Alaska Airlines 'well-positioned' to compete with Delta Air Lines

Alaska Airlines reported (09-May-2014) its Apr-2014 load factor was flat in 1Q2014 compared to Apr-2013, suggesting load factors for May/Jun-2014 will also be flat. The carrier's competitive capacity is expected to increase by 8% in 2Q2014, which will "pressure yields and load factors." Throughout 2014, current airline schedules indicate that competitive capacity will be up 7% in 3Q2014 and 8% in 4Q2014. Alaska stated it receives its "largest competitive capacity" from Delta Air Lines, which is "much larger than our company and has considerable financial resources." The carrier stated it believes it is "well positioned to compete against these incursions because of our low cost structure, award-winning service, loyal customer base, and our ability to redeploy capacity effectively in order to match demand and optimize revenue." Alaska expects its unit costs to increase in 2Q2014, compared to 2013, while targeting flat unit costs for FY2014. [more - original PR]