FEB TRAFFIC RISE PUSH UP ALASKA AIR SHARES

Alaska Air Group reported that passenger traffic increased 19% in the month, while capacity rose 16.5%, compared to February 2010. Load factor was also up, rising 1.7 percentage points to 81.5%. However, for its regional carrier, Horizon Air, traffic fell 0.6%, while capacity declined 6.5%. Shares in the group gained 3.5% to $58.50 in midday trading yesterday. This is great news for the airline since its stock has been suffering along with other US airlines hit by panic over rising fuel costs.