Oakland

Alaska Airlines Teams Up With Warriors' Durant, SF Giants

Alaska Airlines is spreading its wings in the Bay Area, recently inking two significant partnerships in the local professional sports community.

On Monday, the airline announced it is teaming up with Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant to support Bay Area youth and education programs. Just last week, Alaska Air announced a seven-year deal to become the official airline of the San Francisco Giants, extending an established partnership the team had with Virgin America, which Alaska Air now owns.

Durant will assume the official title of adviser to the CEO, the airline said.

Alaska Airlines said it is making a donation to further the work of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation, including his Build It and They Will Ball project to build and renovate youth basketball courts in underserved neighborhoods. To date, the foundation has unveiled 14 courts in four different countries, including two in Oakland and one in nearby Redwood City, the airline said.

"With their expansion into the Bay and their commitment to my foundation, my partnership with Alaska couldn't be a better fit," Durant said.

Meanwhile, the deal with the Giants will include an Airbus 321, operated by Virgin America, donning the team's colors and logo. The plane will begin flying early in 2018, the airline said.

The Giants deal also includes fan-friendly components such as in-flight offers, special vacation packages, two-for-one voucher events and added flights during spring training 2018.

Contact Us