SEATTLE, Aug. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska
Airlines announced today it is accelerating its fleet growth by
exercising options early on 12 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. The option
aircraft are now firm commitments for 2023 and 2024. This
additional commitment brings Alaska's total firm 737-9 order to 93
aircraft, five of which are currently in service.
Alaska announced a restructured agreement with Boeing
in December 2020 to acquire 68 737-9 aircraft between
2021 to 2024, with options for another 52 deliveries between 2023
and 2026. This year, the airline has exercised 25 of the options,
including 13 planes in May. As part of this transaction,
Alaska will add 25 options to
backfill the ones that have been exercised.
"We are excited to accelerate Alaska's growth, building on our solid
financial foundation that enabled us to weather the pandemic," said
Nat Pieper, Alaska Airlines senior
vice president of fleet, finance and alliances. "These
aircraft are a prudent, long-term investment in our business that
we can make while simultaneously maintaining our strong balance
sheet."
Deliveries
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
TOTAL
|
Original Firm
Order
|
12
|
31
|
13
|
12
|
68
|
May Option
Exercise
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
4
|
13
|
August Option
Exercise
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
2
|
12
|
TOTAL
|
12
|
31
|
32
|
18
|
93
|
"Boeing continues to be a terrific partner for Alaska. We began flying our first 737-9s this
past spring, and we're extremely pleased with the operational,
financial and environmental performance of the aircraft," said
Pieper. "The planes are exceeding our expectations – from how quiet
the engines run to the greater range they provide – and our guests
love them."
Alaska's 737-9s are configured
to carry 178 guests with 16 First Class seats and 24 Premium Class
seats, which provide the most premium legroom of any other U.S.
airline.
As more travelers take to the skies, Alaska remains committed to Next-Level
Care for our guests and employees by implementing more than
100 ways to maintain the highest standard of safety – from clean
planes to clean air in the cabin (with hospital-grade air
filtration systems). For everyone's safety on board, Alaska continues to enforce the federally
mandated mask policy, even for those who are fully
vaccinated.
On board, our guests will enjoy the amazing customer
service we're known for. We've recently expanded food and
beverage service on our flights, adding more West Coast
inspired meals in First Class like Guajillo Chile-Lime
Salad with ancient grains, and additional fresh food
items throughout the cabin that can
be pre-ordered before departure up to two weeks
before departure. Guests can relax and get in
a vacation state-of-mind with free craft beer, West
Coast wines and cocktails in First Class and Premium
Class, which are also available for purchase in the main
cabin.
Guests can stay connected with inflight internet or
satellite Wi-Fi available on most flights. For
entertainment, kick back and select from more than 1,000 movies and
TV shows that can be streamed to your own personal service for
free. From mid-September through mid-October, we'll be
celebrating Latinx content and
creators with special entertainment selections.
Alaska is the newest member of
the oneworld global alliance. With oneworld and our
additional airline partners, guests can fly to as many as
1,000 destinations around the world. Flyers can also earn and
redeem miles with our highly-acclaimed Mileage Plan
program to fly on more than 20 oneworld and airline
partners.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 120
destinations across the United States and
to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. The airline
emphasizes Next-Level Care for its guests, along with
providing low fares, award-winning customer service and
sustainability efforts. Alaska is a member
of oneworld. With the global alliance and the airline's
additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000
destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming
miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about
our climate impact goals at blog.alaskaair.com. Read about
Alaska Airlines at newsroom.alaskaair.com
and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are
subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines