Alaska turns small Q4 profit even as Omicron raged

“Disciplined” cost management and a “measured approach to bringing back capacity” helped Alaska Air Group grow revenue and turn a small profit during the fourth quarter of 2021, even while contending with a new coronavirus variant, the company reports. Alaska, parent to Alaska Airlines and regional carrier Horizon Air, earned an $18m profit in the final three months of 2021, compared to a $447m loss in the same period of 2020, the company says on 27 January. For the full-year 2021, the airline earned a $478m profit, reversing a $1.3b loss in 2020. Excluding federal payroll support, Alaska would have lost $256m. The busy end-of-year vacation period was “one of the most-challenging holiday travel periods we have ever experienced”, says CE Ben Minicucci. Harsh winter weather – including severe snowstorms and sub-freezing temperatures at the company’s home airport in the Northwest USA – coupled with many staff members sidelined by Covid-19, had an “acute impact” on Alaska’s operation. Those factors bit $70 from Alaska’s Q4 earnings.<br/>