Horizon Air's New Schedules Boost Connections, Convenience

11/24/2008 8:24 a.m.

SEATTLE — In January, February and March, Horizon Air is changing flight schedules on several routes in its network to better align them with its travelers' current needs.

"We never stop listening to our customers. We're always factoring in what we hear to ensure our flight schedules work well for them, whether they're traveling solely within our own route network or making connections to Alaska Airlines and our other airline partners," said Dan Russo, Horizon's vice president of marketing and communications.

The schedules affect several Horizon cities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and California.

Yakima, Wash.
Starting Jan. 5, the first of four daily roundtrips to Seattle will depart 30 minutes earlier at 6:00 a.m., allowing travelers to gain access to nine more Horizon and Alaska connections and many others offered by partner airlines. Starting Feb. 8, the last flight to Yakima from Seattle will depart 25 minutes later at 10:45 p.m., allowing time for travelers to transfer from eight additional inbound connections from Hawaii, Chicago and California. Also, the last flight from Yakima to Seattle will depart 35 minutes later at 6:50 p.m., allowing more time for those taking a same-day trip to Yakima from Seattle.

Wenatchee, Wash.
Starting Jan. 5, the first of four daily roundtrips to Seattle will depart one hour earlier at 6:00 a.m., giving travelers the opportunity to gain 23 more Horizon and Alaska connections and others by partner airlines. The last flight back from Seattle will depart two hours later at 10:20 p.m., gaining 33 additional inbound connections. On Feb. 8, the last flight changes again to 10:45 p.m. to pick up eight new inbound connections from Hawaii, Mexico, Alaska, California and several East Coast destinations.

Tri-Cities/Pasco, Wash.
Starting Jan. 5, the last returning flight from Seattle will depart 10 minutes later at 10:20 p.m., allowing travelers to transfer from six new inbound connections from Phoenix, Orlando, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Spokane and Juneau.

Medford, Ore.
Starting Dec. 18, Horizon will reduce Medford-Los Angeles (LAX) nonstop service from two daily flights to one (cutting the 12:10 p.m. departure) to reflect an expected reduction in demand during the winter. The second flight to LAX will return March 31 and depart at 3:25 p.m., spacing it out further from the 7:00 a.m. flight. The return flights will depart LAX at 10:50 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. Starting March 31, flights between Medford and Portland will be adjusted to better accommodate same-day business trips originating in either city. The first of four daily roundtrips from Portland will be moved from 10:45 a.m. to 8:10 a.m., while the second flight from Medford to Portland will be moved from 11:35 a.m. to
9:40 a.m.

Redmond/Bend, Ore.
Starting March 31, the first of three daily nonstop flights from Seattle to Redmond/Bend will depart three hours earlier, at 11:40 a.m. instead of 2:50 p.m. The daily nonstop flight to LAX will depart at 10:30 a.m. instead of 4:30 p.m. and depart from LAX at 8:55 a.m. instead of 9:50 a.m.

Boise, Idaho
Starting March 31, the first of two flights to Boise from LAX will depart at 9:45 a.m. instead of 10:50 a.m.

Flagstaff, Ariz.
Starting March 31, the second of two direct flights to LAX will depart at 4:00 p.m. instead of 5:10 p.m. to accommodate more connections at LAX. The first flight from LAX to Flagstaff will depart at 1:40 p.m. instead of 2:55 p.m., improving connections for major international arrivals in time for the busy Sedona and Grand Canyon tourist season.

Santa Rosa, Calif.
Starting March 31, the second of two daily roundtrips from LAX will depart at 6:15 p.m. instead of 8:05 p.m., allowing travelers to enjoy a full day in Southern California and still be home in time for dinner.

Horizon serves 47 cities throughout Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Baja California Sur (Mexico), and British Columbia and Alberta (Canada). Together, Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines serve more than 90 cities and are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK).