EXHIBIT 99.1

ALASKA AIR GROUP APPOINTS KNIGHT TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
12/2/2002 10:09 a.m.

SEATTLE -- Alaska Air Group, Inc. today announced the appointment of Jessie J.
Knight, Jr. to the corporation's board of directors.

Knight, 52, is the president and chief executive officer of the San Diego
Regional Chamber of Commerce. He heads an organization of 3,000 plus members
whose primary focus is the economic development of California's second largest
city.

Before assuming his current position in 1999, Knight served almost six years as
a commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission. The commission, a
five-member board appointed by the governor, is responsible for the regulatory
oversight of all energy, telecommunications, shipping, railroad and
investor-owned utilities within California. Immediately prior to that, he was
executive vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce where he
oversaw international operations, economic development and the recruitment of
new businesses to San Francisco.

"Alaska Air Group and its shareholders will benefit tremendously by having an
individual of Jessie's caliber on the board," said John F. Kelly, chairman and
chief executive officer. "His business acumen, public service experience and
extensive knowledge of California will add a significant new dimension to our
deliberations."

Knight's previous experience also includes serving as vice president of
marketing for the San Francisco Newspaper Agency, a publishing operation
encompassing the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. In
addition, he held several senior positions for Dole Foods Company, including
directing the marketing for that company's Dole Pineapple Division.

Knight is a member of the boards of Avista Corporation and Environmental Power
Corporation. He is a standing member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New
York.

Seattle-based Alaska Air Group is the parent company of Alaska Airlines and
Horizon Air Industries.

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