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Alaska Airlines Introduces Flight for Summer Travelers

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Alaska Airlines, the wholly owned subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK - Free Report) announced the addition of a seasonal nonstop flight service connecting Anchorage, AK and Spokane, WA. The airline will offer a weekly flight and will be the first to provide nonstop connectivity between the two cities. The flights, which target summer travelers, will operate from Jun 11 to Aug 27 this year.

The carrier is set to fly this route using the Boeing 737 aircraft. Facilities on these flights include Pacific Northwest-inspired food, custom leather seats, and the streaming service ‘Alaska Beyond Entertainment,’ which includes both premium and basic entertainment services for customers.

Alaska Airlines consistently upgrades and expands its network to cater to rising traffic demands. This in turn provides the company a competitive edge against other major U.S. airlines. Recently, the company announced the addition of a three-times-a-day nonstop service connecting San Diego to Sacramento and Burbank to San Jose.

Customer Satisfaction – The Motto

Alaska Airlines has a customer friendly ‘Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan’ that allows members to earn and redeem miles on 17 partner airlines. On Jun 1, the company added two new benefits for its Visa Signature Consumer cardholders. According to these, cardholders will not be charged foreign transaction fees and new cardholders will get increased bonus miles of 30,000. Members receive a variety of services including online reservation, advance seat selection, complimentary in-flight water, soft drinks as well as Starbucks coffee and tea at no extra cost. Moreover, elite members enjoy priority boarding, two free checked bags, and other complimentary benefits on Alaska

Airlines and other elite-qualifying partner airlines. With such strategies in place, it was no surprise that the carrier was named as the top traditional airline for the ninth consecutive year in an annual North American Airline Satisfaction Study by global marketing services firm, J.D. Power and Associates.

The Bottom Line

Alaska Airlines has been striving to expand its business to boost revenues and improve customer satisfaction. Earlier in the year, The company inked a deal to buy low-cost carrier Virgin America Inc., outbidding rival, JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU - Free Report) . The deal, which is expected to be completed by Jan 1, 2017, would improve Alaska Air Group’s presence in the West Coast significantly. We believe that the Virgin America deal, along with the aforesaid route expansion as well as its lucrative frequent flier program, will boost Alaska Airlines’ top line and bottom line, going forward.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Alaska Air Group presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better ranked stocks in the airlines industry include SkyWest Inc. (SKYW - Free Report) and Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPCAY - Free Report) with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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