SEATTLE, Sept. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today reported August 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 Dec. 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 a 5.8 percent increase in traffic on a 5.5 percent increase in capacity compared to August 2016. Load factor increased 0.4 points to 86.2 percent.

The following table shows the operational results for August and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods((1)):



                                                          August             Year-to-Date

                                                     2017          2016    Change            2017     2016      Change
                                                     ----          ----    ------            ----     ----      ------

    Revenue passengers (000)                        4,027         3,936              2.3%  29,519   28,179             4.8%

    Revenue passenger miles RPM (000,000) "traffic" 4,784         4,520              5.8%  34,909   32,830             6.3%

    Available seat miles ASM (000,000) "capacity"   5,552         5,265              5.5%  41,148   38,987             5.5%

    Passenger load factor                           86.2%        85.8%  0.4 pts           84.8%   84.2%    0.6 pts



    (1)             2016 information has been
                    adjusted to include Virgin
                    America operating results for
                    comparison.

ALASKA
Alaska reported a 6.8 percent increase in traffic on a 6.2 percent increase in capacity compared to August 2016. Load factor increased 0.5 points to 86.7 percent. Alaska also reported 82.8 percent of its flights arrived on time in August 2017, compared to 87.8 percent reported in August 2016.

The following table shows Alaska's operational results for August and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods:



                       August              Year-to-Date

                  2017          2016     Change            2017     2016       Change
                  ----          ----     ------            ----     ----       ------

     Revenue
     passengers
     (000)      2,414         2,303               4.8%  17,625   16,521               6.7%

     RPMs
     (000,000)  3,233         3,027               6.8%  23,840   22,255               7.1%

     ASMs
     (000,000)  3,732         3,513               6.2%  27,824   26,243               6.0%

     Passenger
     load
     factor      86.7%        86.2%   0.5 pts           85.7%   84.8%     0.9 pts

     On-
     time
     arrivals
     as
     reported
     to
     U.S.
     DOT         82.8%        87.8%  (5.0) pts          81.5%   88.3%    (6.8) pts

VIRGIN AMERICA
Virgin America traffic increased 2.7 percent on a 3.0 percent increase in capacity compared to August 2016. Load factor decreased 0.3 points to 85.8 percent. Virgin America also reported 66.7 percent of its flights arrived on time in August 2017, compared to 73.9 percent in August 2016.

The following table shows Virgin America operational results for August and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods:



                       August              Year-to-Date

                  2017          2016     Change            2017     2016       Change
                  ----          ----     ------            ----     ----       ------

     Revenue
     passengers
     (000)        763           744               2.6%   5,492    5,354               2.6%

     RPMs
     (000,000)  1,175         1,144               2.7%   8,405    8,089               3.9%

     ASMs
     (000,000)  1,369         1,329               3.0%  10,007    9,620               4.0%

     Passenger
     load
     factor      85.8%        86.1%  (0.3) pts          84.0%   84.1%    (0.1) pts

     On-
     time
     arrivals
     as
     reported
     to
     U.S.
     DOT         66.7%        73.9%  (7.2) pts          65.9%   75.8%    (9.9) pts

REGIONAL
Regional traffic increased 7.7 percent on a 6.6 percent increase in capacity compared to August 2016. Load factor increased 0.9 points to 83.4 percent. Regional carriers also reported 76.3 percent of its flights arrived on time in August 2017, compared to 83.1 percent in August 2016.

The following table shows regional operational results for August and year-to-date compared to the prior-year periods:



                      August              Year-to-Date

                 2017          2016     Change            2017     2016       Change
                 ----          ----     ------            ----     ----       ------

     Revenue
     passengers
     (000)       850           889             (4.4)%   6,402    6,304               1.6%

     RPMs
     (000,000)   376           349               7.7%   2,665    2,486               7.2%

     ASMs
     (000,000)   451           423               6.6%   3,317    3,124               6.2%

     Passenger
     load
     factor     83.4%        82.5%   0.9 pts           80.3%   79.6%     0.7 pts

     On-
     time
     arrivals
     as
     reported
     to
     U.S.
     DOT        76.3%        83.1%  (6.8) pts          78.9%   87.2%    (8.3) pts

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

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SOURCE Alaska Air Group Inc.