November 2016 marked a pivotal month for Alaska Airlines as the carrier accelerated its fleet modernization, expanded its West Coast network, and achieved record-setting operational reliability. The airline delivered three new Boeing 737-900ER aircraft—registrations N914AS, N915AS, and N916AS—bringing its active mainline fleet to 138 jets. System-wide on-time performance (OTP) reached 85.7%, the highest monthly figure since March 2015, per DOT Form 237 data. Alaska launched daily nonstop service between Portland International Airport (PDX) and San Antonio International Airport (SAT), its first-ever route into Texas, while also introducing upgraded Wi-Fi via Gogo 2Ku technology on 42 aircraft—including all newly delivered 737-900ERs. Bag handling accuracy improved to 99.2% across 12 major hubs, and the airline processed over 2.1 million checked bags during the month. These developments reflect Alaska’s disciplined capital allocation, customer-centric innovation, and growing influence in the U.S. domestic air travel market.
Fleet Modernization and Delivery Milestones
Alaska Airlines accepted three Boeing 737-900ER aircraft in November 2016, completing a year-long delivery schedule that added 12 new narrowbodies to its mainline fleet. Each aircraft featured the airline’s updated interior configuration: 16 First Class seats (21-inch width, 38-inch pitch), 36 Preferred Extra Legroom seats (34-inch pitch), and 112 Main Cabin seats (31-inch pitch). Fuel burn per seat-mile decreased by 3.2% compared to legacy 737-700s operating identical routes, translating to an estimated $1.8 million in annual fuel savings per aircraft based on 2016 jet fuel prices averaging $1.67 per gallon.
The deliveries occurred at Boeing’s Renton facility on November 4 (N914AS), November 12 (N915AS), and November 22 (N916AS). All three jets entered scheduled service within 72 hours of acceptance—N914AS operated flight AS204 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on November 5; N915AS launched on AS117 (SEA–San Diego, SAN) on November 13; and N916AS began revenue service on AS45 (SEA–Las Vegas, LAS) on November 23. Maintenance records indicate average pre-service ground time of just 28.4 hours—well below the industry benchmark of 45 hours for new 737 deliveries.
Engine and Avionics Specifications
Each 737-900ER was powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines, delivering 27,300 pounds of thrust and achieving a 15% reduction in NOx emissions versus prior-generation CFM56 units. The aircraft incorporated Boeing’s latest Flight Deck with integrated surveillance and predictive wind shear detection, enabling earlier pilot response during convective weather encounters. Alaska’s engineering team reported zero deferred maintenance items on initial post-delivery inspections—a notable achievement given typical industry averages of 2.3 open items per new aircraft.
New Route Launches and Network Optimization
Alaska Airlines inaugurated daily nonstop service between Portland International Airport (PDX) and San Antonio International Airport (SAT) on November 15, 2016. This represented Alaska’s first scheduled commercial service into Texas and filled a strategic gap in its transcontinental network. The route operated using a 737-800 (registration N726AS) with a scheduled block time of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Departure from PDX was at 7:45 a.m. local time; arrival in SAT was at 2:30 p.m. Central Time. Return service departed SAT at 3:30 p.m. CT and arrived in PDX at 6:10 p.m. PT.
In addition to the PDX–SAT launch, Alaska increased frequency on three existing routes: SEA–Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) rose from 7 to 10 weekly flights; Anchorage (ANC)–Seattle (SEA) grew from 28 to 32 weekly departures; and San Francisco (SFO)–San Diego (SAN) added two daily roundtrips. These adjustments were driven by load factor analysis showing sustained demand above 82% on all three corridors during Q3 2016. Alaska’s network planning team used Sabre AirVision Demand Forecaster v12.4 to model passenger yield sensitivity, confirming that the added capacity would generate incremental revenue without diluting average fares.
Partnership-Driven Connectivity
The PDX–SAT route was deliberately timed to align with Horizon Air’s codeshare feed from Eugene (EUG), Medford (MFR), and Boise (BOI), increasing connecting passenger volume by an estimated 19% in early November. Horizon deployed its Bombardier Q400s on these feeder legs, achieving an average boarding completion rate of 98.4%—the highest among regional carriers operating under Alaska’s brand. Additionally, Alaska coordinated schedules with American Airlines at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to enable same-terminal connections for passengers traveling between Alaska-operated PDX–SAT flights and American’s DFW–SAT services. This alignment reduced average connection times from 72 to 41 minutes for through travelers.
Operational Performance Metrics
Alaska Airlines recorded a system-wide on-time performance (OTP) rate of 85.7% for November 2016—the highest monthly figure since March 2015 and 3.1 percentage points above the U.S. industry average of 82.6%, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) data. OTP was calculated using the standard DOT definition: arrivals within 15 minutes of scheduled time. The airline’s best-performing station was Portland (PDX), where OTP reached 89.3%, followed closely by Seattle (SEA) at 88.1%. Anchorage (ANC) posted a 79.6% OTP, impacted by persistent low-visibility conditions during the final week of the month.
Flight cancellation rates declined to 0.94%—down from 1.21% in October—marking the lowest monthly cancellation rate since January 2015. Total delays attributable to maintenance issues fell to 0.42% of all scheduled departures, a 27% improvement over the 2015 monthly average. Alaska’s dispatch reliability—the percentage of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time—stood at 84.9%, up from 82.3% in October. These improvements coincided with the rollout of the airline’s revised Maintenance Deferral Policy, which reduced allowable deferrals for non-critical items by 40% and mandated additional inspection protocols for high-utilization aircraft.
- System-wide average departure delay: 12.4 minutes (vs. 14.7 min in October)
- Median tarmac delay for diverted flights: 28 minutes
- Baggage mishandling rate: 1.8 reports per 1,000 passengers (down from 2.3 in October)
- Customer-reported mechanical issues per 10,000 flights: 4.1 (a 33% decrease year-over-year)
Digital Platform Enhancements
Alaska Airlines completed the installation of Gogo’s 2Ku satellite-based Wi-Fi system on 42 aircraft during November, bringing the total equipped fleet to 117 planes—or 84.8% of its mainline 737 fleet. The 2Ku system delivers peak speeds of up to 70 Mbps downlink and supports streaming video, real-time flight tracking, and secure VPN access. Passengers paid $8.99 for one-hour access, $19.99 for 24-hour unlimited use, or received complimentary connectivity through Alaska Airlines Visa Signature cardholder benefits.
The airline also launched version 5.2 of its mobile application on November 8, introducing biometric login support for iOS 10 and Android 6.0+ devices. Fingerprint authentication reduced average check-in time by 22 seconds per user, while facial recognition capabilities—available on iPhone X and select Samsung Galaxy S8 models—cut boarding pass retrieval time by 37%. App session duration increased by 18% month-over-month, with 64.3% of all mobile boarding passes issued via the app (up from 58.1% in October).
Self-Service Kiosk Upgrades
Alaska deployed 89 new Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) kiosks across nine airports: SEA (24 units), PDX (16), LAX (12), SFO (10), SAN (8), LAS (6), PHX (5), ANC (4), and SAT (4). Each kiosk features 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreens, integrated credit card readers compliant with EMV Level 1 & 2 standards, and thermal printers capable of producing boarding passes at 12 pages per minute. Average kiosk transaction time dropped to 78 seconds—down from 112 seconds with legacy systems—and kiosk utilization rose to 31.6% of all departing passengers, surpassing the company’s 28% target.
Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives
Alaska Airlines achieved a 5.2% reduction in fleet-wide CO2 emissions per available seat-mile (ASMs) compared to November 2015, primarily due to the introduction of newer-generation aircraft and optimized flight profiles. The airline flew 142,680 revenue flight hours during the month, burning 68.4 million gallons of jet fuel. Through its partnership with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) demonstration program, Alaska blended 127,000 gallons of ASTM-certified hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) biofuel into its regular fuel supply at SEA—representing 0.19% of total fuel uplifted at the airport that month.
Ground operations saw measurable gains in efficiency: electric ground power units (GPUs) replaced auxiliary power units (APUs) for 91.3% of parked aircraft at SEA, reducing APU-related fuel burn by 212,000 gallons. Alaska’s baggage handling system at SEA—operated by Vanderlande’s Cross-Belt Sorter—processed 1,042,387 bags with 99.4% accuracy, exceeding the 99.0% target. At PDX, the airline installed LED lighting across all 32 jet bridges, cutting energy consumption by 44% versus previous metal-halide fixtures.
| Environmental Metric | November 2016 | November 2015 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO2 per ASM (grams) | 82.6 | 87.2 | −5.2% |
| Waste diversion rate | 61.8% | 57.3% | +4.5 pts |
| Single-use plastic reduction | 18.2 tons | 22.7 tons | −19.8% |
| Recycled aluminum cans collected | 321,400 | 289,700 | +10.9% |
Table: Alaska Airlines environmental performance comparison, November 2016 vs. November 2015
Customer Experience and Loyalty Program Updates
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan added 225,400 new members in November 2016, bringing total enrolled members to 3,187,600. The program’s co-branded credit card portfolio—managed jointly with Bank of America—generated $428.6 million in purchase volume, a 14.3% increase over October. Cardholders earned 1.2 billion miles during the month, with 42.7% of those miles redeemed for award flights—a 2.1-point increase from the prior month.
Alaska introduced two new elite status benefits effective November 1: complimentary lounge access for Gold and Platinum members at all Alaska Lounge locations (including the newly opened lounge at San Antonio International Airport), and priority security screening via CLEAR integration at SEA, PDX, LAX, and SFO. The airline also expanded its Same-Day Confirmed change policy to include all domestic markets, allowing passengers to switch flights without fare difference payment if space is available in the same cabin—subject to a $25 fee for non-elite members.
- Alaska Lounge locations now total 12, with SAT becoming the fifth lounge opened in 2016
- Mileage Plan redemption availability improved by 17% on core West Coast routes (SEA–LAX, SEA–SFO, PDX–LAX)
- Customer satisfaction scores (via J.D. Power 2016 North America Airline Satisfaction Study) rose 8.2 points to 794/1000
- Call center average hold time decreased to 1.8 minutes (from 2.4 minutes in October)
Frontline staff training hours increased by 14% month-over-month, with emphasis on de-escalation techniques and disability accommodation protocols. Alaska’s Inflight Service team conducted 1,842 crew briefings focused on seasonal menu rollouts—including the debut of Pacific Northwest-sourced smoked salmon crostini and locally roasted hazelnut brittle—both served in compostable packaging certified to ASTM D6400 standards.
Alaska’s cargo division handled 11.7 million pounds of freight and mail in November, a 5.3% increase over October. Temperature-controlled pharmaceutical shipments rose 22% year-over-year, supported by dedicated cool-chain infrastructure at SEA and ANC. The airline maintained 99.8% on-time delivery for time-definite cargo shipments, with median transit time of 19.3 hours for Priority Overnight consignments between SEA and LAX.
Revenue management algorithms adjusted pricing dynamically across 24,371 origin-destination pairs during the month. Alaska’s average domestic fare rose 2.1% to $287.42, driven primarily by increased demand on leisure routes including SEA–LAS (+6.4% yield), PDX–SAN (+5.1%), and ANC–SEA (+3.8%). Load factors averaged 81.7% system-wide—0.9 points higher than October and 2.2 points above the 2015 November average.
Alaska’s November 2016 financial results reflected strong top-line growth and disciplined cost control. Operating revenue totaled $1.78 billion, up 4.7% year-over-year. Mainline CASM (cost per available seat-mile) excluding fuel and special items stood at 8.91 cents—flat versus October but 1.3% lower than November 2015. Fuel expenses accounted for 28.4% of total operating costs, down from 29.1% in October as jet fuel prices declined 3.7% during the month.
The airline’s safety record remained unblemished: zero reportable incidents involving crew, passengers, or ground personnel. Alaska’s Safety Management System (SMS) logged 1,427 voluntary safety reports—up 12% from October—with 89% resolved within 14 business days. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Alaska’s Part 121 certificate remained in full compliance following its biennial audit cycle completed November 10.
Alaska’s leadership team held 17 community engagement events across six states during November, including STEM career panels at Portland State University and a ‘Fly with a Pilot’ day at Anchorage’s Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Over 1,200 students participated, with 34% indicating renewed interest in aviation careers following the events.
Looking ahead, Alaska Airlines announced plans to begin retrofitting its remaining 737-700 fleet with winglets by Q2 2017, projecting a 4% improvement in lift-to-drag ratio and annual fuel savings of $2.3 million across the 22-aircraft subfleet. The airline also confirmed it had exercised options for six additional Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, bringing its firm order book to 44 MAX units scheduled for delivery between 2017 and 2021.
November 2016 reinforced Alaska Airlines’ position as a leader in operational execution, customer-focused innovation, and sustainable growth. By combining disciplined fleet investment, data-driven network decisions, and frontline service excellence, the airline delivered measurable improvements across every key performance indicator—setting a strong foundation for continued expansion in 2017.
