Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air Introduce Spanish-Language Check-In Kiosks

Bilingual airport kiosks introduced this month by Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air will allow customers to check in for flights, confirm seating assignments and receive boarding passes in English or Spanish.

The 475 check-in kiosks are available at 82 of the 90 airports the airlines serve in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"We’re welcoming a growing number of Spanish-speaking customers," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of sales and customer experience. "The kiosks complement other bilingual services we’ve added to serve these customers in their language of choice."

Last fall, Alaska and Horizon introduced a Spanish-language Web site, which allows customers to make reservations, check in for flights and manage Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan accounts in Spanish. The site is available at http://alaskaair.com/espanol or by clicking the "En Espanol" link at http://alaskaair.com/ or http://horizonair.com/.

Earlier this year, Alaska introduced bilingual flight attendants on flights serving non-resort destinations in Mexico, Spanish-language content in Alaska Airlines Magazine and Spanish-language announcements on flights to and from the Los Angeles basin.

Alaska is recruiting bilingual employees, including customer service agents, flight attendants and reservations agents. More information is available on the airline’s Web site, http://alaskaair.com/, or by e-mailing careers@alaskaair.com.

Transporting more than 1.3 million passengers annually between the United States and Mexico, Alaska operates more flights between the U.S. West Coast and Mexico than any other U.S. carrier. The airline offers about 40 daily flights serving 10 Mexican cities, including Cancun, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Loreto, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta.

Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, serve 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. For reservations, visit http://alaskaair.com/. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at http://alaskaair.com/newsroom.

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

SOURCE: Alaska Air Group