Horizon Air planes get an Alaska makeover

TACOMA -- SeaTac-based regional airline Horizon Air begins today adopting the brand of its brother airline, Alaska Airlines.

The two airlines, both owned by the Alaska Air Group, announced early today that Horizon's stylized sun logo and its brown and red paint scheme will be abandoned in favor of Alaska's Eskimo and its blue and teal livery.

The rebranding will extend to all of Horizon's 50-plus aircraft, its counters and other identifying public signage. The change follows a shift earlier this year to a new kind of business arrangement between the two separate carriers, both headquartered on International Boulevard south of Sea-Tac Airport.

The rebranding effort will take about a year to accomplish, said Horizon CEO Glenn Johnson.

Under that new business arrangement, Alaska will assume all marketing, scheduling and promotion of Horizon's routes throughout the West, Mexico and Canada. Horizon will provide aircraft and flight crews to Alaska under a capacity purchase agreement.

Under that arrangement, Alaska will pay Horizon a fixed cost for flying a route with Alaska reaping the rewards or the losses from that route based on fares and tickets sold.

Horizon was founded in Seattle in 1981 by entrepreneur Milt Kuolt and private investors. Alaska acquired Horizon in 1986. The two airlines had maintained separate operations but sold their flights on a common website and operated their flights in close cooperation with each other.

Horizon operates shorter routes in the West connecting smaller cities such as Yakima, Wenatchee and Pasco to Alaska's hubs in Portland and Seattle. It flies a fleet of turboprop, 76-passenger Q400 aircraft along with 70-passenger CRJ -700 jets.

Horizon said today it intends to complete its transition to an all-Q400 fleet by June. Of the 13 remaining jets in its fleet, eight will be subleased to another carrier for its use.

The remaining five will be leased to Skywest Airlines, which will fly them on behalf of Alaska on existing routes that are unsuitable for either Alaska's Boeing 737s or Horizon's Q400s, the airline holding company said.

Alaska is also investigating whether Horizon Q400s could be utilized on some of the less trafficked routes within Alaska where Alaska Airlines now flies just 737s.

For passengers, the cosmetic changeovers will have little if any effect, Alaska said.

The new paint job on Horizon's fleet will retain a smaller Horizon name on the fuselage to indicate the Alaska-branded flight is being flown by Horizon.

Horizon's service distinctions including complimentary Northwest wine and microbrews will remain unchanged. Likewise, crew and airport staff uniforms will remains as is.

The capacity purchase arrangement, common in the airline industry, will allow Alaska to consolidate some common operations and cut costs below the present levels.

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