SEATTLE, May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group's
board of directors named Annabel R. Chang vice president, Bay Area. In this new position, Chang
will shape and execute Alaska Airlines' strategic external relations, local government advocacy and community relations efforts
in the San Francisco Bay Area, building upon the success Virgin America has achieved in the last
nine years. She will also provide local support and insight for the company's sales and marketing efforts in the Bay Area.
"We are delighted to have someone of Annabel's caliber leading Alaska Airlines efforts as we continue creating an airline that
our Bay Area guests love," said Joe Sprague, Alaska's senior vice
president of external relations. "As a Bay Area resident, with proven expertise in building local relationships, she will help us
develop strong connections within the community."
Chang will start in June and will be based at Virgin America's office located in Burlingame,
California, where she will work closely with Ben Minicucci, chief operating officer and
president of Alaska Airlines and chief executive officer of Virgin America, and Peter Hunt,
president of Virgin America.
Chang joins Alaska Airlines from Lyft, where she is the director of public policy and oversees state and
local political efforts in Lyft's Western U.S. markets. Before joining Lyft in 2014, Chang was a prosecuting attorney for the
San Francisco District Attorney's Office and was a litigation attorney at one of San Francisco's largest firms, Morrison & Foerster. Prior to practicing law, she worked as a legislative
staffer for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Washington, D.C.
Chang holds a juris doctorate from Washington University in St.
Louis and a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Chang sits on UC
Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies National Advisory Council. In 2016, Chang was recognized as a "Top 40 under 40" of
Asian Pacific Islander political operatives and public affairs professionals by the National Association of Asian Pacifics in
Politics and Public Affairs (NAAPPPA).
Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million customers a year to 118 destinations
with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and
Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners , customers can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than
900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Mileage Plan ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards
Programs" in the J.D. Power Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. Learn
more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are
subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines