A new spate of layoffs by substantial U.S. engineering firms based mostly on the West Coast contributed to what Alaska Air Group executives on Thursday identified as a fourth-quarter “softening” of business journey desire from degrees observed for the duration of the late summer time. Corporate travel desire at the conclusion of 2022 had recovered to 75 {515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of 2019 levels in conditions of quantity and 85 per cent in phrases of profits, Alaska EVP and chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison reported all through the company’s fourth-quarter earnings phone. “West Coast business continues to be significantly less recovered, which is not shocking given the important workforce reductions taking place throughout…