Symbiosis on the Puget Sound

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has announced it is expanding its 737 MAX fleet by exercising extant options for 42 737-10 and ten 737-9 narrowbody airliners. The 52-airplane deal speaks compellingly to the air-carrier’s efforts to build one of the most efficient and sustainable fleets in the airline industry, and imparts momentum to the ongoing recovery of Boeing’s melancholic 737 MAX program.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci states: "This investment secures aircraft to optimize our growth through the next decade, which we know will be a formidable competitive advantage. We're proud of the strong financial foundation that uniquely positions Alaska to make this commitment to our future, and of the fantastic partnership we share with our hometown aircraft manufacturer at Boeing."

The newly announced agreement brings Alaska’s unfulfilled order-book for 737 MAX family aircraft to more than one-hundred jets, and furthers the airline’s objective of operating an all-Boeing mainline fleet by 2023. Currently, Alaska makes use of 35 737-9 aircraft, which the airline configures to seat 178 passengers. The 204 passenger MAX 10—Boeing’s largest and most efficient single-aisle model—promises to afford Alaska further route flexibility while burning twenty-percent less fuel and producing twenty-percent fewer emissions than the aircraft it replaces.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Stan Deal remarks: "As Alaska Airlines sustainably grows its fleet, the 737 MAX family offers environmental performance and flexibility to expand service across its route network. Built in our Renton factory near Alaska's headquarters in Washington state, these airplanes will carry passengers to destinations for years to come."

Notwithstanding its regional heritage, Alaska Airlines has quietly grown into the sixth-largest air-carrier in North America. The airline employs some 16,000 individuals and operates out of five hubs, with its primary hub being at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Alaska is a member of Oneworld, the world’s third-largest airline alliance, and has—for twelve consecutive years—been ranked by J.D. Power and Associates as having the highest customer satisfaction among traditional airlines.

FMI: www.boeing.com