Alaska Airlines on Tuesday announced it has placed an order with Boeing for fifteen additional aircraft, valued at $1.3 billion at list prices.
Boeing said the order for 15 Next-Generation 737 airplanes is comprised of thirteen 737-900ERs (extended range) and two 737-800s. The 737-900ER is a new model for the Alaska Airlines fleet and the order comes seven months after the airline ordered two other Boeing aircraft.
The largest and newest model in the 737 family, the 737-900ER can carry up to 26 more passengers or fly about 500 nautical miles (926 kilometers) farther than the 737-900. Alaska Airlines plans to operate the 737-900ER in a two-class configuration with 178 to 184 seats.
“The reliability and efficiency of our 737 fleet has been a direct contributor to our strong financial performance,” said Brad Tilden, president of Alaska Airlines. “The 737-900ER will be a perfect fit for our transcontinental, high traffic west coast and mid-continental markets and will be the most fuel efficient airplane in our fleet. We look forward to adding the same ‘Proudly All Boeing’ logo to these airplanes that already adorns the rest of our 737 fleet.”
The Next-Generation 737s will add capability to Alaska Airlines’ fleet of 114 737s currently serving 61 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. “Alaska Airlines has established a strong record of operational and financial performance by operating a highly efficient and flexible all-Boeing 737 fleet,” said Marlin Dailey, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The addition of these Next-Generation 737s demonstrates our hometown partner’s strong investment in its future growth. It also speaks to the continuous improvements we are making to the Next-Generation 737 in terms of efficiency, economics, reliability and passenger comfort.”
In June 2010, Alaska Airlines ordered two additional Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s in a deal valued at approximately $153 million. The deal was not announced until late July 2010.
