 Alaska Airlines also pioneered some new technologies through the 1990s . It added a heads @-@ up guidance system in 1989 to operate better in foggy conditions , becoming the first airline to use this technology . In 1995 , the airline became the first to sell tickets on the Internet . By 2000 , all the airline 's planes carried automated external defibrillators , for use in in @-@ flight emergencies . The airline also installed self @-@ service kiosks called " Instant Travel Machines " that printed boarding passes , allowing customers to bypass the traditional ticket counter . An X @-@ ray device , an addition to the unit allowing passengers to check their own baggage was being tested in 1999 at Anchorage . This concept , known as " Airport of the Future " by the airline , was first tested in Anchorage and was later brought to its Seattle hub , and it drew attention from other airlines as well . The airline would also become the first airline in the world to integrate GPS and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System ( EGPWS ) technology , adding a real @-@ time , three @-@ dimensional display of terrain . The system was operational in all the carrier 's Boeing 737 @-@ 400s by April 1999 . 
