Alaska Airlines Announces Q400s Will Use Jet Bridge for Warm Boarding in Fairbanks

Fairbanks residents flying on Alaska Airlines' Bombardier Q400s starting next March will board and deplane the aircraft using the existing jet bridge at Fairbanks International Airport. The...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Fairbanks residents flying on Alaska Airlines’ Bombardier Q400s starting next March will board and deplane the aircraft using the existing jet bridge at Fairbanks International Airport. The carrier will modify the jet bridge at Gate 1 to provide passengers with warm, easy access to their flights on the turboprop aircraft.

"We listened to customer concerns about boarding the plane outside during the winter and took our time to carefully evaluate all of our options," said Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines’ regional vice president – Alaska. "With slight modifications to the existing jet bridge, our customers traveling between Fairbanks and Anchorage will have a way to board and deplane that protects them from the cold winter weather and is also safe and accessible for travelers with limited mobility."

Alaska Airlines is exploring a warm boarding solution for customers boarding and deplaning the Q400 at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Romano said.

Starting next March, Alaska will increase service between Anchorage and Fairbanks from seven to nine daily flights; eight flights will be operated with the Q400 and one with a Boeing 737. Additionally, the Q400 will replace an Alaska 737 on one of two daily round-trip flights between Anchorage and Kodiak. Initial service to Kodiak will begin March 3 and end April 30, then resume again for seasonal service between October and April.

Learn more about Alaska Airlines’ plans to fly the Q400 in the state of Alaska at http://bit.ly/19MMjd2.

Editor’s note: A high-resolution photo of the Q400 warm boarding jet bridge can be downloaded from the carrier’s online image gallery at http://bit.ly/9qVv. High definition b-roll of the Q400 is available for download at http://bit.ly/1emTNEr.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves 95 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction StudySM for six consecutive years from 2008 to 2013. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines