Alaska Air, Horizon Match Southwest

Following a free-ticket blitz announced by Southwest Airlines on Wednesday, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Thursday began their own promotion.

Fare-paying passengers traveling out of Spokane from Jan. 22 to Feb. 5 - the same dates of Southwest’s promotion - will be eligible for a free ticket. They also can donate the ticket to one of three charities.

“They initiated that, and we’re matching it, but in a different way, giving it an Alaska Airlines touch,” said Lou Cancelmi, a spokesman for Alaska.

Passengers completing a trip can redeem their tickets for free travel from Feb. 6 through May 22. On Alaska Airlines, the free travel is good for flights from Spokane to Seattle, Portland or any city the airline serves in California. On Horizon, the free ticket can be redeemed for travel to Seattle, Portland or Sacramento.

The three charities included in the promotion are: AirLifeLine, which provides free travel for people who face a medical emergency; the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses, and the Alaska Shrine Hospital Children’s Transportation Fund, which transports children whose families can’t afford air fare from Alaska to hospitals in other states.