Alaska Air Group Reports December Traffic

1/6/2009 5:03 a.m.

SEATTLE — Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) today reported December operational results for its subsidiaries, Alaska Airlines (Alaska) and Horizon Air (Horizon).

ALASKA AIRLINES

Alaska reported a nearly five-point increase in load factor to 80.7 percent in December 2008, compared to 75.8 percent in December 2007, on a 10.9 percent decline in available seat miles (ASMs) compared to the prior-year period. Alaska also reported that 58.4 percent of its flights arrived on time in December 2008, a 12.7-point decrease compared to the 71.1 percent reported in December 2007. The decline was primarily caused by severe winter storms that adversely affected operations in Seattle and Portland in the last two weeks of December. The following tables show the operational results for December 2008 and for the full year 2008 compared to the prior-year periods:
   

2008

December

2007

 

Change

 

2008

Year-to-Date

2007

 

Change

Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) (000,000)  

1,482


1,563
 

(5.2)%

 

18,711

 

18,452

 

1.4%

Available seat miles
(ASMs) (000,000)

 

1,836

 

2,061

 

(10.9)%

 

24,218

 

24,210

 

0.0%

Passenger load factor

80.7%

75.8%

4.9 pts

77.3%

76.2%

1.1%

Revenue passengers (000)

1,277

1,436

(11.1)%

16,809

17,559

(4.3)%

On-time arrivals as reported to U.S. DOT  

58.4%

 

71.1%

 

(12.7) pts

 

78.3%

 

72.4%

 

5.9pts


HORIZON AIR

Horizon reported a slight increase in load factor to 72.8 percent in December 2008, compared to 72.4 percent in December 2007, on a 21.8 percent decline in capacity compared to the prior-year period. Horizon’s operations were also adversely affected by the weather in December and reported that 53.6 percent of its flights arrived on time in December 2008, a 13-point decrease compared to the 66.6 percent reported in December 2007. The following tables show the operational results for December 2008 and for the full year of 2008 compared to the prior-year periods:

             
   

2008

December

2007

 

Change

 

2008

Year-to-Date

2007

 

Change

RPMs (000,000)  

183

 

233

 

(21.5)%

 

2,635

 

2,918

 

(9.7)%

ASMs (000,000)

 

251

 

321

 

(21.8)%

 

3,617

 

3,978

 

(9.1)%

Passenger load factor

72.8%

72.4%

0.4 pts

72.9%

73.4%

(0.5) pts

Revenue passengers (000)

532

637

(16.5)%

7,390

7,552

(2.1)%

On-time arrivals as
reported to U.S. DOT
 

53.6%

 

66.6%

 

(13.0) pts

 

83.1%

 

80.7%

 

2.4 pts

             

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Traditional Network Carriers (tie)" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 North America Airline Satisfaction StudySM. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.