Alaska Air Group reports third quarter 2019 results October 24, 2019 Alaska Airlines 28 min read Share Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Financial Highlights: Reported net income for the third quarter of 2019 under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) of $322 million, or $2.60 per diluted share, compared to net income of... SEATTLE, Oct. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Financial Highlights: Reported net income for the third quarter of 2019 under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) of $322 million, or $2.60 per diluted share, compared to net income of $217 million, or $1.75 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2018. Reported net income for the third quarter of 2019, excluding merger-related costs and mark-to-market fuel hedge accounting adjustments, of $326 million, or $2.63 per diluted share, compared to $237 million or $1.91 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2018. This quarter's adjusted results compare to the First Call analyst consensus estimate of $2.52 per share. Paid a $0.35 per-share cash dividend in the third quarter, a 9% increase over the dividend paid in the third quarter of 2018. Repurchased a total of 874,019 shares of common stock for approximately $53 million in the first nine months of 2019. Generated $1.4 billion of operating cash flow in the first nine months of 2019. Made a voluntary contribution of $65 million to defined benefit pension plans in the third quarter. Held $1.6 billion in unrestricted cash and marketable securities as of Sept. 30, 2019. Reduced debt-to-capitalization ratio to 42% as of Sept. 30, 2019 compared to 47% as of Dec. 31, 2018. Operational Highlights: Alaska's clerical, office, passenger service, ramp and stores employees, represented by the International Association of Machinists, ratified a new five-year agreement in August. Opened a new 15,000+ square foot flagship lounge in the North Satellite at Sea-Tac International Airport in July. Reallocated flying to expand offerings between the Pacific Northwest and California, increasing network utility and providing more non-stop service on the West Coast. Completed cabin interior renovations of the 25th Airbus aircraft during the third quarter. Installed high-speed satellite Wi-Fi on the 54th mainline aircraft. Recognition and Awards: Named "Best U.S. Airline" by Condé Nast Traveler for the second consecutive year. Ranked as top U.S. airline in Newsweek's 2020 Best Customer Service awards. Mileage Plan ranked first in the U.S. News & World Report's list of Best Airline Rewards Programs for the fifth consecutive year. Ranked as the top U.S. airline in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the third consecutive year. Ranked among Forbes' 2019 global list for "World's Best Employers." Alaska Air Group Inc. today reported third quarter 2019 GAAP net income of $322 million, or $2.60 per diluted share, compared to $217 million, or $1.75 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2018. Excluding the impact of merger-related costs and mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments, the company reported adjusted net income of $326 million, or $2.63 per diluted share, compared to $237 million, or $1.91 per diluted share in 2018. "Our teams at Alaska, Horizon and McGee delivered industry-leading customer service and operational reliability that helped drive strong third quarter results," said Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden. "Our adjusted pretax profit margin of nearly 18% was 3.6 percentage points higher than last year – fueled by our commitment to keep costs low and by the impressive 8% revenue growth that our commercial team delivered. I want to thank our employees for everything they're doing to make Alaska what we are today – and for helping us shape what we're going to be in the future. They are the best in the industry, and I believe these results demonstrate that." The following table reconciles the company's reported GAAP net income and earnings per diluted share (diluted EPS) for the three and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2019 and 2018 to adjusted amounts. Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 (in millions, except per-share amounts) Dollars Diluted EPS Dollars Diluted EPS GAAP net income and diluted EPS $ 322 $ 2.60 $ 217 $ 1.75 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments — — 5 0.04 Special items – merger-related costs 5 0.04 22 0.18 Income tax effect of reconciling items above (1) (0.01) (7) (0.06) Non-GAAP adjusted net income and diluted EPS $ 326 $ 2.63 $ 237 $ 1.91 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 (in millions, except per-share amounts) Dollars Diluted EPS Dollars Diluted EPS GAAP net income and diluted EPS $ 588 $ 4.74 $ 414 $ 3.34 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments (1) (0.01) (30) (0.24) Special items – merger-related costs 39 0.31 67 0.54 Special items – other — — 25 0.20 Income tax effect of reconciling items above (9) (0.07) (15) (0.12) Non-GAAP adjusted net income and diluted EPS $ 617 $ 4.97 $ 461 $ 3.72 Statistical data, as well as a reconciliation of the reported non-GAAP financial measures, can be found in the accompanying tables. A glossary of financial terms can be found on the last page of this release. A conference call regarding the third quarter results will be streamed online at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time on Oct. 24, 2019. It can be accessed at www.alaskaair.com/investors. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available after the conclusion of the call. References in this news release to "Air Group," "company," "we," "us" and "our" refer to Alaska Air Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified. Alaska Airlines, Inc., Horizon Air Industries, Inc., and Virgin America Inc. (through July 20, 2018, at which point it was legally merged into Alaska Airlines, Inc.) are referred to as "Alaska," "Horizon," and "Virgin America" respectively, and together as our "airlines." This news release may contain forward-looking statements subject to the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to future events and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual outcomes to be materially different from those indicated by any forward-looking statements. For a comprehensive discussion of potential risk factors, see Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2018, as well as in other documents filed by the Company with the SEC after the date thereof. Some of these risks include general economic conditions, increases in operating costs including fuel, competition, labor costs and relations, our indebtedness, inability to meet cost reduction goals, seasonal fluctuations in our financial results, an aircraft accident, changes in laws and regulations and risks inherent in the achievement of anticipated synergies and the timing thereof in connection with the acquisition of Virgin America. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risk factors discussed therein. We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risk factors emerge from time to time. Management cannot predict such new risk factors, nor can it assess the impact, if any, of such new risk factors on our business or events described in any forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform them to actual results. Over time, our actual results, performance or achievements will likely differ from the anticipated results, performance, or achievements that are expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, and such differences might be significant and materially adverse. Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 46 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,300 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 800 destinations worldwide. Alaska ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019. Learn about Alaska's award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) Alaska Air Group, Inc. Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions, except per-share amounts) 2019 2018 Change 2019 2018 Change Operating Revenues: Passenger revenue $ 2,211 $ 2,043 8 % $ 6,038 $ 5,724 5 % Mileage Plan other revenue 118 114 4 % 346 329 5 % Cargo and other 60 55 9 % 169 147 15 % Total Operating Revenues 2,389 2,212 8 % 6,553 6,200 6 % Operating Expenses: Wages and benefits 608 549 11 % 1,732 1,629 6 % Variable incentive pay 46 27 70 % 125 104 20 % Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses 486 513 (5) % 1,408 1,397 1 % Aircraft maintenance 106 107 (1) % 341 320 7 % Aircraft rent 82 82 — % 247 233 6 % Landing fees and other rentals 143 135 6 % 388 371 5 % Contracted services 72 70 3 % 214 227 (6) % Selling expenses 77 79 (3) % 236 245 (4) % Depreciation and amortization 106 99 7 % 317 290 9 % Food and beverage service 57 53 8 % 159 158 1 % Third-party regional carrier expense 42 38 11 % 125 114 10 % Other 