Jacqueline Smith is director of commercial analytics at Alaska Airlines. Jacqueline received a BS in applied and computational mathematical sciences at the University of Washington. Jacqueline enjoys working at Alaska on RM problems because she can “use my math skills in the real world” and see the impact of her work. “RM is a challenging and changing field,” she explains. “No day is like another and we get to be creative about how we approach problems.”
Jacqueline also enjoys working at Alaska because of its culture and the willingness of individuals throughout the company to make time for each other and collaboratively solve problems. “Being part of the ‘Alaska family’ is what has kept me at Alaska for more than 10 years,” she explains.
Jacqueline sees the future RM as one that will continue to build relationships between Alaska and its customers. One way to improve the customer experiences is by providing them with relevant offers that includes ancillary products or other services that are valuable to them.
When Jacqueline hires graduates to work in the RM and commercial analytics teams, she looks for those who are curious, have grit, and have strong communication skills. “Commercial analytics works on nebulous problems that we often don’t immediately know how to solve. Students who have grit and are willing to dig into new data and new areas they haven’t explored before and find creative ways to solve problems” are those who have made a big impact on the organization.
Interested in learning more about Jacqueline? Check out her LinkedIn page. One fact about Alaska you won’t find on her LinkedIn page is that Alaska is the only US airline that was founded before deregulation that has never been through bankruptcy! “I chalk up Alaska’s success to hiring smart, caring people committed to doing the right thing — and having fun while doing it!”