Alaska Air Group’s (ALK) robust air travel demand is boosting its top line. Shareholder-friendly actions and fleet upgrade efforts are praiseworthy. However, high operating costs are hindering the company’s bottom line.Factors Favoring ALKBuoyed by strong air travel demand, Alaska Air issued optimistic earnings per share guidance for the second quarter of 2024 between $2.20 and $2.40 and for the full-year 2024 between $3.25 and $5.25. ALK is boosting capacity and expects available seat miles (a measure of c ...