137 141 (3) % 411 423 (3) % Special items – merger-related costs 5 22 (77) % 39 67 (42) % Special items – other — — — % — 25 NM Total Operating Expenses 1,967 1,915 3 % 5,742 5,603 2 % Operating Income 422 297 42 % 811 597 36 % Nonoperating Income (Expense): Interest income 11 11 — % 31 29 7 % Interest expense (18) (22) (18) % (60) (71) (15) % Interest capitalized 4 5 (20) % 11 14 (21) % Other—net (3) (7) (57) % (20) (20) — % Total Nonoperating Income (Expense) (6) (13) (54) % (38) (48) (21) % Income Before Income Tax 416 284 773 549 Income tax expense 94 67 185 135 Net Income $ 322 $ 217 $ 588 $ 414 Basic Earnings Per Share: $ 2.61 $ 1.76 $ 4.76 $ 3.36 Diluted Earnings Per Share: $ 2.60 $ 1.75 $ 4.74 $ 3.34 Shares Used for Computation: Basic 123.280 123.224 123.330 123.216 Diluted 124.067 123.864 124.051 123.804 Cash dividend declared per share: $ 0.35 $ 0.32 $ 1.05 $ 0.96 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) Alaska Air Group, Inc. (in millions) September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018 Cash and marketable securities $ 1,619 $ 1,236 Other current assets 583 551 Current assets 2,202 1,787 Property and equipment – net 6,834 6,781 Operating lease assets 1,647 — Goodwill 1,943 1,943 Intangible assets – net 123 127 Other assets 234 274 Total assets 12,983 10,912 Air traffic liability 1,032 788 Current portion of long-term debt 265 486 Current portion of operating lease liabilities 268 — Other current liabilities 1,781 1,668 Current liabilities 3,346 2,942 Long-term debt 1,444 1,617 Long-term operating lease liabilities 1,376 — Other liabilities and credits 2,565 2,602 Shareholders' equity 4,252 3,751 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 12,983 $ 10,912 Debt-to-capitalization ratio, including operating leases(a) 42 % 47 % Number of common shares outstanding 123.278 123.194 (a) Following the adoption of the new lease accounting standard on January 1, 2019, the ratio is calculated using the total capitalized Operating lease liability, whereas prior year periods were calculated utilizing the present value of aircraft lease payments. This change had no impact to the ratio. OPERATING STATISTICS SUMMARY (unaudited) Alaska Air Group, Inc. Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 Change 2019 2018 Change Consolidated Operating Statistics:(a) Revenue passengers (000) 12,574 12,128 3.7% 35,018 34,685 1.0% RPMs (000,000) "traffic" 15,026 14,386 4.4% 42,113 41,272 2.0% ASMs (000,000) "capacity" 17,519 16,943 3.4% 50,006 49,256 1.5% Load factor 85.8% 84.9% 0.9 pts 84.2% 83.8% 0.4 pts Yield 14.71¢ 14.20¢ 3.6% 14.34¢ 13.87¢ 3.4% RASM 13.64¢ 13.05¢ 4.5% 13.10¢ 12.59¢ 4.1% CASMex(b) 8.43¢ 8.15¢ 3.4% 8.59¢ 8.35¢ 2.9% Economic fuel cost per gallon(b) $2.13 $2.33 (8.6)% $2.18 $2.26 (3.5)% Fuel gallons (000,000) 227 218 4.1% 646 631 2.4% ASM's per gallon 77.2 77.7 (0.6)% 77.4 78.1 (0.9)% Average number of full-time equivalent employees (FTE) 22,247 21,804 2.0% 22,000 21,575 2.0% Mainline Operating Statistics: Revenue passengers (000) 9,655 9,435 2.3% 26,725 27,107 (1.4)% RPMs (000,000) "traffic" 13,538 13,096 3.4% 37,917 37,677 0.6% ASMs (000,000) "capacity" 15,702 15,343 2.3% 44,816 44,730 0.2% Load factor 86.2% 85.4% 0.8 pts 84.6% 84.2% 0.4 pts Yield 13.66¢ 13.18¢ 3.6% 13.29¢ 12.95¢ 2.6% RASM 12.83¢ 12.28¢ 4.5% 12.30¢ 11.90¢ 3.4% CASMex(b) 7.81¢ 7.34¢ 6.4% 7.91¢ 7.58¢ 4.4% Economic fuel cost per gallon(b) $2.13 $2.32 (8.2)% $2.17 $2.25 (3.6)% Fuel gallons (000,000) 193 189 2.1% 549 549 —% ASM's per gallon 81.4 81.2 0.2% 81.6 81.5 0.1% Average number of FTE's 16,789 16,499 1.8% 16,599 16,330 1.6% Aircraft utilization 11.3 11.4 (0.9)% 10.9 11.4 (4.4)% Average aircraft stage length 1,281 1,291 (0.8)% 1,298 1,293 0.4% Operating fleet 238 231 7 a/c 238 231 7 a/c Regional Operating Statistics:(c) Revenue passengers (000) 2,919 2,693 8.4% 8,293 7,578 9.4% RPMs (000,000) "traffic" 1,488 1,290 15.3% 4,196 3,595 16.7% ASMs (000,000) "capacity" 1,817 1,600 13.6% 5,190 4,526 14.7% Load factor 81.9% 80.6% 1.3 pts 80.8% 79.4% 1.4 pts Yield 24.23¢ 24.50¢ (1.1)% 23.81¢ 23.49¢ 1.4% RASM 20.51¢ 20.41¢ 0.5% 19.93¢ 19.32¢ 3.2% Operating fleet 94 89 5 a/c 94 89 5 a/c (a) Except for FTEs, data includes information related to third-party regional capacity purchase flying arrangements. (b) See a reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure and Note A for a discussion of potential importance of this measure to investors in the accompanying pages. (c) Data presented includes information related to flights operated by Horizon and third-party carriers, excluding PenAir. OPERATING SEGMENTS (unaudited) Alaska Air Group, Inc. Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 (in millions) Mainline Regional Horizon Consolidating & Other Air Group Adjusted(a) Special Items(b) Consolidated Operating revenues Passenger revenues $ 1,850 $ 361 $ — $ — $ 2,211 $ — $ 2,211 CPA revenues — — 112 (112) — — — Mileage Plan other revenue 107 11 — — 118 — 118 Cargo and other 58 1 — 1 60 — 60 Total operating revenues 2,015 373 112 (111) 2,389 — 2,389 Operating expenses Operating expenses, excluding fuel 1,226 275 94 (119) 1,476 5 1,481 Economic fuel 411 75 — — 486 — 486 Total operating expenses 1,637 350 94 (119) 1,962 5 1,967 Nonoperating income (expense) Interest income 17 — — (6) 11 — 11 Interest expense (18) — (7) 7 (18) — (18) Interest capitalized 4 — — — 4 — 4 Other – net (3) — — — (3) — (3) Total Nonoperating income (expense) — — (7) 1 (6) — (6) Income (loss) before income tax $ 378 $ 23 $ 11 $ 9 $ 421 $ (5) $ 416 Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 (in millions) Mainline Regional Horizon Consolidating & Other Air Group Adjusted(a) Special Items(b) Consolidated Operating revenues Passenger revenues $ 1,727 $ 316 $ — $ — $ 2,043 $ — $ 2,043 CPA revenues — — 128 (128) — — — Mileage Plan other revenue 104 10 — — 114 — 114 Cargo and other 53 — 2 — 55 — 55 Total operating revenues 1,884 326 130 (128) 2,212 — 2,212 Operating expenses Operating expenses, excluding fuel 1,126 267 118 (131) 1,380 22 1,402 Economic fuel 438 70 — — 508 5 513 Total operating expenses 1,564 337 118 (131) 1,888 27 1,915 Nonoperating income (expense) Interest income 15 — — (4) 11 — 11 Interest expense (20) — (6) 4 (22) — (22) Interest capitalized 4 — 1 — 5 — 5 Other – net (5) (2) — — (7) — (7) Total Nonoperating income (expense) (6) (2) (5) — (13) — (13) Income (loss) before income tax $ 314 $ (13) $ 7 $ 3 $ 311 $ (27) $ 284 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 (in millions) Mainline Regional Horizon Consolidating & Other Air Group Adjusted(a) Special Items(b) Consolidated Operating revenues Passenger revenues $ 5,039 $ 999 $ — $ — $ 6,038 $ — $ 6,038 CPA revenues — — 340 (340) — — — Mileage Plan other revenue 312 34 — — 346 — 346 Cargo and other 163 2 1 3 169 — 169 Total operating revenues 5,514 1,035 341 (337) 6,553 — 6,553 Operating expenses Operating expenses, excluding fuel 3,545 817 286 (353) 4,295 39 4,334 Economic fuel 1,191 218 — — 1,409 (1) 1,408 Total operating expenses 4,736 1,035 286 (353) 5,704 38 5,742 Nonoperating income (expense) Interest income 50 — — (19) 31 — 31 Interest expense (58) — (22) 20 (60) — (60) Interest capitalized 11 — — — 11 — 11 Other – net (20) — — — (20) — (20) Total Nonoperating income (expense) (17) — (22) 1 (38) — (38) Income (loss) before income tax $ 761 $ — $ 33 $ 17 $ 811 $ (38) $ 773 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (in millions) Mainline Regional Horizon Consolidating & Other Air Group Adjusted(a) Special Items(b) Consolidated Operating revenues Passenger revenues $ 4,879 $ 845 $ — $ — $ 5,724 $ — $ 5,724 CPA revenues — — 375 (375) — — — Mileage Plan other revenue 301 28 — — 329 — 329 Cargo and other 142 1 4 — 147 — 147 Total operating revenues 5,322 874 379 (375) 6,200 — 6,200 Operating expenses Operating expenses, excluding fuel 3,392 755 345 (378) 4,114 92 4,206 Economic fuel 1,237 190 — — 1,427 (30) 1,397 Total operating expenses 4,629 945 345 (378) 5,541 62 5,603 Nonoperating income (expense) Interest income 39 — — (10) 29 — 29 Interest expense (64) — (16) 9 (71) — (71) Interest capitalized 12 — 2 — 14 — 14 Other – net (9) (11) — — (20) — (20) Total Nonoperating income (expense) (22) (11) (14) (1) (48) — (48) Income (loss) before income tax $ 671 $ (82) $ 20 $ 2 $ 611 $ (62) $ 549 (a) The Air Group Adjusted column represents the financial information that is reviewed by management to assess performance of operations and determine capital allocation and excludes certain charges. See Note A in the accompanying pages for further information. (b) Includes merger-related costs, an employee bonus awarded in January 2018 in connection with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and mark-to-market fuel hedge accounting adjustments. GAAP TO NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS (unaudited) Alaska Air Group, Inc. CASM Excluding Fuel and Special Items Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 2019 2018 Consolidated: CASM 11.23 ¢ 11.30 ¢ 11.48 ¢ 11.38 ¢ Less the following components: Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses 2.77 3.02 2.82 2.84 Special items – merger-related costs 0.03 0.13 0.07 0.14 Special items – other(a) — — — 0.05 CASM excluding fuel and special items 8.43 ¢ 8.15 ¢ 8.59 ¢ 8.35 ¢ Mainline: CASM 10.46 ¢ 10.37 ¢ 10.65 ¢ 10.49 ¢ Less the following components: Aircraft fuel, including hedging gains and losses 2.62 2.89 2.65 2.70 Special items – merger-related costs 0.03 0.14 0.09 0.15 Special items – other(a) — — — 0.06 CASM excluding fuel and special items 7.81 ¢ 7.34 ¢ 7.91 ¢ 7.58 ¢ (a) Special items – other includes special charges associated with the employee tax reform bonus awarded in January 2018. Fuel Reconciliation Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 (in millions, except for per-gallon amounts) Dollars Cost/Gallon Dollars Cost/Gallon Raw or "into-plane" fuel cost $ 481 $ 2.11 $ 520 $ 2.38 (Gains) losses on settled hedges 5 0.02 (12) (0.05) Consolidated economic fuel expense 486 2.13 508 2.33 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustment — — 5 0.02 GAAP fuel expense $ 486 $ 2.13 $ 513 $ 2.35 Fuel gallons 227 218 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 2018 (in millions, except for per gallon amounts) Dollars Cost/Gallon Dollars Cost/Gallon Raw or "into-plane" fuel cost $ 1,397 $ 2.16 $ 1,450 $ 2.30 (Gains) losses on settled hedges 12 0.02 (23) (0.04) Consolidated economic fuel expense $ 1,409 $ 2.18 $ 1,427 $ 2.26 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustment (1) — (30) (0.05) GAAP fuel expense $ 1,408 $ 2.18 $ 1,397 $ 2.21 Fuel gallons 646 631 Debt-to-capitalization, adjusted for operating leases (in millions) September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018 Long-term debt $ 1,444 $ 1,617 Capitalized operating leases(a) 1,644 1,768 Adjusted debt 3,088 3,385 Shareholders' equity 4,252 3,751 Total Invested Capital $ 7,340 $ 7,136 Debt-to-capitalization ratio, including operating leases 42 % 47 % (a) Following the adoption of the new lease accounting standard on January 1, 2019, the ratio is calculated using the total capitalized Operating lease liability, whereas prior year periods were calculated utilizing the present value of aircraft lease payments. This change had no impact to the ratio. Net adjusted debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rent (in millions) September 30, 2019 Adjusted debt $ 3,088 Current portion of long-term debt 265 Total adjusted debt 3,353 Less: Cash and marketable securities (1,619) Net adjusted debt $ 1,734 (in millions) Last Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2019 GAAP Operating Income(a) $ 857 Adjusted for: Special items 79 Mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments 51 Depreciation and amortization 425 Aircraft rent 329 EBITDAR $ 1,741 Net adjusted debt to EBITDAR 1.0x (a) Operating income can be reconciled using the trailing twelve month operating income as filed quarterly with the SEC. Note A: Pursuant to Regulation G, we are providing reconciliations of reported non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable financial measures reported on a GAAP basis. We believe that consideration of these non-GAAP financial measures may be important to investors for the following reasons: By eliminating fuel expense and certain special items (including merger-related costs) from our unit metrics, we believe that we have better visibility into the results of operations and our non-fuel cost-reduction initiatives. Our industry is highly competitive and is characterized by high fixed costs, so even a small reduction in non-fuel operating costs can result in a significant improvement in operating results. In addition, we believe that all domestic carriers are similarly impacted by changes in jet fuel costs over the long run, so it is important for management (and thus investors) to understand the impact of (and trends in) company-specific cost drivers such as labor rates and productivity, airport costs, maintenance costs, etc., which are more controllable by management. Cost per ASM (CASM) excluding fuel and certain special items, such as merger-related costs, is one of the most important measures used by management and by the Air Group Board of Directors in assessing quarterly and annual cost performance. Adjusted income before income tax and CASM excluding fuel (and other items as specified in our plan documents) are important metrics for the employee incentive plan, which covers the