The Longacres facility in Renton, Wash. was purchased from Unico
Properties and will open in 2025
SEATTLE, May 30, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- A new future for Alaska Airlines' employees and
their careers begins today with the purchase of a facility that
will become home to the airline's world-class training programs.
The new training hub will enhance the training experience for
flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents and more, as
well as centralize operations into one facility.
"Our remarkable operations team members will, for the first time
in our history, all come together and train under one roof," said
Constance von Muehlen, chief
operating officer at Alaska Airlines. "We're
excited to build on Alaska Airlines' culture of safety, performance
and care in this purposefully-designed space worthy of our
frontline team's contributions to every guest and every
flight."
Alaska already
houses nine full-motion flight simulators in the
facility and has plans to add a tenth in the next few
years. In addition to simulators, the new space will
include a mock aircraft
for inflight simulations, classrooms, an
auditorium, a production studio and significant office
space.
The property is part of Longacres, which Unico Properties
purchased from Boeing in December
2021 and which housed Boeing Commercial Airplane HQ in prior
years. Located at 1901 Oakesdale Ave. S.W., Longacres is a 173-acre
campus that is being planned for a vibrant, diversified,
mixed-use campus that includes an Arts and Entertainment
District, miles of walking and jogging trails, ponds and scenic
wetlands, and direct access to the Renton/Tukwila Sound Transit Station.
Alaska Airlines has purchased the 19-acre property from Unico
Properties for $85.75 million, which
includes the 600,000-square-foot facility that Boeing purposefully
built to house an aviation training facility. Alaska plans to invest an additional
$100 million to renovate the
space.
"This major commitment by Alaska alongside the significant investment
made by the Sounders in opening its new training facility earlier
this year, has created significant momentum for the mixed-use
campus. Given these events, Renton is a bright spot in the
region and we're excited to build upon these announcements to
bring other beloved Northwest brands to our exciting new
community," said Liz Thorson, Unico
Properties Director, Market Leader. "We're pleased to
have secured in excess of 670,000 square feet of occupancy
since acquiring the property in a difficult office environment
throughout the country."
"We're thrilled to invest in our Puget Sound home,"
said Shane Jones, senior vice
president of fleet, revenue products and real
estate at Alaska Airlines. "The growth opportunity
this purchase provides us cannot be overstated, and it really feels
like a perfect match. Having access to a facility that was
purpose built for aviation training that we then get to
customize was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. As Longacres
continues to be built out, our employees will have access to
amenities that will truly make this a world-class training
experience."
While pilots already train on the campus using the existing
simulators, other employee groups will begin moving into the
facility following renovations towards the end of 2025.
"It is great to see this special 173-acre campus come
to life with the opening of the Sounders FC practice facility and
now the thousands of Alaska Airlines employees that will frequent
the site," said Ned Carner,
Founder Wing Point Partners who worked with Unico to
facilitate the sale. "We are one step closer to achieving our
goal of an active campus that seamlessly brings the community to
work, live, and recreate together."
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional
partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa
Rica, Guatemala and
Mexico. We offer our guests a
premium flying experience with award-winning customer service and
an industry-leading loyalty program, Mileage Plan. With our fellow
oneworld Alliance members and additional global partners,
our guests have more choices than ever to purchase, earn or redeem
on alaskaair.com across 30 airlines and more than 1,000 worldwide
destinations. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow
@alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon
Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.
About Unico Properties LLC
Unico Properties LLC, a
subsidiary of Unico Investment Group LLC, is a commercial real
estate investor, developer, and full-service operator focused on
office and multifamily assets in emerging markets throughout
the United States. Founded in
1953, Unico has been transforming the built environment by creating
innovative, people-focused building experiences through a cadre of
subsidiary companies that deliver boutique expertise and
institutional execution for its own accounts and select third-party
clients. The private equity real estate investment firm currently
owns and operates 17 million square feet of commercial properties
across the United States and
continues to grow. For more information about Unico, please visit
the firm's website at https://unicoprop.com.
About Wing Point Partners
Wing Point Partners is a
boutique real estate investment and development company that
specializes in large scale adaptive re-use and mixed-use projects
in the Pacific Northwest. We are dedicated to reshaping properties
and spaces across the Puget Sound region. We breathe new life into
overlooked and underutilized properties, infusing them with
innovative ideas and designing spaces that inspire future
occupants. In doing so, we elevate our communities, enhance lives
and leave a lasting impact for generations to come.
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SOURCE ALASKA AIRLINES