With access to some well-liked warm-weather locations, Alaska Airlines is expanding its network this winter.
Two of the three new flights, which connect the East and West coasts, were announced by the Seattle-based carrier on Thursday.
The first, Portland to Miami, will take off on November 17 and run every day all year long. Alaska uses Portland as a major hub, and Miami is the largest underserved city from Portland.
According to Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning for Alaska Airlines, "a good number of travelers are prepared to travel between Rose City and South Florida."
Alaska will enhance its current service to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa with its new Portland-to-Miami route. Despite just being roughly 30 miles apart, many travelers prefer Miami International Airport to Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
Especially during the winter, when Miami becomes one of the most sought-after domestic destinations in the nation, Alaska is unlikely to have any trouble filling its flights.
Additionally, Miami serves as a major hub for American Airlines, a partner of Alaska's in the Oneworld and West Coast International Alliance. As a result, the two airlines may be able to offer connections outside of Miami to fill the flights.
In time for the holidays, the second brand-new route will launch on December 14 from New York to Palm Springs. Through April 22, 2024, this new seasonal flight will be available every day. Alaska is promoting the new trip to people wishing to "get out and soak in the sun" since Palm Springs is a well-liked vacation in the winter.
Having said that, Alaska has experience in this sector. Beginning in December 2012, Virgin America ran flights between the two cities. After taking over Virgin, Alaska continued these services through January 2019, according to Cirium schedules.
Interestingly, JetBlue already offers daily service on this 2,378-mile route, but Alaska's new aircraft has a different schedule and may be more convenient for many passengers. Early in the afternoon, it lands at Palm Springs after leaving New York in the morning. The flight then leaves Palm Springs at roughly 3 p.m. and returns to New York at about 11 p.m.
JetBlue's aircraft takes out from New York in the evening, and passengers touch down in Palm Springs at about nine o'clock local time. The return trip is a redeye, which is not the best option for anyone who wants to keep to a regular sleeping pattern.
Finally, on December 14th, Alaska will launch a brand-new regional service from Las Vegas to San Luis Obispo in California. According to Courtney Johnson, director of the San Luis Obispo airport, "the growing demand for travel between these two destinations" was what motivated this daily service.
Alaska will have a monopoly when flights begin between the two cities since no other airline currently connects them.
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