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! colspan="8" |Alaska Airlines passenger fleet
! colspan="8" |Alaska Airlines passenger fleet
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|[[Airbus A320-200]]
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|24
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|To be retired by January 2023.<ref name="Airbus Retirement">{{Cite web |date=December 23, 2020 |title=Alaska Airlines' Airbus Fleet Retirement Plans |url=https://onemileatatime.com/alaska-airlines-airbus-fleet-retirement-plans/#:~:text=The%20planes%20on%20firm%20order,operate%20will%20be%2010%20A321neos. |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=One Mile at a Time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 29, 2022 |title=Alaska Airlines to end A320 ops in 4Q22 |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/117878-alaska-airlines-to-end-a320-ops-in-4q22 |website=Ch-Aviation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alaska Airlines schedules A320 phase-out for early 1Q23 |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/119969-alaska-airlines-schedules-a320-phase-out-for-early-1q23 |access-date=September 29, 2022 |website=Ch-Aviation}}</ref>
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|[[Airbus A321neo]]
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Revision as of 20:21, 10 January 2023

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900ER, in a Boeing 100 Years special livery, on final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport

Alaska Airlines operates a mainline fleet consisting primarily of Boeing 737 series aircraft, with some Airbus A320 family aircraft formerly operated by Virgin America. Regional flights are operated with Alaska branded De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 and Embraer 175 planes by the Alaska-owned regional airline Horizon Air and contractor SkyWest Airlines.

Alaska Airlines operated with an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet from August 25, 2008, until January 11, 2018, at which time Alaska officially merged with Virgin America and took possession of its fleet of Airbus aircraft. The airline is working to return to operating an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet, with the transition expected to be complete by the end of 2023.

The current cargo fleet consists of three Boeing 737-700 freighter jets that were formerly passenger aircraft.

Current fleet

As of December 2022, Alaska Airlines operates the following aircraft:[1][2]

Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
F Y+ Y Total
Alaska Airlines passenger fleet
Airbus A321neo 10 — 16 24 150 190 To be retired by the end of 2023.[3]
Boeing 737-700 11 — 12 18 94 124
Boeing 737-800 61 — 12 30 117 159 Two aircraft to be converted to freighters by 2023.[4]
Boeing 737-900 12 — 16 24 138 178 Launch customer.
Boeing 737-900ER 79 — 16 24 138 178
Boeing 737 MAX 8 — 15 TBA 162 Deliveries begin in the second half of 2023.[5][6]
Boeing 737 MAX 9 37 43 16 24 138 178 To replace Airbus A320-200.[7][8][9][10]
Boeing 737 MAX 10 — 102 TBA 189 Deliveries begin in early 2024.[5][6][10]
Alaska Air Cargo fleet
Boeing 737-700F 3 — Cargo
Boeing 737-800F 2 — Cargo Deliveries begin 2023.
Horizon Air & SkyWest fleet
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 12 — — — 76 76 Operated by Horizon Air.
To be retired by January 2023.
Embraer 175 32 18 12 12 52 76 Operated by Horizon Air.
42 — Operated by SkyWest Airlines.
Total 306 180

Fleet history

A pair of Embraer 175 jets operated by Horizon Air at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California

Since the 1960s, Alaska has consistently operated Boeing jet aircraft in its fleet although the first jetliner type operated by the airline was the Convair 880. Alaska also operated the Convair 990 jetliner. Besides the current Boeing 737 models flown by Alaska, the airline previously operated Boeing 707, Boeing 720 and Boeing 720B four engine jets as well as the three engine Boeing 727-100 and 727-200, and the twin engine 737-200, 737-400 and Airbus A319.[11] The last 727 was retired in May 1994.[12]

In the 1980s, Alaska began acquiring McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.[13] Alaska acquired additional MD-80s via the acquisition of Jet America Airlines in 1987.[14] Alaska was the launch customer for the MD-83 and took delivery of the first airplanes in 1985.[13] Alaska continued to take delivery of new MD-83s during the 1990s, both to meet the demands of a growing route system and to retire its aging and fuel-inefficient 727 fleet. In 2005, due to the greater efficiency of the Boeing 737 Next Generation and rising costs for maintenance, fuel and crew training, Alaska Airlines decided to phase out the remaining 26 MD-80s and trained the pilots to fly the newer 737-800s that were being ordered to replace them. The last MD-80 flights took place on August 25, 2008.[13]

Alaska Airlines Airbus A321neo N929VA on final approach to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Alaska also used eight Boeing 737–200 Combi/QCs to suit the unique needs of flying in the state of Alaska. These combi aircraft operated with a mixed load of passengers and freight on the main deck were valued for their ability to be rapidly reconfigured (hence the moniker QC or "Quick Change") to match the specific cargo and passenger loads for any given flight. In the all-freight configuration, the 737-200 Combis carried up to six cargo containers, known as "igloos." The palletized floor allowed for passenger seating to range from 26 to 72 seats. The 737-200s were also gravel-kitted, which allowed them to be used at airports such as Red Dog, which formerly featured a gravel runway.[15] Alaska replaced the 737-200s with six reconfigured 737-400s between 2006 and 2007. Five featured a mixed cargo/passenger Combi arrangement, and one was a freighter carrying only cargo. Unlike the 737-200 Combi, the 737-400 Combis featured a fixed seating capacity of 72 seats.[16] The last 737-200 Combi (short for combination) was retired in 2007 and is now displayed at the Alaska Aviation Museum.[17][18] The 737-400 Combi aircraft were retired in October 2017.[19] Alaska Airlines also retired their passenger 737-400s in March 2018, making it the last major airline operating the 737 Classic.

