SEATTLE, May 8, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) and the Seattle Public Schools are teaming up to introduce Classroom Connection, which offers middle-school students the opportunity to work as a team, stimulate learning and express their creativity.

Developed by Alaska Airlines, Classroom Connection is an educational opportunity for sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip, while being exposed to the history, culture and economics of another region.

"The intent of the Classroom Connection is to challenge students, encourage the development of team building skills, reinforce an interest in learning, and allow youngsters to use their creative talents and energies," said David Palmer, Alaska Airlines' assistant vice president of marketing. "We are very proud to take the learning experience one step further by offering an educational but entertaining trip to another part of the country."

The Seattle students will participate as a team to develop a class project with the theme "Art and History of the Greater Boston Area." Under the direction of their teachers, the students will research the theme from a variety of resources, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and develop a presentation with essays, artwork, video productions and computer slides. A panel of educators and media representatives will then judge the selection based on content, presentation and originality.

The winning class will pack its bags for a three-day trip to Boston. They will head east on Alaska Airlines' new non-stop service from Seattle to Boston. While in Boston, students will visit key historical sites of interest, enjoy a Boston Harbor Cruise and take a Freedom Trail walking tour. They will also have an opportunity to meet students from a Boston middle school.

"The Seattle Public Schools look forward to working with Alaska Airlines on their Classroom Connection program that gives students an opportunity to study through an integrated and experiential learning approach that promises to be fun and exciting," said Susan Byers of the Seattle Public Schools. "The opportunity to study about Boston and explore the city will be a valuable experience that our students will treasure and remember forever."

Boston middle-school classes will be participating in a similar project. Alaska Airlines will fly the winning Boston class to Seattle, where the students will have the opportunity to learn more about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Newspapers in Education

Throughout the duration of the project, the students will also be exposed to the benefits of reading newspapers on a regular basis. Media partners, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Boston Globe, as an example, will challenge students to search their newspapers for facts about each city. These facts will then be incorporated into their presentations. The object is to encourage students to read the paper to become more aware of current events on both a local and national level.

Alaska Airlines

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The nation's ninth largest carrier, Alaska was recently ranked No. 1 in the annual Airline Quality Ratings compiled by Wichita State University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. For reservations go to www.alaskaair.com, call Alaska's toll-free reservations line at 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522) or call your travel agent. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom on the Internet at http://newsroom.alaskaair.com.

CONTACT: Alaska Airlines Jack Walsh, 206/901-8753 Jack Evans, 206/433-3134