Alaska Airlines preserves its enviable financial foundation while persevering in Seattle

Alaska Air Group's robust financial foundation seems unshakeable even as it continues to face short term capacity pressure from Delta at its Seattle hub.

Some of the hype surrounding Delta's aggressive build-up in Seattle during the past year is fading, leaving the two airlines to devise strategies to effectively compete with one another until the market reaches a new level of stability.

But even with the added pressure, Alaska continues to drive ample top-line profit growth while remaining focussed on lowering costs and sustaining one of the cleanest balance sheets in the US airline industry. Those elements combine to create a strong competitive shield against Delta, which also must wait for its rapid capacity growth in Seattle during the past year to reach maturity.