Off the news: Alaska earnings up after Hawaiian merger

The bottom line has risen for Alaska Airlines since its $1.9 billion merger with Hawaiian Airlines: Alaska announced that it expects to generate a solid $1 billion in additional pretax profits over the next three years.

The merger was finalized Sept. 18. Since then, Alaska’s gains in quarterly and annual net income exceeded earlier predictions. Full-year revenue set a record, at $11.7 billion. Of course, the merged airline is bigger than Alaska was before (and includes bigger planes too, from Hawaiian’s stable): The airline now serves more than 140 destinations in North and Central America, Asia and the Pacific.