Alaska Airlines Celebrates $3.5 Million Nome Terminal Expansion, Renovation With Community Open House

Alaska Airlines will celebrate the $3.5 million expansion and renovation of its Nome, Alaska, airport terminal today during a community open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Alaskan time. The project, which began in June 2006 and is nearing completion, includes upgrades to the passenger lobby, cargo facility and ground-service equipment area.

"This project stems from our deep commitment to serving the Arctic," said Bill MacKay, Alaska Airlines’ senior vice president for the state of Alaska. "The new terminal, along with larger, more-advanced aircraft serving Nome, will bring greater passenger comfort, more cargo capacity and a more reliable schedule."

Alaska Airlines built the Nome Airport terminal in 1985. The expansion increases the terminal’s lobby area by nearly 1,500 square feet, or about 50 percent. The larger lobby nearly doubles the number of seats available to customers and features artwork from one of Alaska’s most renowned painters, Fred Machetanz.

The airline also expanded its Nome cargo warehouse by about 30 percent and added cold-storage cargo facilities. The carrier’s ground-service equipment area is about 15 percent larger, and the terminal building is now connected to city water and sewer lines. The airline will complete the project’s weather-dependent final stage, including parking-lot paving and cosmetic details, late this spring.

The Nome terminal project is part of Alaska Airlines’ five-year capital-improvement plan to upgrade many of its airport facilities throughout the state.

The airline also recently upgraded its fleet serving the Arctic. Many of Nome’s three daily flights now are operated on larger 737-400 passenger-cargo combination aircraft equipped with more advance flight-guidance systems. These aircraft provide about 20 percent more cargo capacity and a more comfortable passenger experience than the 737-200 aircraft they replaced in January. A 737-400 freighter introduced in June 2006 also offers 50 percent more capacity on three weekly cargo flights to and from Nome.

Alaska Airlines and sister carrier, Horizon Air, together serve 89 cities through an expansive network throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. This year Alaska Airlines celebrates its 75th anniversary, marking the airline’s growth from a single-aircraft operation in 1932 to one of the largest U.S. carriers. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE: Alaska Airlines