Horizon Ending Pocatello Flights Jan. 8

11/18/2005 1:44 p.m. (PT)

Pocatello – Horizon Air announced today that it will discontinue service to Pocatello, Idaho, starting Jan. 8. The airline currently offers flights from Pocatello to Boise and Idaho Falls.

"We regret leaving Pocatello, a community we've proudly served since 1983," said Patrick Zachwieja, Horizon's vice president of marketing and planning. "Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to make service to Pocatello successful and 22 years of excellent service delivered by our airport employees, Pocatello boardings have been consistently falling below where they need to be for us to operate there profitably."

In a separate announcement today, Billings, Mont.-based Big Sky Airlines said the carrier would inaugurate all-nonstop service three times daily between Pocatello and Boise starting Jan. 8.

Horizon will offer customers currently booked on its flights from Pocatello starting Jan. 8 the option of re-accommodation on Big Sky. Big Sky will code-share with Horizon and Alaska Airlines so passengers can continue to make connections to the airlines in Boise with one check-in and earn Mileage Plan frequent flier miles on the route.

For flights to or from Pocatello now through Jan. 7, customers can continue booking their Horizon and Alaska Airlines flights online at www.horizonair.com or by calling Horizon Reservations at 1-800-547-9308. For travel to or from Pocatello starting Jan. 8, customers should call Horizon Reservations or Big Sky at 1-800-237-7788.

Horizon's current flight schedule between Pocatello and Boise consists of three daily flights. Two of the flights make a brief stop in Idaho Falls on the way either to or from Boise. Idaho Falls is 56 miles northeast of Pocatello. All Pocatello flights are currently operated with 37-seat Q200 turboprops. Horizon will continue serving Idaho Falls and, starting Jan. 8, all three flights from Idaho Falls to Boise will be operated with Q200 nonstops in each direction.

Horizon began serving Pocatello in 1983. For many years, Horizon operated 18-seat Metroliners into Pocatello before bringing in the larger Q200s. Over the years, flights to Boise have been a combination of nonstops and one-stops via Idaho Falls with both Q200 and 70-seat Q400 aircraft. In September 2003, Horizon initiated direct service from Pocatello and Idaho Falls to Seattle with Q400s. The service was discontinued a year later after disappointing results. Recently, Horizon tried to stimulate more Pocatello passenger traffic by cutting all its regular fares to Boise by up to 31 percent. The effort did not produce the needed increase in traffic.

Founded in 1981, Horizon currently serves 46 cities throughout California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, British Columbia and Alberta. Together, Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines serve more than 80 cities and are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE: ALK).