In a move that underscores Alaska Airlines’ ambitions to grow from a strong West Coast carrier into a globally connected premium airline, the company has promoted industry veteran Ben Brookman to Vice President of Real Estate and Airport Affairs. Announced on February 12, 2026, the appointment places Brookman at the center of Alaska’s multibillion dollar investment in airport infrastructure and global real estate, a strategy that will shape how passengers experience the airline’s network for years to come. With more than 17 years in aviation and a track record in airport affairs and network planning, his promotion is more than an internal reshuffle; it signals how Alaska intends to transform the very gateways through which millions of travelers move every year.
A Strategic Promotion at a Defining Moment
Ben Brookman’s new role comes at an inflection point for Alaska Airlines. The carrier is integrating the Hawaiian Airlines brand under Alaska Air Group, scaling up a growing international network and committing more than 3 billion dollars to hub airport projects. In that context, elevating a leader whose remit spans airport access, infrastructure and corporate real estate is a deliberate step to align bricks-and-mortar decisions with a broader vision of global connectivity and premium guest experience.
As Vice President of Real Estate and Airport Affairs, Brookman will oversee Alaska’s global real estate strategy and airport investments. That portfolio stretches across more than 140 destinations and 29 international markets, touching everything from gate leases and lounge footprints to long term terminal developments and new facility partnerships. The decisions that flow from his office will influence how seamlessly guests move through airports, how quickly aircraft turn at the gate and how intuitively Alaska’s brand shows up in physical spaces.
The timing is particularly significant because Alaska is on the cusp of major international expansion from its Seattle hub. New intercontinental routes to Rome, London Heathrow and Reykjavik will launch between late April and late May 2026, adding Europe to an already diverse footprint that includes North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Ensuring airport infrastructure keeps pace with that growth is central to Brookman’s mandate, making his promotion an important signal to both travelers and investors about the airline’s long term posture.
From Network Planner to Global Gateways Architect
Brookman is not an outsider parachuted in for a headline role. He has spent years inside Alaska’s operation, most recently as Managing Director of Airport Affairs, where he led airport planning efforts and negotiated contracts across the carrier’s network. That experience gives him an intimate understanding of how individual airport deals connect to the broader network, and how operational realities on the ramp and at the gate translate into the traveler’s day to day experience.
Earlier in his Alaska career, he served as Director of Network and Capacity Planning, helping develop the airline’s key hubs in Seattle, Portland and San Diego. The analytical discipline required to model capacity, schedule waves and hub connectivity now informs a bigger canvas: designing airports and real estate strategies that support those same flows at scale. This unusual combination of network planning and airport affairs positions him to bridge two worlds that too often operate in silos.
Beyond Alaska, Brookman has held commercial and real estate roles at Sun Country Airlines, US Airways and Amazon Air. That mix of traditional airline experience and exposure to the logistics driven world of air cargo and e commerce gives him a broader lens on how airports function as multiuse platforms. As airports evolve into integrated hubs for passengers, cargo, concessions and ground transportation, having a leader who understands those crosscurrents is increasingly valuable.
Reimagining Airports as Brand Touchpoints
Alaska Airlines has long anchored its brand in ideas of care, reliability and a certain Pacific Northwest warmth, but those qualities are only as convincing as what happens at the gate and in the terminal. Brookman’s remit goes well beyond signing leases; it encompasses how Alaska’s physical footprint in airports supports a premium yet approachable experience that feels consistent whether a traveler is boarding in Anchorage, Honolulu or, soon, Rome and London.
Airport real estate decisions influence everything from how easy it is to find an Alaska gate to how intuitive the connections are between domestic and international flights. With Alaska accelerating its global ambitions, there is renewed pressure to design spaces that make transfers frictionless, reduce walking distances, streamline security and immigration touchpoints and support modern amenities such as expanded lounges and upgraded check in and bag drop zones.
For many travelers, an airline’s real value is tested during irregular operations, delays and tight connections. Investments in gate clustering, flexible use of stands, smart wayfinding and premium facilities can dramatically change those experiences. As Vice President of Real Estate and Airport Affairs, Brookman will be one of the key architects of how Alaska shows up in those high stress moments, turning physical infrastructure into a quiet differentiator in a crowded airline marketplace.
Infrastructure Investments Fueling Global Growth
Alaska’s more than 3 billion dollar commitment to hub airports is not a theoretical capital plan. Across its network, the airline is partnering with airport authorities to expand terminal capacity, reconfigure gate layouts and improve the flow of both aircraft and passengers. Those projects are designed to do two things simultaneously: support higher volumes of flying and elevate the quality of the onboard and on the ground journey.
