Alaska Air Group Reports February Traffic

Alaska Air Group, Inc. today reported February operational results for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines (Alaska) and Horizon Air (Horizon).

ALASKA AIRLINES

Alaska reported a slight increase in load factor to 73.5 percent in February 2009, compared to 73.3 percent in February 2008, on a 10.5 percent decline in available seat miles (ASMs) compared to the prior-year period. Alaska also reported that 76.9 percent of its flights arrived on time in February 2009, a 0.2-point increase compared to the 76.7 percent reported in February 2008. The following tables show the operational results for February 2009 and for the first two months of 2009, compared to the prior-year periods:

                              February                 Year-to-Date
                       2009     2008    Change    2009    2008    Change
  Revenue passenger
   miles (RPMs)
   (000,000)          1,274    1,419    (10.2)%  2,619   2,830     (7.4)%
  Available seat
   Miles (ASMs)
   (000,000)          1,733    1,936    (10.5)%  3,610   3,985     (9.4)%
  Passenger load      73.5%    73.3%    0.2 pts  72.6%   71.0%    1.6 pts
   factor
  Revenue passengers
   (000)              1,096    1,288    (14.8)%  2,229   2,543    (12.3)%
  On-time arrivals
   as reported to
   U.S. DOT           76.9%    76.7%    0.2 pts  74.0%   74.8%  (0.8) pts

  HORIZON AIR

Horizon reported a decrease in load factor to 67.2 percent in February 2009, compared to 71.1 percent in February 2008, on a 17.2 percent decline in capacity compared to the prior-year period. Horizon reported that 86.3 percent of its flights arrived on time in February 2009, a 4.7-point increase compared to the 81.6 percent reported in February 2008. The following tables show the operational results for February 2009 and for the first two months of 2009 compared to the prior-year periods:

                              February                   Year-to-Date
                        2009     2008    Change    2009     2008     Change
  RPMs (000,000)         166      212   (21.8)%     333      417    (20.2)%
  ASMs (000,000)         246      298   (17.2)%     511      615    (16.8)%
  Passenger load
   factor              67.2%    71.1% (3.9) pts   65.1%    67.8%  (2.7) pts
  Revenue passengers
   (000)                 487      606   (19.6)%     989    1,192    (17.1)%
  On-time arrivals     86.3%    81.6%   4.7 pts   78.6%    77.8%    0.8 pts

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group , 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.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: maria.koenig@alaskaair.com

SOURCE: Alaska Air Group, Inc.