SEATTLE ,
Jan. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- Employees at Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are receiving
annual bonuses today of more than 9 percent of their annual pay, or
more than five weeks' pay for most workers. The bonus is in
addition to the approximately $1,000
in 2014 monthly bonuses that most employees earned for achieving
on-time and customer satisfaction goals.
The combined monthly and annual bonuses amounted to nearly
$116 million, the highest in
Alaska's history, and are part of
the company's incentive-based pay program.
"We're really excited to reward our employees for all the great
work they've done this year," said Tammy
Young, Alaska Airlines' vice president of human resources.
"This is the sixth year in a row Alaska and Horizon employees have exceeded
their payout targets for performance-based pay."
Nearly $51 million in annual
bonuses — 55 percent of the total — is being paid to nearly 6,000
Alaska and Horizon employees in
the Puget Sound area. Another $12
million is being paid to 2,122 employees in the Portland, Oregon, area, while $9 million is going to workers throughout the
state of Alaska.
Bonuses in Alaska Air Group's Performance Based Pay Plan are
determined by meeting specific company-wide goals for safety,
customer satisfaction, cost control and profit that are approved
annually by the board of directors. Since the inception of the
program in 2003, Alaska has paid
employees $624 million in combined
incentive-based pay and monthly bonuses.
As part of its philosophy to provide employees with rewarding
careers and good retirement benefits, Alaska Air Group has
contributed $620 million over the
past 6 years to its defined benefit pension plans, which were fully
funded in 2013.
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK),
together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100
cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in
Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers" in the J.D. Power
North American Airline Satisfaction Study for seven consecutive
years from 2008 to 2014. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan also ranked
highest in the J.D. Power 2014 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program
Satisfaction Report. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com .
For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon
Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.
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SOURCE Alaska Air Group