Alaska Air Group reports September 2017 operational results

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today reported September and year-to-date operational results on a consolidated basis, for its mainline operations operated by subsidiaries Alaska Airlines, Inc. (Alaska) and Virgin America Inc. (Virgin America), and for its regional flying operated by subsidiary Horizon Air Industries, Inc. (Horizon) and third-party regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and Peninsula Airlines.

Air Group's acquisition of Virgin America took place on December 14, 2016. Operational results below include Virgin America results from pre-acquisition periods for comparison.

AIR GROUP
On a combined basis for all operations, Air Group reported an 8.4 percent increase in traffic on a 10.1 percent increase in capacity compared to September 2016. Load factor decreased 1.3 points to 82.9 percent.

ALASKA
Alaska reported a 9.1 percent increase in traffic on a 10.9 percent increase in capacity compared to September 2016. Load factor decreased 1.4 points to 83.1 percent. Alaska also reported 86.4 percent of its flights arrived on time in September 2017, compared to the 90.2 percent reported in September 2016.

VIRGIN AMERICA
Virgin America traffic increased 4.6 percent on a 5.5 percent increase in capacity compared to September 2016. Load factor decreased 0.7 points to 83.5 percent. Virgin America also reported 77.4 percent of its flights arrived on time in September 2017, compared to 82.3 percent in September 2016.

REGIONAL
Regional traffic increased 14.9 percent on a 17.3 percent increase in capacity compared to September 2016. Load factor decreased 1.6 points to 79.6 percent. Alaska's regional partners also reported 82.7 percent of its flights arrived on time in September 2017, compared to 90.1 percent in September 2016.