Boeing

During a festive celebration in Seattle, The Boeing Company delivered the first 737-900 to launch customer Alaska Airlines. The new airplane, posing at right with another 737-900 destined for Alaska, is the first of 11 such airplanes Alaska will receive between May and April 2003 and the first of three the airline will receive this month.

At 138 feet 2 inches, the 737-900 is the longest of the four Next-Generation 737 models and seats the most passengers. As configured by Alaska, the airplane carries 172 passengers in a two-class configuration, 52 more passengers than their 737-700s and 34 more than their 737-400s and MD-80s.

The 737-900 will be the largest airplane in Alaska Airline's fleet.

Alaska Airlines intends to use its new fleet of 737-900s to accommodate passenger growth on the high-density West Coast markets. The airline will fly the plane on routes between Seattle and the cities of Anchorage, Ala., Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego. The new airplanes also present the opportunity for Alaska to add new markets to its current route system.