How Alaska Airlines Uses Its Captive Insurer to Manage Aviation and Emerging Risks

In this episode of The Edge of Risk podcast by IRMI, David Beyer, director of risk management at Alaska Airlines, discusses the strategic role of ASA Assurance, the company's Hawaii-domiciled captive insurance company, in supporting enterprise-wide risk management objectives. Initially formed to address workers compensation costs, the captive now writes coverage for cyber liability, aviation hull and liability, auto exposures, medical stop-loss, and more—often stepping in where commercial terms are misaligned with the airline's risk profile.

Mr. Beyer highlights how Alaska maintains a lean governance model while leveraging the captive to deepen insurer partnerships, enhance program control, and deploy innovative solutions such as excess-of-loss structures and loss portfolio transfers. He also explores how the organization is cautiously applying artificial intelligence to safety reporting, using predictive insights to prevent losses before they occur. For captive professionals, Alaska's evolving strategy offers a compelling case study in disciplined growth and captive utilization for complex operational risks.