SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2001--Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) today reported September passenger traffic for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

ALASKA AIRLINES

Due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, Alaska Airlines operated approximately 76 percent of its normal flight schedule for the month of September.

Alaska Airlines' September traffic decreased 18.7 percent to 719 million revenue passenger miles (RPMs) from 884 million flown a year earlier. Capacity during September was 1.183 billion available seat miles (ASMs), 16.1 percent lower than the 1.411 billion in September 2000.

The passenger load factor (the percentage of available seats occupied by fare paying passengers) for the month was 60.7 percent, compared to 62.7 percent in September 2000. The airline carried 805,500 passengers compared to 1,026,300 in September 2000.

RPMs for the nine-month period totaled 9.514 billion, a 4.7 percent increase from the 9.088 billion recorded a year earlier. Capacity for the nine months ended September 2001 increased 6.7 percent to 13.798 billion ASMs, compared to 12.936 billion in 2000.

The passenger load factor for the first nine months of 2001 was

• 69.0 percent, compared to 70.3 percent in 2000. The airline carried 10,642,700 passengers compared to 10,254,900 in 2000.

HORIZON AIR

Due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, Horizon Air operated approximately 77 percent of its normal flight schedule for the month of September.

Horizon Air's September traffic decreased 31.7 percent to 79.8 million RPMs from 116.9 million flown a year earlier. Capacity for September was 145.7 million ASMs, 26.3 percent lower than last year's 197.6 million.

The passenger load factor for the month was 54.8 percent, compared to 59.1 percent last September. The airline carried 274,000 passengers compared to 408,700 in September 2000.

RPMs for the nine-month period totaled 1.050 billion, a 2.1 percent decrease from the 1.072 billion recorded a year earlier. Capacity for the nine months ended September 2001 decreased 3.5 percent to 1.674 billion ASMs, compared to 1.734 billion in 2000.

The passenger load factor for the first nine months of 2001 was

• 62.7 percent, compared to 61.8 percent in 2000. The airline carried 3,634,800 passengers, compared to 3,813,400 in 2000.

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CONTACT:	Alaska Air Group, Inc.
	Jack Evans, 206/433-3134