The network an airline operates depends upon a lot of things, such as passenger demand, competition, and also fleet strength and age.
Normally, carriers want to keep their average fleet age on the lower side, and that means planning the timely exit of some airplanes to make way for newer models that would shoulder the flight duties of the coming years.
One of United States’ major carriers, Alaska Airlines , is no exception to this rule. The airline’s mainline operations are carried out by an all-Boeing 737 fleet.
A single fleet type definitely has advantages, such as crew training and familiarization, as well as convenient rostering, but several variants within the type mean that some planes are older than others and cost more to operate.
Among the many variants that Alaska operates is the 737-700 series. These are also among the smallest groups of variants in its fleet and among the oldest as well.
Still, Alaska is seemingly content to have them around for the time being and instead is more willing to retire some of its 737-900 aircraft, which too are quite old but slightly less than the -700s.
Alaska’s fleet at a glance
For this, it relies on its fleet of Boeing 737 airplanes. The most popular variant in Alaska’s fleet is the 737-900ER. But several others make up the entire fleet as follows:
- 737-700 (11 examples)
- 737-800 (59 examples)
- 737 MAX 8 (five examples)
- 737-900 (7 examples)
- 737-900ER (79 examples)
- 737 MAX 9 (73 examples)
Alaska Airlines currently has 11 active 737-700s with an average age of 24.9 years, per ch-aviation. These planes can seat 124 passengers in a three-class configuration:
- First class: 12 seats
- Premium class: 18 seats
- Economy: 94
Its 737-800 fleet has an average age of almost 19 years and can carry 159 passengers in the following configuration:
- First class: 12 seats
- Premium class: 30 seats
- Economy: 117 seats
The 737-900 is slightly special to Alaska as it was also its launch customer. Currently, these have an average age of 23.1 years and can seat 178 passengers in the following configuration:
- First class: 16
- Premium class: 24
- Economy: 138
The Boeing 737-900ER is the most popular variant in Alaska’s fleet and is of the same length as the -900 – 138 feet, two inches long (42.1 m) – and has the same wingspan of 117 feet, five inches (35.8 m) with winglets. The key difference, however, is that it has a 510 NM longer range than the -900, at 2,720 NM.
Not only is it the largest example in the fleet, but also the youngest among the older generation of the 737s, with an average age of just nine years.
Alaska configures its 900ERs in the same three-class seating arrangement as its 737-900s, providing transport for 178 passengers on each flight.
The carrier also flies the newer generation of 737 planes – the MAX series – and has both the MAX 8 and MAX 9 variants that are currently available; Boeing is yet to certify the MAX 7 and MAX 10.
The second-largest variant in Alaska’s fleet is the 737 MAX 9, which, at 73, is fast catching up to the size of the 737-900ER’s fleet.
The MAX 9 was in the news last year for all the wrong reasons, as one of Alaska’s planes was involved in the infamous mid-flight blowout incident that was heavily scrutinized by regulators and the media alike.
The MAX9s in Alaska’s fleet have an average age of just 2.6 years and can accommodate 178 passengers, just like the 737-900 and 737-900ERs.
Fleet restructuring
Alaska is in the middle of a fleet restructuring plan. Like most major airlines, it is phasing out some of its older jets to make room for newer-generation fuel-efficient models. However, its oldest fleet type – the 737-700 – is not being touched currently.
Data from aviation analytics company Cirium shows that Alaska will keep its -700s busy in February with a total of 1,444 flights.
Some of the variant’s busiest routes next month will be between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and Juneau International Airport (JNU) in Alaska, Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) in Alaska and Seattle (SEA), and Seattle and Juneau, among others.
The 737-900 strength, on the other hand, is fast dwindling. As newer MAX variants populate Alaska’s fleet, the carrier is gradually phasing out the 737-900 planes. From 11 of the type in August last year, Alaska now has seven examples.
It’s interesting that the -700 are still part of the airline’s near-term plans but are almost just as old as the -900. Of course, eventually, these, too, would be phased out in favor of more fuel-efficient MAX variants, provided Boeing sticks to its delivery schedule.
Change of delivery plans
Even as Alaska prepares to welcome new MAX planes, the delivery schedule has not gone according to plan. The airline began 2024 with high hopes, but the January 5 MAX 9 door plug incident changed everything.
Consider the following statement that Alaska released on January 4, just a day before the MAX 9 incident:
“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.
“We proudly fly the youngest fleet of all U.S. airlines, and from 2024 through 2027, we are on track to add 15-25 new Boeing aircraft each year. We currently have firm orders for 80 more 737 MAX aircraft, and options and purchase rights for another 105. Our first 737-10 is scheduled for delivery in 2025.”
The MAX 9 aircraft was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration after the incident and Boeing’s production practices came under heavy scrutiny.
The plane maker was eventually forced to reduce its MAX production to 38, and many airlines, including Alaska, were forced to revise their fleet estimates.
Soon after, Ben Minicucci, Alaska Air Group’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said during a first-quarter investors call in April that the carrier no longer expected to add 23 new B737 MAX in 2024, stating,
“We are in discussions with Boeing, and as we gain more clarity on those deliveries, we will update our expectations, but we expect full year capacity growth at this point to be below 3%.”
Of course, Alaska wasn’t alone in this predicament. United Airlines, one of Boeing’s biggest customers, was forced to remove the MAX 10 from its near-term fleet planning as there was no sign of it being certified by the FAA amid all the trouble that Boeing was facing.
It even advised the plane maker to shift its focus on the MAX 9 instead.
Soon after, United went shopping for narrowbody planes to replace the gap left by Boeing, and rival Airbus sprang into action, ever-so-ready to accommodate the carrier's needs for the A321neo.
In October, United firmed up its preliminary agreements with aircraft lessors to add 40 Airbus A321neo aircraft in the next two to three years. Currently, airlines still await the FAA's certification of the MAX 10.
Not the only airline to phase out older 737s
Southwest Airlines , another all-737 operator, is also keen on phasing out its older 737NG models. In fact, the -700 is Southwest's most popular 737 model.
Owing to some of Southwest’s recent financial struggles, the carrier wants to gradually phase out the older 737 NG models as it prepares to include more MAXs in its fleet.
The MAX planes have enhanced range and better fuel economics, which would allow Southwest to add many more routes, including those to Hawaii from the mainland.
And speaking of the 737-700 again, while the type may be featured significantly in Southwest, and, to some extent, in Alaska’s fleet, it also quietly serves Ryanair.
The European low-cost giant isn’t exactly known for its -700 aircraft and for good reason – there’s only one of the type among the hundreds of other 737s in its fleet.
The plane (registered EI-SEV) isn’t exactly active on its scheduled commercial network but has been reconfigured to cater to the VIP market and sometimes for training missions. At more than 26 years of age, it is also over two and a half times the Group's average fleet age.
