Airline Ranking · As of July 16, 2026
Alaska Air Group
Ranked #9 of 32 carriers on what is already operationally available in 2026, not on a 2050 pledge.
Score out of 100
Behind · rank 9 of 32 · North America
Why Alaska Air Group lands here
One of the best customer-facing SAF models in the market.
That is 18.9 points behind the best-scoring carrier in the world, which itself only reaches 78.5. No carrier reaches 80, and 13 of 32 score below half marks.
What this score is built from
Eight decision areas, weighted by what moves emissions now
Each area is graded against what Alaska Air Group publishes, then scaled by how well that work is evidenced. Contrail avoidance carries the same weight as sustainable aviation fuel, because both are available today.
Where the points are
40.4 of the 100 points are still on the table for Alaska Air Group. The three largest sit here:
23.8
Contrail avoidance and non-CO₂ action
1.2 of 25 earned
6.0
SAF deployment and market-building
19.0 of 25 earned
2.4
Fleet efficiency and operational decarbonization
9.6 of 12 earned
SAF deployment and market-building
SAF
19.0 / 25
rough grade 4 of 5Aevidence ×1.006.0 points still availableThe airline shows real SAF activity through use, procurement, or market-building rather than long-dated ambition alone.
Contrail avoidance and non-CO₂ action
Contrails
1.2 / 25
rough grade 0.5 of 5Eevidence ×0.3523.8 points still availableThe major drag is contrails: public evidence of a live contrail program is very limited compared with top performers.
Fleet efficiency and operational decarbonization
Ops
9.6 / 12
rough grade 4 of 5Aevidence ×1.002.4 points still availableFleet renewal and operating-efficiency work are visible and material.
Climate governance and transparency
Governance
8.3 / 10
rough grade 4.5 of 5Bevidence ×0.901.7 points still availablePublic reporting is strong enough to compare targets, governance structure, and climate claims across reporting cycles.
Customer participation, checkout donation, and sustainability access
Customer
8.3 / 10
rough grade 4.5 of 5Bevidence ×0.901.7 points still availableAlaska is one of the strongest airlines in the set for guest-facing sustainability participation and booking-path SAF engagement.
Ground operations, waste, and circularity
Ground
3.6 / 6
rough grade 3 of 5Aevidence ×1.002.4 points still availableThere is some evidence of ground or waste action, but the public detail remains limited.
Community and nonprofit investment
Community
4.8 / 6
rough grade 4 of 5Aevidence ×1.001.2 points still availableIts miles-donation culture and community reporting are stronger than most mid-table peers.
Climate advocacy and sector collaboration
Advocacy
4.8 / 6
rough grade 4 of 5Aevidence ×1.001.2 points still availableThe airline is visibly engaged in sector collaboration, policy work, or broader climate signaling beyond internal operations.
Evidence codes
- A×1.00Current quantified disclosure or clearly documented live program.
- B×0.90Good disclosure with small limits.
- C×0.80Older-cycle, group-level, proxy, or incomplete quantified evidence.
- D×0.65Fragmented or partial proxy evidence.
- E×0.35No credible public evidence; floor only.
Grades are recorded to the nearest half point, so the published pillar score is the authoritative figure and the grade is a rounded description of it. Evidence quality for Alaska Air Group overall is rated high.
How Alaska Air Group compares
Either side in the table
Delta Air Lines is one place ahead at 64.4, and Cathay Pacific one place behind at 59.3.
Within North America
Ranked 4 of 7 carriers scored in North America, behind American Airlines at 78.5.
Who already leads the areas Alaska Air Group is losing most
Contrail avoidance and non-CO₂ action
American Airlines earns 25.0 of 25 here. Alaska Air Group earns 1.2.
SAF deployment and market-building
Air France-KLM earns 23.0 of 25 here. Alaska Air Group earns 19.0.
Fleet efficiency and operational decarbonization
United Airlines earns 10.2 of 12 here. Alaska Air Group earns 9.6.
If you work at Alaska Air Group
We can tell you which points are cheapest to win
Two of the eight areas, booking-path participation and published uptake, are the ones our own real-money research speaks to directly: a redesigned donation step roughly doubled giving across three carriers, with no cost in brand favorability or booking intent.
Think we have this wrong? If we have missed a published program, send it over and we will re-score and note the change.