Alaska Air Group Reports July Traffic

Alaska Air Group, Inc. today reported July passenger traffic for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines (Alaska) and Horizon Air (Horizon). ALASKA AIRLINES Alaska Airlines' July traffic increased 10.7...

Alaska Air Group, Inc. today reported July passenger traffic for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines (Alaska) and Horizon Air (Horizon).

Alaska Airlines' July traffic increased 10.7 percent to 1.668 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) from 1.506 billion flown a year earlier. Capacity during July was 2.102 billion available seat miles (ASMs), 5.1 percent higher than the 2.000 billion in July 2003.

The passenger load factor (the percentage of available seats occupied by fare paying passengers) for the month was 79.4 percent, compared to 75.3 percent in July 2003. The airline carried 1,652,500 passengers compared to 1,551,300 in July 2003.

RPMs for the seven-month period totaled 9.351 billion, a 12.3 percent increase from the 8.327 billion recorded a year earlier. Capacity for the seven months ended July 2004 increased 8.4 percent to 12.914 billion ASMs, compared to 11.918 billion in 2003.

The passenger load factor for the first seven months of 2004 was 72.4 percent, compared to 69.9 percent in 2003. The airline carried 9,359,800 passengers compared to 8,606,200 in 2003.

HORIZON AIR

Horizon Air's July traffic increased 28.5 percent to 213.8 million RPMs from 166.4 million flown a year earlier. Capacity for July was 284.9 million ASMs, 16.5 percent higher than last year's 244.7 million.

The passenger load factor for the month was 75.0 percent, compared to 68.0 percent last July. The airline carried 567,400 passengers compared to 483,200 in July 2003.

RPMs for the seven-month period totaled 1.198 billion million, a 29.7 percent increase from the 924.2 million recorded a year earlier. Capacity for the seven months ended July 2004 increased 18.5 percent to 1.769 billion ASMs compared to 1.493 billion in 2003.

The passenger load factor for the first seven months of 2004 was 67.8 percent, compared to 61.9 percent in 2003. The airline carried 3,288,100 passengers, compared to 2,778,000 in 2003.

Horizon's RPMs, passenger load factor and passengers are reported using actual July operating data for flights operated as Horizon Air combined with estimated operating data for Horizon's regional jet service operated as Frontier JetExpress, which started in 2004.

SOURCE: Alaska Air Group, Inc.

CONTACT: Lou Cancelmi, +1-206-392-5170, or Sam Sperry, +1-206-392-5038,
both of Alaska Air Group, Inc.