by Ana Elise Lowe • 3 minutes
There was a time when Alaska Airlines was known not just for friendly service, but for something deeper. Values that reached beyond the runway.
For decades, Alaska Airlines’ commitment to faith was visible. In the 1940s and ‘50s, the airline airlifted persecuted Jews from Yemen to Israel.
Passengers and employees could sense that religious inclusion was part of the company’s DNA. For decades, prayer cards were tucked into meal trays, a small but meaningful nod to faith.
But that culture has changed dramatically.
By the 2010s, the prayer cards disappeared, and faith faded from the corporate vocabulary. In recent years, the airline publicly committed to a “more inclusive workforce,” listing protected categories such as race, gender and sexual orientation.
But while the airline claims to champion “diversity and inclusion,” one crucial word is missing: religion.
And for flight attendant Lacey Smith, that omission became personal.
In February 2021, Alaska Airlines posted an internal company message announcing its support for the “Equality Act,” a controversial bill that, among other things, would gut protection for people of faith under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Employees were invited to comment on the post.
Lacey was concerned how the “Equality Act” would impact people of faith. So, she typed a simple question:
“As a company, do you think it’s possible to regulate morality?”
Her understanding of morality was rooted in her Christian faith.
“My morality comes from God,” she later explained. “Laws regulate behavior, but morality is about right and wrong. That’s why I asked.”
The company had asked for dialogue. She offered one respectful, thoughtful question.
The response was swift.
First, her post was deleted.
Then, her work schedule was paused.
Then came the investigation meeting.
Within a month, Lacey was fired.
“They said my character was so bad that I shouldn’t work there anymore,” she recalled, “But it had nothing to do with my performance. It had everything to do with my beliefs.”
Her personnel file affirms that. Over the years, more than 50 passengers had gone out of their way to write about her kindness and professionalism. She was recognized in company newsletters. She was a flight attendant that people remembered.
After she was fired, it would have been much easier for Lacey to keep her head down. She could’ve just gone along to get along.
Instead, Lacey chose to show courage and to fight for religious freedom. The courage to speak up—not out of pride, but out of principle. Not for headlines, but for truth.
“I think about how being just one degree off changes everything over time,” she said. “If we don’t speak now, only time will tell how far we’ll drift from freedom, freedom to live out and even speak about our faith.”
It wasn’t just about her job. It was about what it meant for so many other religious employees. It’s about whether any employee, in any corporation, has to “check their faith at the door” to keep a paycheck.
“This case sends a message,” First Liberty Chief Legal Officer Jeff Mateer said. “Corporations can speak about their beliefs, but they cannot discriminate against employees for theirs. You don’t have to be treated as a second-class citizen because you’re a person of faith.”
For Lacey, the fight is worth it.
“It’s a tragedy to lose your job,” she admitted. “But if we don’t do something now, the loss will be much greater than mine.”
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