New aircraft is part of our strategic fleet plan that emphasizes growth
SEATTLE, Jan. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Alaska Airlines continues to grow as we welcome delivery of the first Boeing 737-8 to our aircraft lineup – the next component of our strategic, long-term fleet plan that builds on our strengths and provides a road map for ongoing future success.
fleet size of mainline and regional jets is currently 310.
Our guests will soon enjoy refreshed updates to our 737-800 aircraft. With modifications beginning in late 2024, we are investing $130 million to overhaul those cabins.
“It’s more important than ever that we deliver a consistent product to our guests,” said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products at Alaska Airlines. “The updates we’re making to our older Boeing aircraft will provide a more consistent guest experience on our Boeing fleet by making the cabins look and feel more like our 737-9 and 737-8 aircraft.”
The enhancements to the -800s include a move to a 161-seat configuration with 16 seats in First Class and new seats in Premium Class and main cabin, all while maintaining the same space our guests are accustomed to right now.
The new First Class seats feature a footrest and seatback device holder, allowing our guests to relax in industry-leading seat pitch that is worth talking about: We are the only U.S. airline with an average of 40″ pitch in First Class and 35″ in Premium Class across our mainline fleet. Guests can expect these same improvements to be featured on new 737-8 deliveries beginning in the second half of 2024 with retrofits coming to the first five aircraft at a later date.
Since modifications of the new configuration are expected to be completed in 2026, a subset of the -800s will receive a refresh of the existing cabin in the first half of this year to improve the guest experience.
