Alaska Air Group Arm To Initiate Seattle-Pittsburgh Flights

Alaska Air Group’s (NYSE:ALK) wholly owned subsidiary, Alaska Airlines plans to start operating flights on a daily basis connecting Seattle and Pittsburgh. These nonstop flights are anticipated to be operational from Sep 6, 2018 and will be the first of its kind to connect the two popular destinations.

The carrier’s decision to add flights connecting Seattle to Pittsburgh is a prudent one as the latter is developing on the technological front with every passing day. This implies that traffic on the route is likely to be highly impressive, consequently aiding the company’s top line.

Going forward, Alaska Airlines intends to use B737 planes that are equipped with modern facilities to upgrade the flying experience of passengers, for the new route. The service, once operational, is expected to facilitate travel between the carrier’s hometown and Pennsylvania's second-largest city. Following the introduction of the new service, thecarrier will operate nonstop flights to 90 destinations.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price

Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price | Alaska Air Group, Inc. Quote

Apart from the expansion-related update, Alaska Air Group, which carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) was in the news recently when it announced the decision to stop flying to Cuba. The carrier will operate its last Los Angeles-Havana flight on Jan 22, 2018.

The tweaked Cuba policy announced by President Trump earlier this month might also have played a part in Alaska Air's decision. The new policy prohibits individual travel to the island nation among other things. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

In fact, Cuba has ceased to be an attractive destination for U.S.-based carriers due to lower-than-expected demand. The likes of American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) and JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) have already trimmed their services to the nation. Also, the likes of Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines (NASDAQ:SAVE) have terminated their flights to Cuba for the same reason.

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