Alaska Airlines Inaugurates Portland-Maui Service

July 6, 2009

PORTLAND , July 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alaska Airlines today will inaugurate service between Portland, Ore. , and Maui . The thrice-weekly flights will expand to daily service starting Aug. 7, 2009 .

Flights from Portland will depart Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 9:50 a.m. and arrive at 12:45 p.m. Return flights will depart Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 1:45 p.m. and arrive at 10:15 p.m. (All times are local.)

"Our Oregon customers have been waiting for years for this day -- when Alaska says 'aloha' to Hawaii," said Steve Jarvis , Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing, sales and customer experience. "Customers now will be able to enjoy Alaska's unique brand of service and earn Mileage Plan miles whether they're booking a flight or a complete vacation package to the beautiful islands of Hawaii."

The new flights are operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin. All flights to Hawaii offer Hawaiian-themed beverages and meal service. Customers in the main cabin are offered complimentary Mauna Loa macadamia nuts and a complimentary Mai Tai or POG juice, as well as a Hawaiian-themed meal-for-purchase option for $6. Customers in first class enjoy exotic meals such as Polynesian petite beef tenderloin.

Inflight service includes Alaska Airlines' digEplayer, a personal entertainment system offering a variety of movies, television shows, music and other features.

Alaska Airlines Vacations offers a full line of vacation packages for travel to the islands of Oahu , Kauai , Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii . Packages include air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and tours. For more information about Alaska Airlines Vacations, visit alaskaair.com/vacations.

Alaska Airlines began service to Hawaii in October 2007 and by November 2009 will have 59 nonstop flights a week to the four major Hawaiian Islands.

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 . Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 and 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies(SM). For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines