Alaska Airlines retrofitting 737s for fuel efficiency

Seattle — Alaska Airlines jetliners will soon fly more efficiently thanks to a new performance-enhancing winglet the carrier is installing on its Boeing Next Generation 737s, which will reduce fuel consumption be 58,000 gallons a year per aircraft. The split winglet will save the airline $20 million and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 57,000 tons annually, which is the equivalent of taking about 11,900 passenger vehicles off the road each year.

“Reducing fuel consumption has been a top priority at Alaska Airlines for years,” said Mark Eliasen, Alaska Airlines' vice president of finance and tre...