Alaska Air posts Q4 loss on higher expenses

The airline's press statement, however, did not give details on the financial impact from the more-than-two-week grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX 9 aircraft after a cabin panel fell off during a flight on Jan. 5, leaving a rectangular-shaped hole in a jet full of passengers and necessitating an emergency landing. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the grounding on Wednesday but the U.S. aviation regulator also barred Boeing from expanding production of its best-selling 737 MAX narrowbody planes, which is expected to have wide-ranging effects across the industry. Alaska executives are set to address investors and analysts later in the day.