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."