Alaska Airlines Makes Travel Easier with Launch of Mobile Booking Site

SEATTLE , Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel on Alaska Airlines got easier for smart phone users today with the launch of mobile booking, which allows customers to buy tickets from any mobile device. The carrier also rolled out Flight Status On the Go, which allows customers to text 252752 (ALASKA) for current flight status information, including city pairs, arrival and departure times, and gate information. The mobile features are part of a series of enhancements Alaska Airlines has launched since 2010 designed to make travel easier.

"This mobile website allows us to cast a wide net to make booking a ticket on Alaska Airlines fast and hassle-free regardless of the type of mobile device you're using," said Curtis Kopf, managing director of customer innovation and alaskaair.com. "Whether you're on a bus or on a plane, all you need to purchase a ticket on Alaska Airlines' mobile site is a browser and about five minutes."

Mobile Booking at m.alaskaair.com

Features of the new mobile site allow users to:

• Search and book one-way or roundtrip tickets for up to seven travelers at a time
• View a three-day low-fare calendar
• Select a seat at no additional charge
• View optional upgrades such as mileage or elite-tier status upgrades
• Safely purchase tickets online using secure socket layers (SSL)—the same technology used by banks and credit cards for online shopping
• Synchronize their bookings with Alaska's apps for the iPhone, iTouch and Android devices

The new features build on Alaska Airlines' earlier mobile site, which allowed passengers to pay for checked bags, check in and check flight status.

Kopf estimates booking a ticket on the improved m.alaskaair.com will take even less time for savvy travelers who log in to their Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account and have their personal My Account information pre-populated in the checkout process.

Alaska Airlines' mobile site is compatible with any handheld mobile device or 7-inch tablet, including the Kindle Fire, Galaxy Tab and Nexus 7. While the site offers the most requested features customers want, reward and low-fare calendar shopping are not yet available on mobile devices. Mobile users can expect to see additional features added, including the ability to upgrade and view standby status, early next year.

Flight Status On the Go

Alaska Airlines also recently rolled out Flight Status On the Go, a texting tool, which allows passengers to receive their flight status, arrival and departure gates in a variety of formats. Similar to the information available on the Web, Flight Status On the Go offers customers travel information for the current, previous and next day.

Passengers can simply text to 252752 on any mobile phone.

For example, customers who text 825, flight 825, flt 825, or 825 and 13Sept (flight number and travel date), will receive a text message displaying the following information:

Alaska Flight Status
#825 - Thur Sept 13
Depart: SAN @ Gate 16
Sched: 7:00 a.m.
Actual: ETD 7:00 a.m.
Arrive: OGG @ Gate 5
Sched: 9:42 a.m.
Actual: ETA 9:42 a.m.

Besides delays, cancellations and gate information, the texting tool also displays information on city pairs, date, schedule, and actual times of arrival and departure.

In addition, customers who provide a cell phone number in their booking can text "My Flight" and will receive a text message displaying their next flight that is operating within 24 hours from time of text request.

While customers can still receive flight status updates on alaskaair.com or on the carrier's app or mobile site, travelers without a smart phone were limited up until now by how much information they could receive without access to a computer, smart phone or tablet.

"Flight Status on the Go makes any phone a 'smart' phone by providing the most essential travel information right on your phone," Kopf said.

For more information about Flight Status On the Go and Alaska Airlines' mobile site and free apps, visit www.alaskaair.com/mobile.

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 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/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines