Alaska Air Group Reports January Traffic

SEATTLE, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today reported January operational results for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines (Alaska) and Horizon Air (Horizon).

ALASKA AIRLINES

Alaska reported a nearly three-point increase in load factor to 71.7 percent in January 2009, compared to 68.8 percent in January 2008, on an 8.4 percent decline in available seat miles (ASMs) compared to the prior-year period. Alaska reported that 71.5 percent of its flights arrived on time in January 2009, a 1.5-point decrease compared to the 73.0 percent reported in January 2008. The following tables show the operational results for January 2009.

                                                        January
                                                2009      2008      Change
    Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (000,000)   1,345     1,411       (4.7)%
    Available seat miles (ASMs) (000,000)      1,876     2,049       (8.4)%
    Passenger load factor                       71.7%     68.8%       2.9 pts
    Revenue passengers (000)                   1,133     1,255       (9.7)%
    On-time arrivals as reported to U.S. DOT    71.5%     73.0%      (1.5) pts

HORIZON AIR

Horizon reported a decrease in load factor to 63.0 percent in January 2009, compared to 64.7 percent in January 2008, on a 16.4 percent decline in capacity compared to the prior-year period. Horizon reported that 71.7 percent of its flights arrived on time in January 2009, a 2.7-point decrease compared to the 74.4 percent reported in January 2008. The following tables show the operational results for January 2009.

                                                        January
                                                2009      2008      Change
    RPMs (000,000)                               167       205      (18.5)%
    ASMs (000,000)                               265       317      (16.4)%
    Passenger load factor                       63.0%     64.7%      (1.7) pts
    Revenue passengers (000)                     501       586      (14.5)%
    On-time arrivals                            71.7%     74.4%      (2.7) pts

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Traditional Network Carriers (tie)" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 North America Airline Satisfaction Study(SM). For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.