Alaska Airlines Enhances Northern Bites Meal Service

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Jun 02, 2010, 08:00 ET

SEATTLE, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alaska Airlines today began offering its Northern Bites fresh meal service on nearly every flight over two-and-a-half hours, allowing customers to purchase a hot, fresh meal or picnic snack pack on twice as many flights as previously available.

The meal service also has been upgraded with new offerings designed by Executive Chef Clifton Lyles. New items include a grilled chicken ciabatta sandwich with sundried tomatoes, basil and provolone cheese; an artisan salami and fresh cheese plate; and a fresh fruit and cheese plate. On breakfast flights, customers can sample a scrambled egg, mushroom, cheese and ham skillet; or egg, cheese and sausage on a warm biscuit. The airline will also continue to offer its popular U.S. Certified Angus Beef® quarter-pound cheeseburger. Offerings will differ based on time of day and flight, and will cost from $6 to $7.

"'Great' and 'airline food' are not often used in the same sentence, but these offerings are delicious," said Joe Sprague, Alaska's vice president of marketing. "'Chef Cliff,' as we call him, shares our passion for offering customers high-quality airline food. He used to run his own catering company and now relishes the challenge of delivering appetizing meals at 30,000 feet."

Lyles, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, has trained under such outstanding chefs as Bruce Hill at Restaurant Oritalia in San Francisco and Patrick Clark, "Two Time Culinary World Olympic Gold Medal Winner" at Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose, Calif. He has worked for LSG Skychefs, Alaska Airlines' catering company, since June 2008.

Customers who purchase the new meals on Alaska Airlines flights are encouraged to drop Lyles a note with their comments at [email protected].

Photos and more information on the new food offerings are available at http://bit.ly/9SLg1f.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines