SEATTLE, March 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines
announced plans today to broaden our mainline fleet by adjusting
our current 737-9 aircraft order with Boeing to include the bigger
737-10 and longer-range 737-8, which are all part of the 737 MAX
family of planes. These additional 737 models will enhance
Alaska's ability to meet specific
market requirements with optimal aircraft size and capability.
"We're excited to add these new 737 models to our fleet and
continue our upgauging strategy, which maximizes our revenue
opportunity with more seats while reducing unit costs," said
Nat Pieper, senior vice president of
fleet, finance and alliances at Alaska Airlines. "This announcement
is a further step in our drive toward a single fleet featuring
Boeing aircraft and CFM engines – we are very appreciative of their
partnerships."
Prior to today's announcement, Alaska's contractual 737 order featured 145
firm orders and options for 737-9 aircraft for delivery between
2021-2026. There are currently 14 737-9s in Alaska's fleet. Of the remaining 131 aircraft,
79 are firm orders and 52 are options. We now envision a mix of 70
737-9s, 60 737-10s and 15 737-8s for the 145 planes.
Aircraft
|
Target
Mix
|
Seats
|
Role in Alaska's
Fleet
|
737-10
|
60
|
189
|
Will be the largest,
most efficient aircraft in our long-term fleet
|
737-9
|
70
|
178
|
Core large aircraft
ideal for long-haul, high-demand routes
|
737-8
|
15
|
162
|
Longest-range 737 best
for high-performance and medium-sized markets
|
"The 737 MAX family can meet a broad range of missions, while
reducing fuel use, cutting emissions and offering commonality for
passengers and crews alike. We look forward to
supporting Alaska as they diversify their 737 MAX
family with the 737-8 and 737-10," said Brad McMullen, vice president of North America
Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Alaska expects to take delivery
of our first 737-8 airplanes in the second half of 2023 and our
first 737-10s in early 2024. They will build on the success of the
737-9 which offers 20% better fuel efficiency and generates 20%
less carbon emissions per seat than the Airbus A320 they're
replacing. The three 737 MAX models offer several key common
features, such as the same cockpit, same engines, and similar
aircraft and engine components.
On board our planes, we have seat pitch that's worth talking
about. We're the only U.S. airline with an average of 40" pitch in
First Class and 35" in Premium Class across our mainline fleet –
giving our guests plenty more room to stretch out. Our guests will
also soon enjoy refreshed updates to all 61 of our 737-800 aircraft
as we invest $20 million to brighten,
refurbish and add conveniences to those cabins with modifications
scheduled to begin in August.
Alaska is a member of
theoneworld global alliance.
With oneworld and our additional airline partners,
our guests can earn and redeem miles with
our highly-acclaimed Mileage Plan program to fly on more
than 20 oneworld and partner airlines all around
the globe.
Alaska remains committed to Next-Level Care for
its 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.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than
120 destinations across the United States, Belize,
Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico.
We emphasize Next-Level
Care for our guests, along with providing low fares,
award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts.
Alaska is a member
of the oneworld global alliance. With the
alliance and our additional airline 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 Alaska
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