Alaska Airlines is adding new, daily nonstop flights between San Diego and both Washington, D.C. (IAD) and Tampa (TPA). Service to Washington, D.C. starts June 15, and service to Tampa begins on Oct. 5. We’re also adding new daily nonstop service between San Diego and Eugene, Oregon (EUG) on June 15.
Alaska Airlines is starting new nonstop service from San Diego to Washington, D.C., Tampa and Eugene, Oregon.
Alaska will serve 35 nonstop destinations from San Diego with the most nonstops of any airline. This includes flights to the Northeast, Northwest, throughout California, Mexico, Florida and to all four major islands in Hawaii, along with other locations.
New routes schedule for San Diego
Start Date
City Pair
Departs
Arrives
Frequency
Aircraft
June 15, 2023
San Diego- Washington, D.C.
8:00 a.m.
4:10 p.m.
Daily
737-9
June 15, 2023
Washington, D.C.-San Diego
10:15 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
Daily
737-9
Oct. 5, 2023
San Diego-Tampa
8:40 a.m.
4:25 p.m.
Daily
737-9
Oct. 5, 2023
Tampa-San Diego
5:30 p.m.
7:40 p.m.
Daily
737-9
June 15, 2023
San Diego-Eugene, Oregon
2:30 p.m.
4:50 p.m.
Daily
E175
June 15, 2023
Eugene, Oregon-San Diego
11:30 a.m.
1:50 p.m.
Daily
E175
All times local
Top Copyright Photo: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900 ER SSWL N282AK (msn 62473) SEA (Brian Worthington). Image: 960001.
Alaska Air Group Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended Dec. 31, 2022, and provided an outlook for the first quarter ending March 31, 2023.
“2022 was a year of significant recovery and accomplishment for Alaska Airlines,” said Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci. “Despite many challenges during the year, we ran one of the best operations, signed five new labor deals, and executed the majority of our single fleet transition. The results we posted today signal how well our teams are navigating this recovery. I want to thank our employees for their commitment to our success, and for the work they do every day to take great care of our guests. I am confident that we are well positioned to grow, compete and out-perform in 2023.”
Financial Results:
Reported net income for the fourth quarter and full year 2022 under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) of $22 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, and $58 million, or $0.45 per diluted share. These results compare to net income for the fourth quarter and full year 2021 of $18 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, and $478 million, or $3.77 per diluted share.
Reported net income for the fourth quarter and full year 2022, excluding special items and mark-to-market fuel hedge accounting adjustments, of $118 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, and $556 million, or $4.35 per diluted share. These results compare to net income for the fourth quarter and net loss for the full year 2021, excluding special items and mark-to-market fuel hedge accounting adjustments, of $31 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, and $256 million, or $2.03 per share.
Recorded $257 million of incentive pay in 2022 earned by employees for meeting or exceeding profitability, safety and emissions targets. The payout is the richest in the 20-year history of the plan, representing nearly six weeks of pay for most employees.
Recorded $2.5 billion in operating revenue for the fourth quarter, resulting in $9.6 billion in operating revenue for the full year 2022, the highest annual total in company history.
Received nearly $1.5 billion in annual cash remuneration under the renewed co-brand credit card arrangement with Bank of America, the highest level in the program’s history.
Balance Sheet and Liquidity:
Announced plans to resume share repurchases in early 2023 to offset annual dilution. Repurchases are expected to range from $75 million to $100 million in 2023.
Ended the quarter with a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 49%, within our target range of 40% to 50%.
Repaid $52 million in debt in the fourth quarter, bringing total debt payments to $385 million for the full year 2022.
Held $2.4 billion in unrestricted cash and marketable securities as of Dec. 31, 2022.
Fleet Updates:
Retired ten Airbus A320 aircraft and nine Q400 aircraft during the fourth quarter. All remaining A320 aircraft have since been retired and all remaining Q400 aircraft will be retired by the end of January 2023.
Amended a previously existing aircraft purchase agreement with Boeing to convert 52 737 MAX aircraft options to firm purchases for delivery between 2024 and 2027. Alaska also added an incremental 105 delivery positions to purchase 737 MAX aircraft between 2026 and 2030.
Received four 737-9 aircraft during the quarter, bringing the total 737-9 fleet to 37.
Received three E175 aircraft during the quarter, bringing Horizon’s total E175 fleet to 33.
Other Operational Updates:
Partnered with Lyft to offer Mileage Plan members one mile for every $1 spent on all Lyft rides in the U.S. and Canada.
Added a new Mileage Plan partner, Mokulele Airlines, to offer guests more convenient connections within the Hawaiian Islands, starting in early 2023.
Launched the first U.S. electronic bag tag program, enabling guests to tag their luggage through the airline’s mobile app before they reach the airport.
Opened the renovated C Concourse Lounge in Seattle, the first of several investments that will improve the lounge experience with more seating and food and beverage choices for guests in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Environmental, Social and Governance Updates:
Donated a retired Q400 to the Portland Community College Foundation, providing students of the Aviation Maintenance Technology and Aviation Science programs the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working on a commercial aircraft.