The current cargo fleet consists of three Boeing 737-700 freighter jets that were formerly passenger aircraft and converted to cargo aircraft over 19 months in 2016 and 2017 by Israel Aerospace Industries.[20]

Alaska Airlines retired all 10 Airbus A319 jets acquired from the Virgin America merger in mid-2020 due to insufficient demand and low-profit margins due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional Airbus A320 retirements are soon to follow,[21] though Alaska plans to keep its 10 inherited A321neos until their leases expire in 2029.[22]

On January 24, 2021, Alaska Airlines took delivery of its first 737 MAX 9, registered N913AK.[23]

Livery

The airline's livery and logo has remained remarkably similar for the last 50 years; with the word Alaska on the front sides of the fuselage, with an image of a native Alaskan Eskimo on the vertical stabilizer as a logo.[24]

The image of the Eskimo first appeared in 1972 alongside three other images that each represented a part of Alaska's history: a totem pole, a gold miner, and Russian spires. The Eskimo is depicted wearing a traditional qulittaq (parka with ruff). In 1976, the airline adopted the Eskimo tail fleet-wide, with the design slightly changed to have the face smiling.[25]

Between the 1970s and the mid-2010s, Alaska's aircraft were painted all white (except for the image on the tail), with dark blue and teal stripes running the length of the sides of the fuselage. Between 1976 and 1990, the stripes were placed above and below the windows, with a simple, small "Alaska" text at the front of the plane.[26] In 1990, the stripes were moved to the "belt line" of the plane, and the word "Alaska" was depicted as a wordmark with the letters designed to look like icicles.[25] Starting in February 2015, Alaska rolled out an updated or "refreshed" livery. The changes included a simplified wordmark, stripes in a lighter shade of blue and darker green, and a simplified Eskimo design on the tail (no teal outline).[27]

In January 2016, the livery and logo received a major redesign. The Alaska wordmark was further streamlined and the design of the Eskimo logo was simplified and the ruffs on the parka were made more colorful. On the fuselage of planes, the stripes were eliminated and replaced by a "jelly bean" design with waves of dark blue, navy blue, teal, and green running up the side of the plane to the vertical stabilizer.[28]

References

  1. ^ "Our aircraft". Alaska Airlines. January 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "Alaska Airlines Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. April 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Alaska Airlines Will Be An All-Jet Airline By 2023". Simple Flying. March 24, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Inside Alaska Airlines' Plans For 2 Boeing 737-800 Freighters". SimpleFlying. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Alaska Airlines Reshuffles Boeing Order To Add 737 MAX 10". simpleflying.com. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Alaska Airlines broadens B737 MAX portfolio". Ch-Aviation. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  7. ^ Cook, Marc (December 29, 2020). "Boeing 737 MAX Resumes U.S. Service, Gets New Orders". AVweb. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "Boeing finalises sale of 23 737 Max to Alaska Airlines". flightglobal.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. ^ "Alaska Airlines grows B737 MAX 9 order book". Ch-Aviation. August 17, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Alaska Airlines Orders 52 Boeing 737 MAX Jets to Further Modernize Fleet". boeing.com. October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  11. ^ http://www.airliners.net, photos of Alaska Airlines Boeing 707, 720, 720B, 727-100, 727–200, 737–200 and 737-400 aircraft
  12. ^ "Alaska Airlines Accelerates Aircraft Retirement – Charges to be Taken Against 1993 Results". The Free Library. December 16, 1993. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c "Alaska Airlines Completes Transition to All-Boeing Fleet". Alaska Airlines. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  14. ^ Serling, Robert J. (2008). Character and Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines. Seattle: Epicenter Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-933245-11-9.
  15. ^ "The Airplane That Never Sleeps". Boeing. July 15, 2002. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  16. ^ "Alaska Airlines Introduces Two 737-400 "Combi" Aircraft to Fleet". Alaska Air Group. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  17. ^ Flightline Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  18. ^ "Alaska Airlines Featured in Newest Exhibit at Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum". Alaska Airlines. June 12, 2007. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  19. ^ "The end of an era: Alaska retires unique cargo-passenger 'combi' planes". Alaska Airlines Blog. October 16, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  20. ^ "Alaska Air Cargo introduces world's first converted 737-700 freighter" (Press release). Anchorage, Alaska: Alaska Airlines. September 26, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  21. ^ Gates, Dominic (May 5, 2020). "Cash crunch from coronavirus crisis will force Alaska Air to shrink". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "Alaska Replaces Most of Its Airbus Fleet with the MAX". Cranky Flier. December 23, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  23. ^ "Alaska takes delivery of first Boeing 737 Max". flightglobal.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  24. ^ "Alaska Air Group, Inc. – Company History". Funding Universe. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  25. ^ a b Knigge, Halley (January 25, 2016). "The story of the Eskimo: Who is on the tail of Alaska Airlines' planes?". Alaska Airlines Blog. Alaska Airlines. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  26. ^ "The subtle (yet classy) evolution of the Alaska Airlines livery". Norebbo. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  27. ^ Ewing, Ryan (February 20, 2015). "Photos: Alaska Shows Off a Refreshed Look". AirlineGeeks.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  28. ^ "Alaska Airlines unveils major brand updates". Alaska Airlines Blog. Alaska Airlines. January 25, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2017.

Media related to Aircraft of Alaska Airlines at Wikimedia Commons

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