Horizon Air Unveils Aircraft with Special 25th Anniversary Design	June 2006

Portland – Horizon Air today unveiled a 25^th anniversary aircraft during an event at the airline's Operations Center at Portland International Airport. Hundreds of Horizon employees, their families and Port of Portland officials and other dignitaries gathered to be among the first to see the eye-catching design.

The aircraft – a Bombardier Q400 – sports a vibrant paint scheme that celebrates Horizon's 25 years of service. The aircraft's base coat seamlessly blends all of Horizon's livery colors, from the past shades of orange to the present red and burgundy. A trail of festive ribbons and confetti extend across the fuselage, ending with a brushstroked "25" on the tail.

"Twenty-five years ago, a small band of visionaries came together around the idea of launching an airline focused on serving the people of the Pacific Northwest with an exceptional level of customer service," said Jeff Pinneo, Horizon's president and CEO. "Since then, while many airlines have come and gone, Horizon Air stands as a strong and vibrant validation of our founders' vision and a testimony to the outstanding work of thousands of caring, talented people, past and present, without whose amazing efforts over the years we wouldn't be here today. This beautiful aircraft is dedicated to them and their families, with sincere gratitude for all they've done these 25 years since our founding."

The unique paint scheme was created by Rob Lancaster of Lancaster Design Group, LLC, which designs liveries for commercial and private aircraft. "Horizon wanted the aircraft to be distinctive and very celebratory for employees," Lancaster said. "The goal was to capture the best of Horizon's traditions and personality while illustrating Horizon's changes through the years. I think we've accomplished that."

Field Aviation -- an airline support services company in Calgary, Alberta -- repainted the aircraft after performing nose-to-tail maintenance, as is the standard procedure, but in this case they applied the special livery. "We're very pleased with the high-quality work done by the professionals at Field on this challenging paint scheme," said Celia Sherbeck, Horizon's vice president of maintenance and engineering.

As the flagship aircraft for Horizon, the 74-seat Q400 manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada was chosen to display the 25^th anniversary livery. This turboprop flies at nearly jet aircraft speeds, with considerably lower operating costs and lower fuel burn than a jet. Additionally, it is a relatively quiet aircraft, which has been appreciated and recognized by communities Horizon serves. Horizon operates 20 Q400 aircraft, and it has an additional 12 on order that the airline expects to have in service by mid-2007.

Horizon Air has reason to celebrate. Since its first flight on Sept. 1, 1981, from Seattle to Yakima, Horizon has grown into the Northwest's largest regional airline. Horizon today serves 46 cities throughout California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and British Columbia and Alberta. In 2005, Horizon flew 6.5 million passengers, a portion of these on flights operated as Frontier JetExpress under contract to Denver-based Frontier Airlines. Together, Horizon Air and sister carrier Alaska Airlines serve more than 80 cities and are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc.

Text: Courtesy of Horizon Air