Completed the transition to paper cups for inflight beverages, which will replace more than 55 million plastic cups each year with a more sustainable alternative.
Donated 55 million miles to 20 different charities through Alaska’s Care Miles program in 2022.
Created a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Disability Office dedicated to ensuring Alaska becomes a leader in disability inclusion.
Top Copyright Photo: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N949AK (msn 43356) BFI (Brian Worthington). Image: 959397.
Alaska Airlines announced today the completion of our transition to paper cups for inflight beverages, a move which eliminates more than 55 million plastic cups annually and replaces them with a more planet-friendly alternative. The change to paper cups makes Alaska Airlines the first U.S. airline to eliminate plastic cups. Combined with our Boxed Water™ partnership, these changes eliminate 2.2 million pounds of plastic waste from landfills every year, the equivalent weight of 24 Boeing 737s.
Paper cups on board Alaska Airlines flights
All inflight beverages on Alaska flights are now served in Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper cups or reusable glassware for most First Class services. We began the process of eliminating our five largest sources of plastic waste in 2018 by removing plastic straws and stir sticks from inflight service – a first for any airline at the time.
In 2021, Alaska continued our progress by eliminating inflight plastic water bottle waste by replacing them with Boxed Water™, another first for airlines. Boxed Water™ cartons are made from renewable FSC certified paper, 92% of which is plant-based, saving an estimated 1.8 million pounds of single-use plastics on our flights annually.
Single-use plastics increase the use of fossil fuels, generate millions of tons of waste to landfills, and pollute waterways and natural spaces. According to the most recent EPA study, an estimated 300 million tons of plastics are produced each year worldwide with the vast majority going unrecycled, either to accumulate in landfills or the environment. While Alaska takes steps to eliminate plastics, we also encourage our guests to join us in reducing waste by bringing their own water bottles to #FillBeforeYouFly.
As part of our broader sustainability efforts, Alaska continues to pursue product innovations and supply chain advancements to achieve our 2025 goal of replacing the top five waste-producing items from onboard service and continuing to recycle. In 2021, Alaska established climate goals for its impacts in carbon, waste and water while defining a five-part pathway to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 to keep the places we live and fly beautiful and viable for generations to come.
In other news, Alaska Airlines has announced an expanded partnership with the Portland Trail Blazers organization, which includes being named the official airline of the NBA team. Portland is a crucial part of Alaska’s future, operating as a key West Coast hub where they serve the most nonstop cities of any airline.
The expanded partnership means Trail Blazers fans will see a lot more of Alaska during games and outside of basketball. Elements of this expanded partnership include sponsorship of Moda Center Theater of the Clouds, presenting “The Trail” docuseries that will soon be available in-flight, expansion of the popular “Wear in the World” promotion, new in-game features and social programs.
Top Copyright Photo: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N977AK (msn 43391) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 959480.
Alaska Airlines is elevating its regional flying experience with its all-jet fleet
Alaska is excited to become the first major airline to announce plans to offer streaming-fast satellite Wi-Fi on a regional jet aircraft. We have selected Intelsat’s newest satellite Wi-Fi technology to make that happen.
Intelsat’s new system closely aligns with Alaska’s needs for the regional fleet. The new, faster service will utilize an electronically steered array (ESA) which is a small, lighter weight antenna with no moving parts – making it easier to maintain in the unique regional environment. In an industry first, Intelsat’s new system will communicate with both traditional geostationary (GEO) satellites and new low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. With an additional $25 millioninvestment, this upgrade represents a major step forward in the travel experience for our guests, enabling higher speeds and more coverage in the air, particularly across areas in the state of Alaska.
The new system will debut on Horizon Air, our sister airline, in early 2024 and roll out across our regional jet fleet, including on our partner SkyWest, over a two-year period.
With nearly all our mainline fleet set to feature satellite Wi-Fi by this April – also installed by Intelsat – we’re on track to provide consistent streaming-fast Wi-Fi across our entire fleet by 2026.
Intelsat’s state-of-the-art satellite Wi-Fi equipment will be the first commercial application of an electronically steered antenna that communicates with both low Earth orbit and geostationary satellites located 22,000 miles from Earth. With LEO at just 300 miles from the Earth’s surface, thousands of small satellites circling the planet ensure stronger connectivity with lower latency, or delay in telecommunications. Being closer to Earth provides a benefit of a shorter delay time as data moves from the ground to satellites to aircraft and back. This unique combination of using both LEO and GEO satellites enables higher speeds and more coverage, particularly across remote areas in the state of Alaska.
With satellite Wi-Fi, you can stream, browse and chat on board using the internet much like you’re used to when you’re on the ground. You can enjoy content on your personal devices from your favorite services such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and TikTok. Or jump online if you need connectivity to get some work done. Another bonus: On our aircraft enabled with satellite Wi-Fi, you can connect from the moment you board instead of waiting for the connection to kick in after the boarding door closes – it’s seamless connectivity from gate to gate.
