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News / Alaska Airlines kicks off 5 new West Coast routes & resumes Portland-Atlanta flights
Expanded network offers travelers more options across key destinations
Alaska Airlines has begun operating flights on five new routes on the West Coast of the United States, which includes the resumption of flights between Portland International Airport (PDX) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
Offering the most daily flights from LAX to the West Coast
In a statement Alaska Airlines issued on October 1, it said that with the launch of two routes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), namely to Pasco Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) and to Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
According to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium, while Alaska Airlines will be the only airline serving the Tri-Cities Airport from Los Angeles, it will be competing against Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines on flights to Reno–Tahoe in October.
In total, there will be 69 flights per week on the route, with Alaska Airlines being the fifth airline in terms of weekly departing seats (1,064) despite offering the third-most weekly departures, 14.
Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines utilize regional jets on the routes, but Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines have scheduled Boeing 737 and Airbus A320neos, respectively.
Southwest Airlines has scheduled to operate three different 737 types: the 737-700, 737-800, and 737 MAX 8 in October.
Two routes from/to Las Vegas
In addition to the two routes connecting Los Angeles with Pasco and Reno, Alaska Airlines has also inaugurated flights from San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
On this route, Alaska Airlines will compete against Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Southwest Airlines, with the carrier being the fourth airline in terms of weekly seats offered between San Diego and Las Vegas.
Similar to the Los Angeles and Reno route, the two mainline airlines have scheduled regional jets, namely Embraer E175s, while the low-cost carriers have deployed their higher-capacity single-aisle jets, including Frontier Airlines using an A321neo.
Alaska Airlines’ other new flight to Las Vegas will connect Sin City with Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS), serving Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California.
The only competitor on flights to Santa Rosa will be Avelo Airlines. While Alaska Airlines has planned daily flights, Avelo Airlines has scheduled four weekly itineraries in October.
Fleeing the rain or experiencing the seasons
Lastly, Alaska Airlines announced that it has returned to flying from Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, Georgia.
The carrier’s only competitor will be Delta Air Lines, with the two airlines scheduling 32 weekly flights in October.
While Alaska Airlines has scheduled daily flights, Delta Air Lines has a much busier schedule on the route, with 25 weekly flights covering the 1887.1 nautical mile (3,495 kilometer) cross-country flight.
Cirium data showed that Alaska Airlines last served flights between Portland and Atlanta in July 2018, scheduling six weekly itineraries on the route at the time.