Alaska Air Group, Inc. ALK reported a substantial rise in traffic statistics for July. Traffic, measured in revenue passenger miles (RPMs), increased 7.6% to 5.24 billion.On a year-over-year basis, consolidated capacity (or available seat miles/ASMs) rose 6.8% to 5.97 billion. Also, load factor or percentage of seats filled by passengers expanded 70 basis points (bps) to 87.7% as traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion.In the first seven months of 2018, the carrier generated RPMs of 32.12 billion (up 6.6% year over year) and ASMs of 38.28 billion (up 7.5% year over year). However, load factor declined 70 bps to 83.9%.Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price | Alaska Air Group, Inc. QuoteRobust demand for air travel has enabled the company to generate passenger revenues of $4.35 million in July, up 6.9% year over year. However, rising fuel prices are concerning. Economic fuel cost per gallon surged 38.6% year over year to $2.30 in the month.The company also expects a fuel cost of $2.30 per gallon in the third quarter. This estimate reflects year-over-year growth of 27.8%. This might limit bottom-line growth in the quarter as fuel comprises a major portion of airline expense.Zacks Rank & Key PicksAlaska Air has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Transportation sector are SkyWest, Inc. SKYW, GATX Corporation GATX and Trinity Industries, Inc. TRN. While SkyWest and Trinity sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), GATX carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Shares of SkyWest, GATX and Trinity have rallied more than 76%, 34% and 28%, respectively, in a year.Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest StrategiesIt's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.See Them Free>>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW): Free Stock Analysis Report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK): Free Stock Analysis Report Trinity Industries, Inc. (TRN): Free Stock Analysis Report GATX Corporation (GATX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research