In a year defined by a roughly month-long grounding of its Boeing 737 Max 9s and the costly acquisition of leisure carrier Hawaiian Airlines, Seattle-based Alaska Air Group posted a roughly $400 million profit.
President Trump’s Department of Transportation Secretary nominee has pledged to maintain a cap on Boeing 737 MAX production brought in by the FAA last year.
Boeing announced fourth quarter details showing it lost last year about $11.8 billion, the second heaviest loss in Boeing history.
Air New Zealand, which flies one of the longest regularly scheduled routes on the entire planet, took the top award, handed out by AirlineRatings.com. The Kiwi carrier serves Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, from New York’s JFK Airport — a distance of 8,828 miles. The trip takes 16 hours and 15 minutes.
Alaska Air Group has released details of its combined schedule for Alaska and Hawaiian airlines, with adjustments beginning to take effect in March. In an email to Pacific Business News, Alex Da Silva, Hawaiian director of external communications, listed the current Hawaiian routes that will be replaced with Alaska services later this year.
On January 8, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900ER aircraft was involved in an incident at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC). According to reports, it was being taken to a parking spot when it skidded off a taxiway and ended up in a ditch.
Alaska Airlines will offer travelers three new nonstop ways to visit its namesake state next summer, including a new longest route for its smallest jet.
Alaska Airlines communications director Tim Thompson said that a maintenance team for the airline was repositioning the plane when it “inadvertently exited a taxiway” on the way to a place to park it. Thompson said the airline would work with authorities to see if there is any damage to the aircraft.
A Seattle-based airline with a global reach, Alaska Airlines is at the forefront of regional and industry sustainability initiatives. It is also a leader in workforce development, attracting purpose-driven young professionals like Pak and others who want to pursue careers in aerospace.
Hawaiian Airlines has begun its second round of merger-related layoffs, and on Thursday issued WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices to 61 of its noncontract workforce based in Honolulu.