SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2001--Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) released the following statements today regarding changes it will be making to its maintenance manual, as well as the announcement of an unrelated FAA proposed civil penalty:

"We cannot comment on the specific circumstances of an NTSB administrative court ruling today to revoke the A&P license of one of our maintenance supervisors, since that supervisor has the right to appeal the judge's decision.

"However, regarding the broader issue of supervisors signing off for work performed by mechanics, we previously stated that we are revising our maintenance manual to clarify that supervisors may indeed sign for mechanics in specific situations when they can verify that the work is done. This is consistent with maintenance practices at other major carriers.

"Federal regulations do not prohibit this practice. Even Judge Geraghty said he understands there are circumstances where a supervisor may need to sign off on work performed by a mechanic. However, in light of the judge's ruling today that our manual does not specify that this practice is allowable, we will immediately institute the changes to our manual that outline the procedures to be followed in such circumstances. An amendment to the manual has been in process for the past several months."

In an unrelated matter, Alaska issued the following statement about a $211,000 proposed civil penalty by the Federal Aviation Administration against the airline stemming from events occurring in March 1999:

"This is a proposed fine. The FAA will make a final determination after a thorough review of all the facts associated with the incident."

Alaska will have no further comment on either matter at this time.

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