Alaska Airlines today voiced concerns that the Boeing strike could greatly affect its fleet and capacity plans.
The all-Boeing 737 operator's capacity agenda is dependent "on what happens in the Boeing strike", said Alaska VP finance and controller Brandon Pederson during the Boyd aviation forecast conference in Aspen.
According to Flight's ACAS database, Alaska holds firm orders for a further 21 737-800s.
A total 10 of these are slated to be delivered by April, says Pederson, warning that "not having those airplanes would have a significant impact on our business".
The Seattle-based carrier shed the last of its Boeing MD-80s on 25 August. The decision to rid the fleet of MD-80s made sense to Alaska in 2006 at $40/barrel oil but it "certainly makes sense at $100/barrel oil", says Pederson.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
