska Airlines Legend ’24
“I feel honored, there’s some super good mechanics here. It’s interesting work, you learn something new every day, it’s never boring,“ said Ahrens. “I enjoy the challenge, it’s a lot of satisfaction when it actually works, and it’s all done correctly.”
“Randy’s always positive, no matter what the job is, it doesn’t matter if it’s 40 degrees below up in Purdue Bay or working inside the hangar, he’s always happy and willing to work. We appreciate his skill and caring-ness,” said David Boyce, manager line Maintenance.
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Mark Williams
Director Material Ops Support Alaska Airlines Legend ’24
“I take a great deal of pride in how we do our job and how we make sure we’re helping out the airline,” said Williams.
“Mark makes an impact every day,” says Alex Gorinsky, managing director of M&S ACSC Material Management. “Early before most people are even up, he is digging into problems and finds solutions. He has an uncanny ability to remember everything that he has worked on in the past several years—he remembers part numbers, unique situations, problems that he’s solved, solutions that he’s come up with and he guides his team through these things and is always there for them.”
Nejib (Ben) Oueslati
Lead Technician, SEA Horizon Air Pathfinder ’23
“I work with a small group of mechanics in Seattle,” said Oueslati. “We have a good team here. We are like a family. Everybody steps up to help each other with one thing in mind: Return the airplane to service and get the job as safe as we can.”
“Ben is an outstanding technician,” said Dale Sanderson, maintenance supervisor. “Ben is always willing to go the extra mile, do anything that needs to be done.”
Tim Weigand
Sr. Service Engineer, PDX Horizon Air Pathfinder ’23
“We have to make the right decisions—what really gets me fired up is finding challenges and finding those things where it could be something big but getting it fixed fast,” said Weigand.
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“I’ve been doing this a long time and I have a lot of respect for those guys who’ve also helped and mentored me and I just want to keep that moving and going on,” said Weigand.
Unmatched skill and innovation
When you take a maintenance technician job at Alaska or Horizon Air, you are joining a legacy of mechanic excellence. For 22 consecutive years, Alaska Airlines Maintenance and Engineering Division have received the Diamond Certificate of Excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an award that recognizes an organization’s commitment to aviation maintenance training and safety. This prestigious certificate is part of the FAA’s Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Awards Program, which encourages aviation maintenance technicians and their employers to participate in ongoing training and professional development.
Horizon Air’s Maintenance and Engineering Division were also awarded their 20th Diamond Certificate of Excellence from the FAA in recognition of its training efforts in 2020 and achieved a 100% participation rate by its aircraft maintenance technicians in the AAMT awards program.
The Maintenance and Engineering Division with Alaska Airlines utilizes that latest aircraft maintenance technology, giving each mechanic convenient access to the information that keeps us flying safely. Our Maintenance and Engineering Division has been recognized for:
On-time performance
Customer satisfaction
Fuel efficiency and green initiatives
Our maintenance training programs
Our focus on veteran and military employment, proudly supporting veterans from all branches, including the U.S. Air Force and the Marine Corps
One of Forbes Top 100 Employers
The path to becoming an aviation maintenance technician is one of rigorous training, continuous learning, and unyielding commitment. Our technicians undergo extensive education and certification processes, ensuring they are equipped with the latest knowledge and skills. Their dedication to staying updated with advancements in aviation technology demonstrates their commitment to excellence.
Click to enlarge our Line Maintenance Stations (above)
Become an Aircraft Technician with our Training Programs
If you’re looking to launch into an aircraft technician job, our Maintenance Programs can get you started. Our portfolio of career programs will help your aviation maintenance career rise to the next level. Aspiring aircraft technicians who enroll in the Horizon Maintenance Technician Development Program will receive a stipend, mentorship and more!
JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – The Supreme Court of Alaska will be taking up the case of the State of Alaska, Division of Elections v. Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.
The oral arguments will be held Monday at 10 a.m. via Zoom, according to an order and opening notice.
The document also specifies that a decision is expected to be made before noon on Tuesday.
According to documents from the Division of Elections, the state must start printing ballots at noon on the same day.
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This comes after an Anchorage Superior Court Judge ordered Dan J. Sullivan on to the ballot Friday.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
A new home under construction in Potter Valley in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
This June, two very different offers reach Alaska families, and both amount to the same thing: $10,000. The difference is everything.
Bill Walker, running for governor, would hand every eligible Alaskan a one-time $10,000 check and then end the Permanent Fund dividend for good. Ask one question: Where does his $10,000 come from?
It comes from the Permanent Fund, the people’s own money and the savings Alaskans built for their children. Walker would spend that endowment once to pay Alaskans to give up the yearly dividend forever.
Think about what that does. It cancels the annual check that gives a family a reason to keep an Alaska address and replaces it with a single payout. You hand people their own savings, call it a gift and cut the tie that held them here in the same motion. It is the oldest mistake in governing money: raid what you have saved to buy a moment’s applause and call the spending generosity.
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A plan that spends the people’s savings to send the people away is not bold. It is foolish.
Now consider the other $10,000. Through Alaska Housing Finance Corp., the state offers families up to $10,000 to build a new, energy-efficient home. AHFC raids nothing. It earns its own way. Over the years, it has returned more than $2 billion to the state treasury, and it spends some of that income the way any good business does: to win a customer.
Here, the customer is an Alaskan who wants to own a home, put down roots and stay.
That is the oldest sound move in business: Invest a little of what you earn to bring in someone who stays. The homeowner remains, the community gains a family and the corporation keeps earning. The money spent comes back. A plan that puts earnings to work to bring people home is not charity. It is clever.
Same amount. Opposite source. Opposite wisdom. One spends savings; the other spends earnings. One pays Alaskans to leave; the other pays them to stay. One empties the state; the other fills it.
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This Homeownership Month, the choice is the size of a single check, and the whole question is where the check comes from and what it asks of you. Ten thousand dollars of your own fund, to wave you goodbye. Or $10,000, earned and reinvested, to help you stay and build.
Evan Swensen is the publisher of Publication Consultants in Anchorage and the author of “What’s the Money For: A Permanent Fund Mortgage Proposal.”
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