Alaska Air Group Announces Stock Repurchase Program

SEATTLE, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today announced that its board of directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the company to buy up to $50 million of its common stock.

"This action continues programs we’ve carried out over the past several years," Air Group Chairman and CEO Bill Ayer said. "The programs are consistent with the company’s practice of repurchasing shares opportunistically and underscores our commitment to providing a reasonable return to investors while preserving our strong cash balance."

The company intends to finance the repurchases with cash on hand. The repurchase program authorizes the company to purchase its common stock from time to time through open market purchases, negotiated transactions or other means, including accelerated share repurchases and 10b5-1 trading plans in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Alaska Air Group has repurchased a total of approximately 7.5 million shares of its common stock for nearly $212 million through similar programs over the past four years.

This news release contains forward-looking statements subject to the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual outcomes to be materially different from those indicated by any forward-looking statements. For a comprehensive discussion of potential risk factors, see Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Some of these risks include general economic conditions, increases in operating costs including fuel, competition, labor costs and relations, our significant indebtedness, inability to meet cost reduction goals, seasonal fluctuations in our financial results, an aircraft accident, and changes in laws and regulations. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risk factors discussed therein. We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risk factors emerge from time to time. Management cannot predict such new risk factors, nor can it assess the impact, if any, of such new risk factors on our business or events described in any forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform them to actual results. Over time, our actual results, performance or achievements will likely differ from the anticipated results, performance or achievements that are expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, and such differences might be significant and materially adverse.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve 90 cities throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Air Group Inc.