SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2001--Horizon Air has become the first airline in North America certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the new, 70-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet in commercial service.

"We're very proud of this achievement," said George Bagley, Horizon president and CEO. "The FAA scrutinized the CRJ-700 and our operation of it from top to bottom, and the aircraft and our employees passed with flying colors."

The new generation jet will fly various Horizon routes on a substitute basis between now and mid-September when it enters regularly scheduled service. It is initially slated to operate on selected flights from Portland to Sacramento, Boise and Spokane, as well as other cities, as needed. The CRJ-700 is replacing Horizon's 69-seat Fokker F-28 4000 jets, all of which will eventually be retired.

Horizon has a firm order for 30 CRJ-700s. The airline has already received two of the jets and expects to have a total of 14 by next spring, with the remaining 16 scheduled for delivery between 2003 and 2005. Horizon holds options for an additional 25 CRJ-700s.

The CRJ-700's long-haul capability (it can fly to destinations as far as 2000 miles away) will increase the number of potential new cities the airline can serve. The aircraft more than meets the noise and emission requirements of even the most environmentally sensitive airports. The cabin features stand-up headroom, two seats on each side of the aisle (no middle seats), and roomy overhead storage bins.

The CRJ-700 is one of two new aircraft for which Horizon is the North American launch customer. Horizon also was the first airline to receive FAA certification to fly the Bombardier Q400; a fast and quiet 70-seat turboprop that entered regularly scheduled service in February. Horizon has received seven of these aircraft thus far and has eight more on order for arrival by early next year.

"With the addition of new CRJ-700s and Q400s, we are now in the midst of the largest fleet upgrade in our history," said Bagley. "Once it is completed, we'll have one of the youngest, quietest and most fuel efficient regional airline fleets in the sky."

The CRJ-700 and Q400 are manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of Bombardier Inc., Canada. Bombardier is the world's third largest civil aircraft manufacturer and leader in the 20-to-70-passenger regional aircraft market.

This September, Horizon will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Horizon Air serves 39 cities throughout five states and two provinces in Canada. Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc. For more information, visit http://newsroom.horizonair.com.

Note to editors: Images of the CRJ-700 and Q400 in Horizon Air livery are available on Bombardier's photo gallery at:

CRJ-700: http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=3_0&lang=en&file=/en/3_0/3_0_1_ 6_4_2_1_2_a.html

Q400: http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=3_0&lang=en&file=/en/3_0/3_0_1_ 6_4_2_2_4_a.html

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