Alaska Air Group is on track to begin selling "preferred seating" in the economy cabins of its Boeing 737s next month, company officials say on 23 April.
"We will be launching preferred seating ancillary services, coming on line next month," Andrew Harrison, Alaska's chief revenue office, says during the company's first quarter 2015 earnings call. "We are looking very hard at how we segment our passengers and [at] getting more revenue out of our cabin."
At first, the company will upsell only exit row seats and seats in front of the bulkhead, though it might expand the programme, says chief financial officer Brandon Pedersen. Prices will start at $15 for flights up to about 1,000 miles, he adds.
"If we get a good uptake, we might expand it," Pedersen says.
Sales of preferred seats will include a free drink and priority boarding, he adds.
Alaska, which owns Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, reported record first quarter earnings on 23 April, with operating profit jumping 69% to $238 million
Ancillary revenue, however, declined 9% per passenger due to a promotion offering free checked bags to members of the company's frequent flier programme, the company reports.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
