Alaska Airlines (ALK+11.71%) is launching a handful of new nonstop flights to Asia as it sets an ambitious incremental profit goal a few months after it merged with Hawaiian Airlines.

The Seattle-based airline plans to grow its profit by $1 billion through 2027, leaning on its $1.9 billion merger with Hawaiian to widen its access to routes across the Pacific Ocean and wide-body jets. Alaska expects to see commercial operations deliver an additional $800 million in revenue, largely as a result of new enhanced offerings.

Alaska said it would begin offering new nonstop daily flights between the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, beginning in May 2025, and flights to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport as early as next October. By 2030, it plans to serve at least 12 nonstop global destinations with long-haul widebody aircraft from Seattle.

“From our global gateway in Seattle, we can conveniently connect travelers from across our network as they head to Asia and beyond,” said Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci in a statement. “Hawaiian’s spacious widebody aircraft, along with its excellent onboard service and amenities, will make for a terrific trip from one side of the Pacific Rim to the other.”

Alaska forecasts pretax profit margins of between 11% and 13% for 2027, earnings per share of at least $10, and no margin dilution over the year following the merger closing.

It also raised its fourth-quarter guidance for adjusted earnings per share to between 40 and 50 cents, up from prior guidance of between 20 and 40 cents, according to a regulatory filing. Alaska cited strong close-in bookings for October and November and strong holiday demand, which is boosting December revenue. The company will present at its annual conference for investors on Tuesday afternoon.

Besides the new flights, Alaska is employing a host of new measures to try and enhance the consumer experience and generate revenue. Last month, the airline began testing out an artificial intelligence-powered schedule optimization tool to help it schedule its planes.

Alaska is also launching a “premium” credit card with Bank of America (BAC-0.63%) as part of its plans to boost its mileage plan, increasing its premium seat mix on its Boeing (BA+2.23%) narrowbody fleet, and expanding its Loung program. Planned lounges at airports in San Diego, Honolulu, and Seattle will join Alaska’s portfolio by 2027.

Despite Alaska and Hawaiian operating separately, Alaska Air Group is working on combining the carrier’s loyalty programs. For now, miles can be transferred between Alaska and Hawaiian accounts for free. A separate loyalty program for Hawaii’s residents, “Huaka‘i by Hawaiian,” has also been launched.

“We’re focused on strengthening the commercial levers that drive the greatest guest satisfaction, and ultimately preference,” Alaska Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Harrison said in a statement. “Our guests will benefit from more premium seats, an enhanced loyalty program with even more ways to earn and redeem miles, and new global destinations to the places they most want to go.”

An election recount confirmed on Monday the narrow defeat of a ballot measure to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska.

The statewide recount showed that out of almost 341,000 ballots cast at the Nov. 5 election, the repeal measure failed by 743 votes — a bigger margin than the Alaska Division of Elections certified on Nov. 30.

State election officials came up with a total of six votes that were different from the certified results. The repeal measure failed by a 49.88-50.12% margin, according to the final count.

“We are pleased with the outcome, but also feel enormous gratitude to the team at the Division of Elections who worked transparently, and with the utmost integrity, to perform this recount,” said Scott Kendall, an Anchorage attorney who authored the 2020 ballot initiative that implemented ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska.

The Alaska Republican Party formally requested the recount Dec. 1, arguing that mistakes may have been made by state election officials in tabulating results.

Stacey Stone, the party’s counsel, also thanked the division staff for their professionalism in executing the recount for a close race. She said that it was unfortunate Alaska’s election system does not provide certainty for results on Election Day.

“We wanted to confirm every vote counted and we’ve identified ways we can conduct elections better going forward,” she said by text message. “There is always a greater need for transparency and communication particularly when races are this close, and we hope the division will reflect on ways they can provide the public with greater information and certainty in the election process.”

Carmela Warfield, chair of the Alaska Republican Party, did not immediately respond to a request for comment whether the party would seek to challenge the recount results in court.

The recount of the repeal initiative began Dec. 3 and took six days at the Division of Elections’ head office in Juneau.

To conduct the statewide recount, state election officials used high-speed Dominion ballot-scanning machines. Some precincts were chosen at random for a hand recount to check that the machine-count was accurate.

The Alaska Republican Party hired Trump-aligned election attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon to oversee the statewide recount. On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump said on social media that he would nominate Dhillon to serve as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Attorneys from the San Francisco-based Dhillon Law Group traveled to Juneau, working alongside Stone, to observe the recount

In 2020, Alaska voters narrowly approved ranked choice voting and open primaries through another ballot measure.

Then-Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer ordered an unprecedented hand recount of the initiative before results were certified. He said at the time that was intended to reassure Alaskans about the accuracy of Alaska’s new Dominion voting machines.

Alaska Division of Elections director Carol Beecher said last week that a full hand count would not be needed this year because the Dominion machines had been proven to be accurate.

Ranked choice voting and open primaries were first used during the 2022 election cycle. The system was used again at the Nov. 5 election.

Proponents spent nearly $15 million this election cycle to oppose the repeal initiative. That was more than 100 times what supporters of the repeal effort spent promoting their cause.

Alaska voters are set to again use the voting method at the 2026 election — unless the Alaska Legislature passes a repeal measure in the meantime.

Philip Izon, the Wasilla resident who launched the unsuccessful repeal initiative, said he would try again to abolish ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska.

Izon said by text message Monday that he planned to soon submit an initiative petition to Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom — the first step to get another repeal measure on the 2026 ballot.