Alaska Airlines Launches Travel Planning Facebook Application

With FlyingSocial™, users can book travel to connect with friends around the country

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Sep 22, 2011, 08:00 ET

SEATTLE, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines has launched a Facebook application called FlyingSocial™, which allows users to plan travel to visit their friends around the country. With the new app, users can view a map populated with photos of their Facebook friends located in cities Alaska Airlines flies and, with a click, can view one-way fares or mileage award levels to the closest airport near their friend's hometown. To purchase a ticket, users can simply click on 'Shop Now' and they are automatically redirected to alaskaair.com.

"Facebook is about making new connections as well as staying connected with the people you care about," said Curtis Kopf, Alaska Airlines' managing director, customer innovation & alaskaair.com. "FlyingSocial™ takes that a step further by making it fun and easy to visit your Facebook friends. Social media has become an integral part of many customers' lives and this tool helps them begin their travel planning directly from Facebook."

Kopf said that the airline began offering FlyingSocial™ on its Facebook page on August 31, and has since had more than 2,000 people access the application. To access the app, users simply visit Alaska Airlines' Facebook page.

FlyingSocial™ is part of the airline's ongoing effort to make travel easier and more fun using innovative technology. Earlier this year, Alaska Airlines launched a redesigned Web site to make booking travel easier, and last month rolled out a new travel app for the iPhone. The airline plans to launch an Android smartphone app later this year.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies(SM). For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines