SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2001--Frequent travelers ranked Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan among the top three travel programs in the nation at the 13th Annual Freddie Awards presented last month by InsideFlyer magazine.

Alaska placed No. 3 overall, and earned No. 2 honors in three sub-categories: Best Elite Level Program, Best Award Redemption and Best Bonus Promotion.

Singled out for praise as one of the best bonus promotions was the airline's "alaskaair.com Charter to Cabo" sweepstakes promoting both its Web site and commitment to pioneering technological achievements. Top prize: A charter flight for the winner and 50 friends this past weekend on board the airline's one-of-a-kind-liveried 737-400 "dot-com" aircraft.

InsideFlyer deemed Alaska Airlines' overall finish as "an exceptional accomplishment" given the carrier's relative size to its competitors.

"As the smallest of the ten majors, we were thrilled to be in the running for top honors in six categories and even more so to finish second in three of them," said Ann Ardizzone, Alaska Airlines' managing director of marketing programs.

In addition, Alaska's Mileage Plan newsletter and Web site each earned third place in those categories.

Continental's OnePass and SAS' EuroBonus frequent flyer programs received No. 1 nods for domestic and international airlines, respectively.

Frequent travelers from around the world cast more than 160,000 ballots in the survey.

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

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