Skift Take
For airlines unaffected by the Boeing 737 Max 9 grounding, there's money to be made.
Some Seattle fliers are switching their trips to Delta Air Lines as hometown carrier Alaska Airlines' schedule takes a hit from the latest Boeing 737 Max grounding.
Delta President Glen Hauenstein said Friday that the carrier has seen a "small uptick" in bookings in Seattle since the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all 737 Max 9 planes with door plugs last Saturday. Alaska operates 65 737-9s with door plugs and the grounding is forcing it to cancel between 110-150 flights per day.
United operates 79 of the 737-9s with door plugs. However, United's cancellations are a smaller percentage of its schedule – it has a 945 plane-strong mainline fleet compared to 230 for Alaska.
"It's kind of minimal in the grander scheme of things, but it's relevant in Seattle," Hauenstein told analysts on Delta's fourth-quarter earnings call. Both Alaska and Delta have hubs in Seattle.
Delta reported an adjusted operating profit of $6.3 billion for 2023. That translates to an operating margin of 11.6%. Its adjusted net profit was $4 billion.
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