More Passenger Legroom Coming on New Alaska Airlines Aircraft

SEATTLE, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and Recaro Aircraft Seating announced today that the carrier is the North America launch customer for an innovative main cabin seat that provides more legroom for air travelers. The award-winning seat will be installed on all of Alaska Airlines' 22 new Boeing 737-900ERs scheduled for delivery in fall 2012 through 2014.

"Recaro's clever design includes a comfortable yet slimmer seatback and bottom and a literature pocket located above the tray table. That means our main cabin customers will enjoy more than an inch of extra legroom with our existing spacing between each row of seats," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "The new seats add to a very special onboard experience that all of our customers flying Alaska's new 737-900ERs will enjoy, including Boeing's Sky Interior—with its improved lighting and sculpted overhead bins that create a more spacious cabin—onboard Wi-Fi, Starbucks coffee, premium Washington wines and delicious meals for purchase, as well as our renowned personal service."

Alaska Airlines' version of Recaro's seat includes custom enhanced-comfort cushions, a six-way adjustable headrest and the carrier's standard three inches of recline. The lighter seat will save an estimated 8,000 gallons of fuel annually per aircraft. Alaska's first class cabin on its 737-900ERs will feature a different premium Recaro seat with five inches of recline, an articulating seat bottom and a six-way adjustable headrest.

The Germany-based manufacturer's BL3520 seat model won Europe's 2011 Crystal Cabin Award and the 2012 red dot design award.

Note to media: Two high-resolution images of Alaska Airlines' new seat can be downloaded from the carrier's online image gallery at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

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. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

About Recaro
Recaro Aircraft Seating is a globally active developer and manufacturer of premium aircraft seats for the leading airlines worldwide. The company currently has 1,500 employees, including more than 700 working in Germany, and operates production plants in Germany, Poland, South Africa and the USA. Recaro Aircraft Seating has also Recaro Service Centers in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Australia. Based in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, Recaro Aircraft Seating generated sales of 288 million Euros in 2010. The company ranks among the world's top three aircraft seat manufacturers.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines