Alaska Airlines reimagines airport experience | Flying Heritage museum to reopen

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Alaska Airlines plans to transition to automated bag drops that use facial recognition to identify passengers, streamlining the process and no longer requiring each station to be staffed by agents. The tech overhaul is part of a larger $2.5 billion, 3-year plan to remodel and upgrade Alaska’s airport lobbies. 

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell revealed the first stage of his “Downtown Activation Plan” to revitalize the city’s urban core. The plan includes an executive order to address the public health and safety impacts of the fentanyl crisis and could help attract tech companies and their workers back downtown.

The founder and CEO of Seattle food tech startup Rebellyous Foods has a real purpose behind the company’s fake chicken. Christie Lagally wants to build a lasting business in a bid to disrupt traditional meat processing and address climate change. Read our latest Startup CEO of the Year finalist profile ahead of the GeekWire Awards on May 18.

Amazon is disputing a new report that says Prime membership growth has leveled off in the U.S. at just under 170 million people. The company claims research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners is “not accurate” and that Prime membership continues to grow. CIRP stands by its data. Read more.

Before agreeing to a $43 billion acquisition by pharma giant Pfizer, Seattle-area biotech company Seagen fielded offers from multiple suitors, according to a recent SEC filing.

Vote for Health Innovation of the Year. The finalists in this GeekWire Awards category include innovations from companies focused on diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health and precision medicine. Learn about the companies.

Washington state lawmakers passed a bill that provides privacy protections for health data collected by consumer apps and websites. The legislation has special urgency as many states pass prohibitions against abortion and seek to limit women from obtaining them elsewhere.


The Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum is reopening
on May 27 after a three-year closure due to the pandemic. The Everett, Wash.-based museum (above) was founded by Paul Allen in 2004 and sold last summer by the late Microsoft co-founder’s estate. Read more.

Hot links:

  • Turn it up: Prime Video is adding a feature called Dialogue Boost to help users hear content better over background effects and music. (Amazon)

  • Own your chips: Microsoft is reportedly developing AI chips to help save time and money on its AI efforts. (The Information)

  • Post-game high: LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said he couldn’t sleep after his NBA team won its playoff game on Sunday. The former Microsoft CEO, who lives in Seattle, also said he looks forward to his team beating up on the Sonics, if and when they return. (Twitter)

Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great week. —  GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.
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