AIRLINES: Eskimo Face-Off

Look! Up in the sky! It’s . . . uh . . . Muammar Gaddafi? Charles Manson? An Eskimo?

Since 1973, the face of a smiling, parka-clad Eskimo has adorned the planes of Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which flies to 30 Western U.S. cities, from Anchorage and Juneau as far south as Tucson. Alaskans see the Eskimo logo as an unofficial state symbol, but others are often bewildered by it. Bruce Kennedy, chairman of the parent Alaska Air Group, complains that critics ranging from passengers to Comedian Jay Leno have observed that the Eskimo looks like Gaddafi, Manson, Abraham Lincoln, Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash. Tired of such comments, Alaska Airlines has announced tentative plans to put the Eskimo on ice and replace him with a stylized mountain peak.

Alaskans, though, are protesting the change, and this week the state legislature will vote on a resolution asking the airline to keep the Eskimo. Says State Senator Tim Kelly of Anchorage: “It may not be the best representation of an Eskimo, but it’s ours and we feel very close to it.”