{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"94514","rtpr_id":"nPn3m5XxPa","ticker":"ALK","exchange":"NYSE","all_tickers":["ALK"],"title":"Alaska Airlines, Inc. doubles cargo capacity with addition of four freighters","author":"PR Newswire","published_at":"2026-07-21T20:30:00.818Z","article_body":"Alaska Airlines, Inc. doubles cargo capacity with addition of four freighters\n\nPR Newswire\n\nSEATTLE, July 21, 2026\n\n * Additional Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft expand the airline's freighter fleet to\nnine, providing greater aircraft allocation flexibility\n * More capacity provides communities increased reliability for critical goods\nwhile expanding the carrier's international shipping opportunities\n * Cargo growth advances the company's Alaska Accelerate strategic plan,\ndelivering $150 million of new annual profit\nSEATTLE, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines, Inc. today announced\nit is entering into long-term lease agreements to add four 737-800 Boeing\nConverted Freighter (BCF) aircraft to its dedicated cargo fleet, increasing\nthe carrier's 737 freighter fleet from five to nine aircraft.\n\nThe four additional freighters will effectively double the capacity of our\nfreighter fleet, while injecting more reliability into cargo service for\ncommunities we serve and providing more flexibility in aircraft allocation\nacross the airline's cargo network.\n\nThe freighters are expected to enter service in the first half of 2027 and\nwill be dedicated to the states of Alaska and Hawai'i, with the plan to paint\nHawai'i-based cargo aircraft in Hawaiian Air Cargo livery.\n\nThese additional freighters help strengthen the network that connects\ncommunities across the states of Alaska and Hawai'i to the contiguous U.S.,\nand links them into Alaska's broader global cargo network. Added capacity in\nHawai'i is also expected to benefit e-commerce and logistics industries by\ngiving businesses increased reliability in moving goods.\n\n\"Alaska Air Cargo has two very important goals: supporting our communities and\ncustomers and connecting them to the world,\" said Ian Morgan, Vice President\nof Cargo at Alaska Airlines. \"Expanding our cargo fleet with dedicated\naircraft helps us accomplish both goals, opening up new international shipping\nopportunities for seafood and other commodities, while making sure we can\nreliably ship time-sensitive goods that our communities need, such as\nmedicine, household supplies and groceries.\"\n\n\"Transportation has always been one of the biggest challenges for agriculture\nin Hawaiʻi,\" said Jayson Watts, Chair of the Hawaiʻi Agribusiness\nDevelopment Corporation and a member of the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian\nAirlines Hawaiʻi Community Advisory Board. \"Having more dedicated cargo\ncapacity gives our farmers and ranchers another reliable, consistent way to\nget fresh products to market. That's a win for local agriculture, a win for\nour communities, and a critical step toward building a stronger, more\nresilient food system.\"\n\nAlaska Air Cargo's growth underscores its importance to diversifying Alaska's\nrevenue base. As part of the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan, cargo is poised\nto deliver $150 million of new annual profit as we integrate the cargo\noperations of Alaska and Hawaiian and expand internationally out of Seattle.\n\nAs the only legacy passenger airline with a dedicated cargo fleet, Alaska Air\nCargo carries more than 370 million pounds of cargo each year to more than 100\ndestinations across North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The\nadditional four 737-800 freighters represent a continued investment in fast,\nreliable shipping, while positioning the airline's cargo business for future\ngrowth.\n\nAbout Alaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo\nAlaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo together serve 110-plus destinations around the\nworld with more than 1,300 daily flights. We offer a variety of reliable\nshipping products, a long history of cold-chain innovations and unmatched\ncustomer service throughout our shared network. Alaska Air Cargo is the only\npassenger airline in the U.S. with dedicated cargo planes, and our freighter\nfleet serves 19 communities across the state of Alaska. Our cargo teams also\noffer belly-cargo service on more than 400 passenger planes - including B787\nand A330 widebody aircraft - serving the continental U.S., Canada, Hawai'i,\nJapan, South Korea, the South Pacific, Mexico and Europe.\n\nAbout Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon\nAlaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska\nAir Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a\nglobal airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los\nAngeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our\nguests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America,\nAsia, the Pacific and Europe. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=3692768991&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaair.com%2F&a=alaskaair.com)\nand hawaiianairlines.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=3256426139&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiianairlines.com%2F&a=hawaiianairlines.com)\n. Alaska and Hawaiian are members of the oneworld alliance. Members of our\nAtmos Rewards\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=659001367&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaair.com%2Fatmosrewards&a=Atmos+Rewards)\n loyalty program can earn and redeem points with oneworld airlines and our\nadditional global partners that serve over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn\nmore about what's happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=4019857326&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.alaskaair.com%2F&a=news.alaskaair.com)\n. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as \"ALK.\"\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-inc-doubles-cargo-capacity-with-addition-of-four-freighters-302831266.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-inc-doubles-cargo-capacity-with-addition-of-four-freighters-302831266.html)\n\nSOURCE Alaska Airlines\n\n\n\nMedia Relations, newsroom@alaskaair.com\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1890476/Hawaiian-Air-Cargo-Additional-Freighters.jpg?id=OA2778175\nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS408206/Alaska-Airlines-Logo-Logo.jpg?id=OA2778167\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nPn3m5XxPa","title":"Alaska Airlines, Inc. doubles cargo capacity with addition of four freighters","author":"PR Newswire","ticker":"ALK","created":"2026-07-21T20:30:00.818Z","tickers":["ALK"],"exchange":"NYSE","article_body":"Alaska Airlines, Inc. doubles cargo capacity with addition of four freighters\n\nPR Newswire\n\nSEATTLE, July 21, 2026\n\n * Additional Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft expand the airline's freighter fleet to\nnine, providing greater aircraft allocation flexibility\n * More capacity provides communities increased reliability for critical goods\nwhile expanding the carrier's international shipping opportunities\n * Cargo growth advances the company's Alaska Accelerate strategic plan,\ndelivering $150 million of new annual profit\nSEATTLE, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines, Inc. today announced\nit is entering into long-term lease agreements to add four 737-800 Boeing\nConverted Freighter (BCF) aircraft to its dedicated cargo fleet, increasing\nthe carrier's 737 freighter fleet from five to nine aircraft.\n\nThe four additional freighters will effectively double the capacity of our\nfreighter fleet, while injecting more reliability into cargo service for\ncommunities we serve and providing more flexibility in aircraft allocation\nacross the airline's cargo network.\n\nThe freighters are expected to enter service in the first half of 2027 and\nwill be dedicated to the states of Alaska and Hawai'i, with the plan to paint\nHawai'i-based cargo aircraft in Hawaiian Air Cargo livery.\n\nThese additional freighters help strengthen the network that connects\ncommunities across the states of Alaska and Hawai'i to the contiguous U.S.,\nand links them into Alaska's broader global cargo network. Added capacity in\nHawai'i is also expected to benefit e-commerce and logistics industries by\ngiving businesses increased reliability in moving goods.\n\n\"Alaska Air Cargo has two very important goals: supporting our communities and\ncustomers and connecting them to the world,\" said Ian Morgan, Vice President\nof Cargo at Alaska Airlines. \"Expanding our cargo fleet with dedicated\naircraft helps us accomplish both goals, opening up new international shipping\nopportunities for seafood and other commodities, while making sure we can\nreliably ship time-sensitive goods that our communities need, such as\nmedicine, household supplies and groceries.\"\n\n\"Transportation has always been one of the biggest challenges for agriculture\nin Hawaiʻi,\" said Jayson Watts, Chair of the Hawaiʻi Agribusiness\nDevelopment Corporation and a member of the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian\nAirlines Hawaiʻi Community Advisory Board. \"Having more dedicated cargo\ncapacity gives our farmers and ranchers another reliable, consistent way to\nget fresh products to market. That's a win for local agriculture, a win for\nour communities, and a critical step toward building a stronger, more\nresilient food system.\"\n\nAlaska Air Cargo's growth underscores its importance to diversifying Alaska's\nrevenue base. As part of the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan, cargo is poised\nto deliver $150 million of new annual profit as we integrate the cargo\noperations of Alaska and Hawaiian and expand internationally out of Seattle.\n\nAs the only legacy passenger airline with a dedicated cargo fleet, Alaska Air\nCargo carries more than 370 million pounds of cargo each year to more than 100\ndestinations across North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. The\nadditional four 737-800 freighters represent a continued investment in fast,\nreliable shipping, while positioning the airline's cargo business for future\ngrowth.\n\nAbout Alaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo\nAlaska and Hawaiian Air Cargo together serve 110-plus destinations around the\nworld with more than 1,300 daily flights. We offer a variety of reliable\nshipping products, a long history of cold-chain innovations and unmatched\ncustomer service throughout our shared network. Alaska Air Cargo is the only\npassenger airline in the U.S. with dedicated cargo planes, and our freighter\nfleet serves 19 communities across the state of Alaska. Our cargo teams also\noffer belly-cargo service on more than 400 passenger planes - including B787\nand A330 widebody aircraft - serving the continental U.S., Canada, Hawai'i,\nJapan, South Korea, the South Pacific, Mexico and Europe.\n\nAbout Alaska, Hawaiian and Horizon\nAlaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska\nAir Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a\nglobal airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los\nAngeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our\nguests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America,\nAsia, the Pacific and Europe. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=3692768991&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaair.com%2F&a=alaskaair.com)\nand hawaiianairlines.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=3256426139&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiianairlines.com%2F&a=hawaiianairlines.com)\n. Alaska and Hawaiian are members of the oneworld alliance. Members of our\nAtmos Rewards\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=659001367&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alaskaair.com%2Fatmosrewards&a=Atmos+Rewards)\n loyalty program can earn and redeem points with oneworld airlines and our\nadditional global partners that serve over 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn\nmore about what's happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com\n(https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4736319-1&h=4019857326&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.alaskaair.com%2F&a=news.alaskaair.com)\n. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as \"ALK.\"\n\nView original content to download\nmultimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-inc-doubles-cargo-capacity-with-addition-of-four-freighters-302831266.html\n(https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-inc-doubles-cargo-capacity-with-addition-of-four-freighters-302831266.html)\n\nSOURCE Alaska Airlines\n\n\n\nMedia Relations, newsroom@alaskaair.com\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1890476/Hawaiian-Air-Cargo-Additional-Freighters.jpg?id=OA2778175\nhttps://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS408206/Alaska-Airlines-Logo-Logo.jpg?id=OA2778167\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-07-21T20:30:00.886538793Z","server_sent_at_ms":1784665800886},"received_at":"2026-07-21T20:30:00.939Z","source_url":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-inc-doubles-cargo-capacity-with-addition-of-four-freighters-302831266.html"},"analysis":{"id":"83559","press_release_id":"94514","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Airlines","sector":"Industrials"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"operations_update","narrative":"Alaska Airlines announced it will add four Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft to its fleet through long-term leases, effectively doubling its dedicated cargo capacity to nine aircraft.\n\nThe expansion, expected to be operational by the first half of 2027, supports the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan and is projected to deliver $150 million of new annual profit.\n\nThe additional freighters will serve routes between Alaska, Hawai'i, and the contiguous U.S., enhancing reliability for critical goods and expanding international shipping opportunities.","sentiment":"bullish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Cargo fleet doubling targets $150M profit boost by 2027."},"keyFigures":{"customDimensions":{"cargo_volume_lbs":370000000,"freighters_added":4,"total_freighter_fleet":9,"new_annual_profit_target":150000000}},"quotedText":"Expanding our cargo fleet with dedicated aircraft helps us accomplish both goals, opening up new international shipping opportunities for seafood and other commodities, while making sure we can reliably ship time-sensitive goods that our communities need","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Ian Morgan","role":"Vice President of Cargo"},{"name":"Jayson Watts","role":"Chair of the Hawaiʻi Agribusiness Development Corporation"}],"products":["Boeing 737-800BCF"],"companies":[{"name":"Alaska Airlines, Inc.","ticker":"ALK"},{"name":"Boeing"},{"name":"Hawaiian Airlines","relationship":"subsidiary"},{"name":"Horizon Air","relationship":"subsidiary"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$150 million","context":"new annual profit"}]},"materialImpact":{"score":3,"reasoning":"Doubling the dedicated cargo fleet with four new freighters is a significant strategic move that explicitly targets $150 million in new annual profit. While material to the long-term strategy, the impact is future-based (service starts 2027) and execution-dependent."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"ALK"},"globalImportance":20,"audienceRelevance":25,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"mid-cap","eventGravity":"strategic_expansion","sectorWeight":"standard"}},"event_type":"operations_update","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"bullish","material_impact_score":3,"narrative":"Alaska Airlines announced it will add four Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft to its fleet through long-term leases, effectively doubling its dedicated cargo capacity to nine aircraft.\n\nThe expansion, expected to be operational by the first half of 2027, supports the Alaska Accelerate strategic plan and is projected to deliver $150 million of new annual profit.\n\nThe additional freighters will serve routes between Alaska, Hawai'i, and the contiguous U.S., enhancing reliability for critical goods and expanding international shipping opportunities.","key_figures":{"customDimensions":{"cargo_volume_lbs":370000000,"freighters_added":4,"total_freighter_fleet":9,"new_annual_profit_target":150000000}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Ian Morgan","role":"Vice President of Cargo"},{"name":"Jayson Watts","role":"Chair of the Hawaiʻi Agribusiness Development Corporation"}],"products":["Boeing 737-800BCF"],"companies":[{"name":"Alaska Airlines, Inc.","ticker":"ALK"},{"name":"Boeing"},{"name":"Hawaiian Airlines","relationship":"subsidiary"},{"name":"Horizon Air","relationship":"subsidiary"}],"dollarAmounts":[{"amount":"$150 million","context":"new annual profit"}]},"model_name":"glm-4.7","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-07-21T22:03:24.377Z","global_importance":20,"audience_relevance":25,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"mid-cap","eventGravity":"strategic_expansion","sectorWeight":"standard"}},"durationMs":275879,"modelName":"glm-4.7"}}