Seattle, as the primary hub, is a focal point. The upcoming launch of nonstop services to Rome, London Heathrow and Reykjavik will require not only slots and air service agreements, but also infrastructure that can handle a surge of long haul international traffic. That includes gates capable of accommodating larger aircraft, efficient customs and immigration processing and premium lounges that can compete for globally minded travelers who might otherwise gravitate toward legacy global carriers.
Other hubs, including Portland and San Diego, also stand to benefit from Alaska’s infrastructure push. Strategic real estate decisions in those cities and at key focus airports like Los Angeles, Anchorage and Honolulu will influence how effectively Alaska can route traffic across the combined Alaska and Hawaiian networks. Brookman’s role is to align each of those local projects with a cohesive global vision, avoiding piecemeal development that fails to support the long term plan.
Integrating Hawaiian Airlines and the Pacific Network
The integration of Hawaiian Airlines into Alaska Air Group has elevated the strategic importance of airport and real estate decisions across the Pacific. Hawaiian operates a dense interisland and transpacific network centered on Honolulu and other key airports in the islands, many of which have unique infrastructure constraints and regulatory environments. Aligning facilities, gates and passenger flows across two brands in that context is a complex challenge.
Brookman’s team will play a central role in harmonizing airport arrangements across both the Alaska and Hawaiian brands. That includes working with Hawaiian airport authorities on long term gate allocations, terminal branding, lounge sharing, check in integration and potential facility upgrades that can support a unified guest experience while still honoring the distinct identities of each airline. The goal is to create seamless connectivity between Alaska’s continental and international routes and Hawaiian’s island and transpacific operations.
For travelers, the benefits could be substantial. Coordinated real estate and infrastructure decisions can shorten connection times between mainland and island flights, simplify baggage transfers and enable shared premium spaces that make long journeys more comfortable. As Alaska positions itself as a bridge between North America, the Pacific and, increasingly, Europe, the combined network must be supported by carefully orchestrated airport investments. Brookman’s promotion reflects the company’s recognition that this integration is as much a real estate and infrastructure project as it is a network planning exercise.
Operational Excellence, Reliability and the Ground Game
Alaska has consistently emphasized safety, care and performance as pillars of its strategy, and leadership changes over the past year have reinforced that message. The upcoming transition in the chief operating officer role, alongside other senior leadership moves at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, has placed a premium on operational excellence. Within that ecosystem, airport infrastructure and real estate become foundational to delivering on reliability promises.
Gate availability, smart stand allocation, efficient ramp layouts and well designed crew and maintenance facilities are all quietly vital to on time performance. Inefficient or fragmented airport arrangements can translate into cascading delays, missed connections and higher operating costs. Brookman’s team will be charged with ensuring that major capital projects are not just architecturally impressive, but operationally optimized for quick turns, reliable schedules and resilient performance when disruptions occur.
That focus on the ground game dovetails with Alaska’s goal of cementing its reputation as a premium yet dependable carrier. While new aircraft, refreshed cabins and upgraded digital tools often capture headlines, the less glamorous work of negotiating lease terms, designing holdroom layouts and coordinating construction timelines can be just as important. Brookman’s promotion spotlights the growing recognition that long term operational success is built from the tarmac up.
What Brookman’s Appointment Means for Travelers and the Industry
For travelers, the immediate impact of a leadership change in real estate and airport affairs may seem abstract, but the downstream effects are tangible. In the coming years, guests flying Alaska and Hawaiian can expect to see more cohesive terminal branding, expanded or refreshed lounges, improved wayfinding and, in some hubs, reconfigured security and boarding zones aimed at reducing friction. The rollout of new long haul routes from Seattle adds further incentive to ensure that airport experiences meet the expectations of customers who are choosing between Alaska and established global competitors.
Across the airline industry, Brookman’s appointment is emblematic of a broader shift. As carriers emerge from a period of intense volatility and restructure their networks, many are elevating leaders who can treat airport infrastructure as a strategic asset rather than a fixed constraint. Alaska’s decision to invest heavily in hubs while simultaneously expanding its international footprint and integrating another carrier positions it as a case study in how mid sized airlines can punch above their weight on the global stage.
Ultimately, transforming the skies is not only about aircraft and routes. It is about rethinking the ground experience, reshaping terminals and reimagining how passengers move through airports that are often stretched to their limits. With his new mandate, Ben Brookman becomes one of the key figures guiding that transformation at Alaska Airlines. His success or failure will be measured in minutes saved, connections made, journeys smoothed and in the degree to which Alaska’s guests feel that the airline delivers on its promise of a remarkable travel experience from curb to cabin and back again.