A new home for training excellence: Alaska Airlines unveils state-of-the-art Global Training Center

Thousands of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines employees will now undergo training in a new 660,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility, which officially opened its doors today. The facility will be a hub for flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents and more, and will centralize operations into one space.The investment in training capacity and quality will continue to fuel the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan – the vision for the combination between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Frontline employees are at the core of Alaska's transformation as the network expands globally and the premium guest experience is scaled. This facility is an investment back into the thousands of employees who care for Alaska and Hawaiian guests every day.

Jason Berry, chief operating officer at Alaska Airlines commented: "The Global Training Center is spectacular and worthy of our amazing frontline employees. This is the first time in our nearly 95-year history that employees across frontline workgroups will train under the same roof. I'm looking forward to this space being used by thousands of employees to build on our culture of safety, performance and care."

Expanded technology and capacity

In addition to the already rigorous training regimen Alaska employees undergo, the Global Training Center includes new technologies available to our employees:

• Five total mock bays used by flight attendants to train for emergency aircraft scenarios
• A fully functional aircraft galley to train flight attendants on service procedures
• A mock lobby and gate area for customer service agents, as well as four aircraft door trainers to practice normal, abnormal and emergency procedures
• Virtual reality rooms and equipment, a new 787 full-motion flight simulator and nine 737 full-motion simulators for pilot training

Design and amenities

The facility's design takes inspiration from the Pacific Northwest's natural beauty with wood elements and a paint scheme representing mountains, oceans and forest canopy. The remodel reused a significant number of existing materials, limiting landfill waste.

Offering an environment where employees can learn from one another, socialize and care for their wellbeing, the Global Training Center offers a number of amenities including a cafeteria, café and bar designed to be like Alaska's famous Lounges. The facility also offers an auditorium for class graduations and events, a fitness center, bike storage and repair room and a one-mile walking trail.

Located in Renton, Wash., roughly five miles from Alaska's headquarters, the building was formerly owned by Boeing and was purposefully built to house an aviation training facility. The facility was purchased from Unico Properties in 2024. The total investment in the Global Training Center is more than $200 million. Training at the new center will be augmented by existing pilot and flight attendant training facilities in Honolulu.

Global training center by numbers

• 6.8 acres of land
• 664,629 square feet across 3 floors
• 10 full motion simulators
• 5 inflight mock bays
• 89 classrooms
• 3 virtual reality training rooms
• 9 breakrooms
• 34 conference rooms
• 550 employees from 14 workgroups working in the building
• Plus thousands of employees cycling through for regular training