for 23 additional 737 Max aircraft, growing the airline's total order to 68 aircraft to be delivered from 2021 to 2024.
The total order will also see an option for an additional 52 aircraft that would grow Alaska's fleet to 120 if exercised. Alaska opted for nine "white-tail" aircraft, or planes that were built but never delivered due to an order cancellation, in the order, CEO Brad Tilden toldThe number of Max white-tails grew due to the protracted grounding of the Max, which led to order cancellations by airlines around the world over safety concerns.
Alaska is slated to be the third or fourth airline in the US to fly the Max. With a tentative start date of March 1, per Cirium data, it may be beat by Southwest Airlines, which hasn't yet announced a firm return to service date but already has 34 Max jets in its fleet. The first routes for the aircraft in Alaska's schedule are Los Angeles-Portland, Oregon; Seattle-Los Angles, and San Diego, California-Seattle.