Alaska Airlines Announces New Seattle-Austin and Portland-Maui Service Starting in August

Alaska Airlines today announced it will inaugurate daily service between Seattle and Austin, Texas, starting Aug. 3, 2009, and thrice-weekly service between Portland, Ore., and Maui starting Aug. 7, 2009. The airline also announced it is expanding its seasonal service between Anchorage, Alaska, and Maui to year-round.

The flights will be available for purchase starting today at alaskaair.com or by calling (800) ALASKAAIR.

"Austin represents a great opportunity for Alaska Airlines, filling in a gap in our route map and fitting in our strategy of increasing capacity in markets where we can grow," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska’s vice president of marketing, sales and customer experience.

"In addition, we’re delighted to offer our customers in Oregon nonstop service from Portland to Maui. Combined with new year-round service between Anchorage and Maui, this greatly expands our coverage from the West Coast to the Hawaiian Islands," Jarvis said.

Alaska Airlines inaugurated service to Hawaii in October 2007. The airline currently offers daily non-stop flights between Seattle and Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii; and between Anchorage and Oahu, Kauai and Maui.

The new Seattle-Austin flight will depart Seattle at 9:45 a.m. Pacific time and arrive at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 3:40 p.m. Central time. The return flight will depart Austin at 4:40 p.m. Central time and arrive at 6:45 p.m. Pacific time. Flights are timed to provide connections to other Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Travelers can earn double Mileage Plan miles on the new flights between Seattle and Austin from Aug. 3 through Oct. 15, 2009. To qualify, customers must first register at alaskaair.com.

The new Portland-Maui flight will depart Portland at 9:50 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and arrive at Kahului Airport at 12:45 p.m. Hawaii time. The return flight will depart Maui at 1:45 p.m. Hawaii time the same days and arrive at 10:15 p.m. Pacific time. The airline is offering an introductory fare of $169 one way on the route for tickets purchased by Feb. 12, 2009, and travel from Aug. 7 through Dec. 13, 2009, on select days of the week. Alaska Airlines Vacations is offering a package price of $723 per person, which includes round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for three nights.

Alaska Airlines will operate the flights with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin. Flights will offer Alaska’s Northern Bites meals-for-purchase service, which allows coach passengers to purchase a meal onboard for $5. Inflight service also will include Alaska Airlines’ digEplayer, a personal entertainment system offering a variety of movies, television shows, music and other features. Complimentary in first class, digEplayers are available for $10 in coach.

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.

Alaska Airlines Vacations package price shown includes round-trip airfare and three nights’ accommodation at the Royal Lahaina Resort for travel Aug. 19 to Dec. 12, 2009. Price is per person based on adult double occupancy and requires outbound travel on Sunday. Other hotels and day of departure available. Prices will vary. Price may not be available on all dates. Terms and conditions of Alaska Airlines Vacations apply.

Fare rules: Seats are limited and subject to availability. Blackout dates apply. Tickets must be purchased within 24 hours of making a reservation. Seats may not be available on all flights or all days. Tickets purchased at Alaska Airlines airport locations or through an Alaska Airlines reservation call center will cost $15 more per person than the advertised fare. Passengers may check one bag for free. A second bag may be checked for $25. A fee of $100 will be assessed for each additional checked bag. Additional fees apply to checked overweight and/or oversized items. Tickets are nonrefundable. Changes made through an Alaska Airlines reservation call center or airport ticket counter incur a $100 (USD) per person change fee and $125 when originally booked through a travel agent and changed through an Alaska Airlines reservation call center or ticket counter, plus applicable fees and any difference in fare. Changes made at alaskaair.com incur a $75 (USD) per person change fee plus applicable fees and any difference in fare. Airfare does not include Airport Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9, depending on itinerary, a U.S. Federal Segment Tax of $3.60 per segment, and a U.S. Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement. Taxes and fees are based on one-way travel and may be doubled if traveling round trip. All fares, taxes and fees are in U.S. dollars and are subject to change without notice.

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

SOURCE: Alaska Airlines