PR86229

SEATTLE and REDMOND, Washington, Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-- Sustainable aviation fuel supplied by industry leader SkyNRG signals new

   approach for business travel

Microsoft Corp. employees who fly between their global headquarters in Redmond,

Washington, and California on Alaska Airlines will fly more sustainably thanks

to the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to cover their business travel.

The SAF, supplied by SkyNRG, is an important option for the aviation industry

to reduce CO2 emissions on a life-cycle basis. This first U.S. partnership of

its kind is a model for other companies and organizations committed to reducing

the environmental impact of business air travel.  

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/24227/microsoft_corp_logo226_9217jpg.jpg   

The agreement applies to CO2 emissions from Microsoft employee travel between

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to San Francisco International Airport,

San Jose International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport - the

three most popular routes traveled by Microsoft employees on Alaska Airlines.

Under a separate partnership agreement, Microsoft will purchase SAF credits

from SkyNRG, and the SAF will be delivered to the airport fueling system used

by Alaska Airlines. The companies will explore expanding the program in the future.

"After a decade advancing sustainable aviation fuel, this partnership marks a

significant milestone in the work to make SAF a commercially-viable aviation

fuel alternative," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines. "SAF enables us to

fly cleaner and reduce our impact on the environment. However, we cannot do

this alone - we must work together with other industries and business leaders

like Microsoft and SkyNRG, among others who are thinking big, to achieve our

goals and grow the marketplace for SAF."

"We are excited to partner with Alaska Airlines to make business air travel a

little greener by using sustainable aviation fuel supplied by SkyNRG to reduce

the carbon impact of the flights Microsoft employees fly most," said Judson

Althoff, executive vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business.

"We hope this sustainable aviation fuel model will be used by other companies

as a way to reduce the environmental impact of their business travel."

Microsoft, Alaska Airlines and SkyNRG hope this partnership sets an example for

other companies and organizations to purchase SAF, and support the development

of the SAF industry by creating a stable demand signal, increasing supply and

reducing the cost of SAF. The three companies are also supporting the

development of a global environmental accounting standard for voluntary

corporate SAF purchases through their participation in a pilot project of the

World Economic Forum's Clean Skies for Tomorrow (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2957890-1&h=67863615&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.weforum.org%2Fpress%2F2019%2F09%2Fnew-push-to-decarbonize-aviation-sector-as-consumers-consider-alternatives-to-flying&a=Clean+Skies+for+Tomorrow ) initiative. The companies plan to hold

supplier and corporate forums to share learnings and increase interest in using

SAF to lower the carbon emissions from business travel.

Alaska Airlines is one of the most fuel-efficient airlines in the U.S. with a

strong commitment to sustainability. It was among the first airlines to use SAF

in passenger travel, flying nearly 80 flights over the past 10 years. With a

fuel-efficient fleet and use of modern technology in the flight deck, Alaska

Airlines has reduced its intensity target of greenhouse gas emissions by 16%

since 2012. Learn more about the partnership at

https://blog.alaskaair.com/company-news/fly-greener/alaska-microsoft-reducing-carbon-footprint/ .

Microsoft has ambitious sustainability goals, including a commitment to be

carbon negative by 2030 and remove from the environment more carbon than they

have emitted since its founding by 2050. The purchase and use of SAF

contributes to the company's sustainability goals.

For more than a decade SkyNRG has led the development in creating a SAF market,

taking a no-compromise approach to sustainability. Replacing fossil jet fuels

with SAF is what SkyNRG aims for, guaranteeing social and environmental

sustainability throughout the supply chain.

"The emergence of a SAF production system and market is a once-in-a-century

opportunity to launch a new energy source for an entire industry, guided by

strong sustainability standards from day one," said Theye Veen, managing

director, SkyNRG. "We are very pleased to be joined by leading companies

Microsoft and Alaska Airlines in this next step."

As part of Microsoft's partnership agreement with SkyNRG, Microsoft will become

the newest member of Board Now (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2957890-1&h=4130244533&u=https%3A%2F%2Fboardnow.org%2F&a=Board+Now ),

a coalition of leading companies that aims to accelerate the transition to

sustainable air travel. Organizations commit to reducing carbon emissions from

flying and directly contribute to the development of new SAF production capacity.

Background on sustainable aviation fuel

Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is generally produced from

sustainable resources, like waste oils and agricultural residues. It can even

be produced from carbon captured from the air. SAF is an important solution for

the aviation industry to reduce CO2 emissions and can also contribute to other

positive social and environmental benefits, such as job creation and

biodiversity. SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions across its

lifecycle. The SAF supplied by SkyNRG under this agreement is produced in the

U.S. by World Energy using waste oils and delivers a carbon reduction of

approximately 75% compared with fossil jet fuel. SkyNRG guarantees the

sustainability of the fuel it supplies through its certification from the

Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), the most complete and robust

standard for verification of sustainable practices, and its independent

Sustainability Board, which includes representatives from WWF International,

the European Climate Foundation, Solidaridad Network and the University of

Groningen.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 115 destinations

across the United States and North America, providing essential air service for

our guests along with moving crucial cargo shipments, such as food, medicine,

mail and e-commerce deliveries. With hubs in Seattle; San Francisco; Los

Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and Anchorage, Alaska, the airline is known for low

fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. With Alaska

and its Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more

than 800 destinations worldwide. Learn more about Alaska at

newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air

are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

About SkyNRG

SkyNRG is the pioneer and global leader for sustainable aviation fuel. Having

supplied over 30 airlines on all continents, it is SkyNRG's mission to make SAF

the new global standard, driven by sustainable (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2957890-1&h=1011590395&u=https%3A%2F%2Fskynrg.com%2Fsustainability%2Four-sustainability-approach%2F&a=sustainable ) practices throughout the supply chain.

Further information can be found on: www.skynrg.com and www.boardnow.org .

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era

of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower

every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

SOURCE: Microsoft Corporation; Alaska Airlines

CONTACT: For more information, press only: Microsoft Media Relations,

MSEnvironmentalSustainability@we-worldwide.com; Alaska Airlines Media

Relations, newsroom@alaskaair.com; SkyNRG, mediarelations@skynrg.com.