Alaska Airlines Adds Seasonal Service Between Maui and Bellingham, Wash.

SEATTLE, June 27, 2012 /CNW/ - Northwest residents from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle will have more options to escape the rain starting Nov. 8 when Alaska Airlines launches new seasonal service between Bellingham, Wash., and Maui. To introduce the four weekly flights, the carrier is offering low introductory one-way fares from $179* for tickets purchased by July 3 for travel Nov. 8 to Dec. 24, 2012.

Tickets are available for purchase today on www.alaskaair.com or by calling 1-800-AlaskaAir (800-252-7522 or TTY/TDD line 800-392-0228).

"Our growing service out of Bellingham gives customers across Western Washington and Southern British Columbia more ways to reach sunny Hawaii," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "With Alaska Airlines' great low fares, no charge for a carry-on bag and award-winning service, travelers can enjoy peace of mind that they're getting the best value and service for their money."

Sprague said British Columbia residents can save even more money flying out of Bellingham International Airport, located 22 miles south of the Canadian border, thanks to lower government taxes and airport fees.

Summary of seasonal Bellingham-Maui flights:
Start date	City pair	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
Nov 8-April 13	Maui-Bellingham	3 p.m.	10:55 p.m.	Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat
Nov 9-April 14	Bellingham-Maui	11 a.m.	3:20 p.m.	Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun
All times based on local time zones

Alaska Airlines' unique service offers many benefits for customers including:

• Free carry-on bags
• Free advance seat selection
• First class seating
• Complimentary inflight water, soft drinks, coffee and tea
• Complimentary Mai Tai or passion-orange-guava blend juice on flights to Hawaii
• An award-winning frequent flier program. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members earn 5,362 miles flying between Bellingham and Maui, which are good for travel on 15 airline partners to more than 700 destinations worldwide.

"We are extremely pleased that Alaska Airlines is expanding its service to offer flights from Bellingham to Kahului, Maui," said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. "These flights are perfectly timed to give visitors more time to enjoy Maui's people, place and culture. The new route provides visitors from the Northwest with increased ease of access to visit the Hawaiian Islands while also boosting Maui's economy and distributing the benefits of tourism across our state. We estimate the flights will provide $16 million in visitor spending and $1.7 million in tax revenue annually."

In addition to low fares, Alaska Airlines Vacations is offering Hawaii vacation packages starting at $575**, which includes airfare and three nights' hotel stay at Aston at the Maui Banyan. Vacation packages must be booked by July 3 and travel completed between Nov. 8 and Dec. 17, 2012. Visit www.alaskaair.com/vacations or call 1-800-468-2248 for further details.

Alaska Airlines' Maui flights will be operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin. All flights offer Alaska's Northern Bites® meal service, which provides passengers in the main cabin with a hot meal for $6 or a cheese and fruit platter for $7. The flights also offer Alaska's inflight entertainment system, a handheld video-on-demand device featuring more than 70 hit movies, along with television programs and other entertainment. The inflight entertainment players are complimentary in first class and available for $10 in the main cabin.

Alaska Airlines currently flies from Bellingham to Honolulu, Las Vegas and Seattle, and offers one daily flight to Portland, Ore., through Aug. 25.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), 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" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies(SM). For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

* General terms and conditions: A ticket purchased at an Alaska Airlines airport location or through a reservation call center will cost $15 more per person than the advertised fare. Tickets are nonrefundable. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or all days. Other restrictions—such as day of week and blackout dates—may apply. Visit www.alaskaair.com or call Alaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-AlaskaAir for more information. A $20 baggage fee will apply for each of the first three checked bags. Fares include all taxes and fees, including the Sept. 11 Security Fee, are in U.S. dollars and are subject to change without notice. Additional fees apply to check more than three bags and for overweight or oversized items. See www.alaskaair.com or call Alaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-AlaskaAir for more information.

**Additional terms and conditions for Alaska Airlines Vacations: Taxes and fees described above* apply to airfare component of package and are included in the advertised fare. Package price is per person based on double occupancy. Travel must be completed between Nov. 8 and Dec. 17, 2012. Price includes roundtrip airfare and three nights' accommodations at the Aston at the Maui Banyan. Hotel resort fees may apply. The offer is valid on complete packages that include hotel and airfare, booked online or through the Vacations call center. Outbound travel from Bellingham to Maui must occur on Wednesday or Friday and return travel on Saturday or Monday. Other hotels and lengths of stay are available, though prices will vary. Package prices are based on availability and may not be available on all days. Prices, rules, taxes and fees are subject to change without notice. All terms and conditions of Alaska Airlines Vacations apply. More information, including blackout dates, is available at www.alaskaair.com/vacations.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Bobbie Egan of Alaska Airlines, [phone]

http://www.alaskaair.com