SEATTLE, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 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 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.

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



                       September              Year-to-Date

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

     Revenue
     passengers
     (000)      3,543            3,384               4.7%  33,063   31,564              4.7%

     Revenue
     passenger
     miles
     RPM
     (000,000)
     "traffic"   4,162            3,839               8.4%  39,072   36,669              6.6%

     Available
     seat
     miles
     ASM
     (000,000)
     "capacity"  5,021            4,561              10.1%  46,169   43,548              6.0%

     Passenger
     load
     factor      82.9%           84.2%  (1.3) pts          84.6%   84.2%    0.4 pts


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

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.

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



                          September              Year-to-Date

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

    Revenue
     passengers
     (000)         2,068            1,911               8.2%  19,693   18,432               6.8%

    RPMs (000,000)  2,742            2,513               9.1%  26,582   24,767               7.3%

    ASMs (000,000)  3,298            2,973              10.9%  31,122   29,216               6.5%

    Passenger load
     factor         83.1%           84.5%  (1.4) pts          85.4%   84.8%     0.6 pts

    On-time
     arrivals as
     reported to
     U.S. DOT       86.4%           90.2%  (3.8) pts          82.0%   88.5%    (6.5) pts

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.

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



                         September              Year-to-Date

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

    Revenue
     passengers
     (000)          689              673               2.4%   6,182    6,028               2.6%

    RPMs (000,000) 1,058            1,011               4.6%   9,463    9,101               4.0%

    ASMs (000,000) 1,267            1,201               5.5%  11,274   10,820               4.2%

    Passenger load
     factor        83.5%           84.2%  (0.7) pts          83.9%   84.1%    (0.2) pts

    On-time
     arrivals as
     reported to
     U.S. DOT      77.4%           82.3%  (4.9) pts          67.2%   76.5%    (9.3) pts

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.

The following table shows regional operational results for September and year-to-date 2017, compared to the prior-year periods:



                         September              Year-to-Date

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

    Revenue
     passengers
     (000)          786              800             (1.8)%   7,188    7,105               1.2%

    RPMs (000,000)   362              315              14.9%   3,027    2,801               8.1%

    ASMs (000,000)   455              388              17.3%   3,772    3,512               7.4%

    Passenger load
     factor        79.6%           81.2%  (1.6) pts          80.2%   79.8%     0.4 pts

    On-time
     arrivals as
     reported to
     U.S. DOT      82.7%           90.1%  (7.4) pts          79.4%   87.5%    (8.1) 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 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.