majority of Air Group employees. CASM excluding fuel and certain special items is a measure commonly used by industry analysts, and we believe it is the basis by which they compare our airlines to others in the industry. The measure is also the subject of frequent questions from investors. Disclosure of the individual impact of certain noted items provides investors the ability to measure and monitor performance both with and without these special items. We believe that disclosing the impact of certain items, such as merger-related costs and mark-to-market hedging adjustments, is important because it provides information on significant items that are not necessarily indicative of future performance. Industry analysts and investors consistently measure our performance without these items for better comparability between periods and among other airlines. Although we disclose our passenger unit revenues, we do not (nor are we able to) evaluate unit revenues excluding the impact that changes in fuel costs have had on ticket prices. Fuel expense represents a large percentage of our total operating expenses. Fluctuations in fuel prices often drive changes in unit revenues in the mid-to-long term. Although we believe it is useful to evaluate non-fuel unit costs for the reasons noted above, we would caution readers of these financial statements not to place undue reliance on unit costs excluding fuel as a measure or predictor of future profitability because of the significant impact of fuel costs on our business. GLOSSARY OF TERMS Aircraft Utilization – block hours per day; this represents the average number of hours per day our aircraft are in transit Aircraft Stage Length – represents the average miles flown per aircraft departure ASMs – available seat miles, or "capacity"; represents total seats available across the fleet multiplied by the number of miles flown CASM – operating costs per ASM, or "unit cost"; represents all operating expenses including fuel and special items CASMex – operating costs excluding fuel and special items per ASM; this metric is used to help track progress toward reduction of non-fuel operating costs since fuel is largely out of our control Debt-to-capitalization ratio – represents adjusted debt (long-term debt plus the present value of future operating lease payments) divided by total equity plus adjusted debt Diluted Earnings per Share – represents earnings per share (EPS) using fully diluted shares outstanding Diluted Shares – represents the total number of shares that would be outstanding if all possible sources of conversion, such as stock options, were exercised Economic Fuel – best estimate of the cash cost of fuel, net of the impact of our fuel-hedging program Free Cash Flow – total operating cash flow generated less cash paid for capital expenditures Load Factor – RPMs as a percentage of ASMs; represents the number of available seats that were filled with paying passengers Mainline – represents flying Boeing 737, Airbus 320 and Airbus 321neo family jets and all associated revenues and costs Net adjusted debt – long-term debt, including current portion, plus capitalized operating leases, less cash and marketable securities Net adjusted debt to EBITDAR – represents net adjusted debt divided by EBITDAR (trailing twelve months earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, special items and rent) Productivity – number of revenue passengers per full-time equivalent employee RASM – operating revenue per ASMs, or "unit revenue"; operating revenue includes all passenger revenue, freight & mail, Mileage Plan and other ancillary revenue; represents the average total revenue for flying one seat one mile Regional – represents capacity purchased by Alaska from Horizon, SkyWest and PenAir. In this segment, Regional records actual on-board passenger revenue, less costs such as fuel, distribution costs, and payments made to Horizon, SkyWest and PenAir under the respective capacity purchased arrangement (CPAs). Additionally, Regional includes an allocation of corporate overhead such as IT, finance, other administrative costs incurred by Alaska and on behalf of Horizon. RPMs – revenue passenger miles, or "traffic"; represents the number of seats that were filled with paying passengers; one passenger traveling one mile is one RPM Yield – passenger revenue per RPM; represents the average revenue for flying one passenger one mile SOURCE Alaska Air Group Inc. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Related