SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2001-- Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) has completed installation of crossbar locking devices on 100 percent of its MD-80 fleet.

The crossbar device, designed to hinder unauthorized access to the flight deck, was installed over the weekend on the final two of Alaska's 32 MD-80s. Its primary component is a three-quarter-inch steel bar that can withstand a force of up to 1,500 pounds.

The bars are temporary until Alaska equips each of its 102 aircraft with revolutionary cockpit doors that are impenetrable and bulletproof.

Installation of the bulletproof doors began on the Boeing 737 portion of the carrier's fleet last week. Each of the 737s should be equipped with the door by mid-November. At that time, the carrier will begin replacing the crossbars on the MD-80s with the bulletproof doors.

The crossbars had been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration as an interim security measure.

For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom on the Internet at http://newsroom.alaskaair.com.

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