Alaska and Horizon to Partner with Delta Air Lines

Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Delta Air Lines announced today a comprehensive marketing agreement to provide customers with a wider array of destinations and benefits. The agreement provides for the carriers to codeshare on each other’s flights, giving customers more travel options and the partner airlines incremental passenger traffic.

In addition to codesharing, the three carriers plan to provide reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. This will allow customers to accrue and redeem awards in either of the airlines’ frequent flyer programs, regardless of which program they belong to or on which airline they fly. The agreement also provides for additional airline lounge privileges in selected cities. For Alaska’s Board Room lounge members, access will be available at Delta Crown Room locations in Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City. For Delta members, access will be available to Alaska’s Board Room facilities in Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver, B.C. Additionally, while the airlines will continue to schedule their respective flights independently, each will evaluate their schedules to optimize connections between one another in order to provide customers with more convenient travel options.

The codesharing and frequent flier components of the new agreement are subject to review by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). In addition, codesharing by Delta on Alaska flights will require negotiated changes to the scope clause of the Delta pilot contract. The carriers will work with the DOT in an effort to have the review completed as soon as possible, and Delta will work to conclude its pilot approvals and negotiations as soon as possible as well. If approvals are received in a timely manner, the airlines could begin implementing the agreements late this fall and early next year.

"This significantly extends the value of our travel network for every Alaska and Horizon customer," said Gregg Saretsky, executive vice president of marketing and planning. "With the addition of Delta Air Lines to our team of codeshare partners, our customers will now have access to a worldwide network of destinations that is second to none."

Under terms of the codeshare, Alaska will place its code on several hundred flights operated by Delta while Delta’s code will be placed on a like number of Alaska and Horizon flights.

"This new marketing agreement will allow Delta to partner with Alaska and Horizon to offer our passengers greater access to destinations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico," said Delta’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer Paul Matsen. "When we have completed the DOT review process and fully implement the agreement, it will not only complement Delta’s existing service, but also offers Alaska and Horizon passengers access to Delta’s global system. Delta’s network will be expanded by 42 new cities. This is a win-win-win situation for customers and the carriers."

Delta Air Lines is proud to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2004. Delta is the world’s second largest airline in terms of passengers carried and the leading U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, offering daily flights to 497 destinations in 84 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. Delta’s marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem frequent flier miles on more than 14,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. For more information, visit delta.com.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Seattle- based Alaska Air Group. Both carriers are also headquartered in Seattle.

Alaska Airlines, the nation’s ninth largest airline, serves more than 50 cities in Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. Earlier this year, the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan was named Frequent Flyer Program of the Year for the second year in a row at the 16th Annual Freddie Awards. The award, named after Sir Freddie Laker, a commercial aviation pioneer, was created by InsideFlyer magazine publisher Randy Peterson and is considered among the most prestigious consumer awards in the airline industry. For more information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at http://newsroom.alaskaair.com/

Horizon, founded 22 years ago, has grown to become one of the country’s largest regional airlines serving more than 47 cities in six states and two provinces in Canada. Additional news and information is available at http://newsroom.horizonair.com/ .

SOURCE: Alaska Airlines