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Alaska Air Group Reports November Operational Results

SEATTLE, Dec. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today reported November operational results for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, and on a combined basis. Detailed information is provided below.

ALASKA AIRLINES - MAINLINE
Alaska reported a 9.4 percent increase in traffic on a 9.4 percent increase in capacity compared with November 2011. This resulted in a flat year-over-year load factor of 86.4 percent. Alaska also reported 87.3 percent of its flights arrived on time in November, compared with the 84.8 percent reported in November 2011.

The following table shows Alaska's operational results for November and year-to-date 2012, compared with the prior-year periods:

	November			Year-to-Date
	2012	2011	Change	2012	2011	Change
Revenue passengers (in thousands)	1,495	1,433	4.3%	16,977	16,325	4.0%
Revenue passenger miles RPM (in millions)	2,015	1,842	9.4%	22,311	20,645	8.1%
Available seat miles ASM (in millions)	2,333	2,133	9.4%	25,740	24,297	5.9%
Passenger load factor	86.4%	86.4%	—	86.7%	85.0%	1.7 pts
On-time arrivals as reported to U.S. DOT	87.3%	84.8%	2.5 pts	87.9%	88.4%	(0.5) pts

HORIZON AIR
Horizon reported an 8.1 percent increase in traffic on a 7.9 percent increase in capacity compared with November 2011. This resulted in a 0.5-point increase in load factor to a record 79.8 percent. Horizon also reported a record 89.8 percent of its flights arrived on time in November, compared with the 88.9 percent reported in November 2011.

The following table shows Horizon's operational results for November and year-to-date 2012, compared with the prior-year periods:

	November			Year-to-Date
	2012	2011	Change	2012	2011	Change
Revenue passengers (in thousands)	569	526	8.2%	6,195	6,079	1.9%
RPMs (in millions)	174	161	8.1%	1,910	1,961	(2.6)%
ASMs (in millions)	219	203	7.9%	2,443	2,510	(2.7)%
Passenger load factor	79.8%	79.3%	0.5 pts	78.2%	78.1%	0.1 pts
On-time arrivals	89.8%	88.9%	0.9 pts	91.5%	85.8%	5.7 pts

The year-to-date decline in capacity and traffic for Horizon from the prior year is due primarily to the completion of Horizon's transition out of the CRJ-700 regional jet. This transition was completed in June 2011.

AIR GROUP (including flights operated by third parties)
On a combined basis, Air Group reported a 9.3 percent increase in traffic on a 9.1 percent increase in capacity compared with November 2011. This resulted in a 0.2-point increase in load factor to a record 85.8 percent. These statistics include flights operated by Alaska and those under capacity purchase agreements, including Horizon, SkyWest and PenAir.

The following table shows the operational results for November and year-to-date 2012, compared with the prior-year periods:

	November			Year-to-Date
	2012	2011	Change	2012	2011	Change
Revenue passengers (in thousands)	2,112	2,002	5.5%	23,715	22,696	4.5%
RPMs (in millions)	2,231	2,041	9.3%	24,683	22,883	7.9%
ASMs (in millions)	2,599	2,383	9.1%	28,716	27,139	5.8%
Passenger load factor	85.8%	85.6%	0.2 pts	86.0%	84.3%	1.7 pts

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves 95 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction Study^SM for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.