Alaska Airlines offers guests largest summer schedule ever in preparation for busy travel season

Rhea-AI Summary

Alaska Airlines is ramping up for the busiest summer travel season by offering its largest schedule ever, including new nonstop routes and international destinations.

In response to increased travel demand, the airline is adding nearly one million seats, expanding flight numbers by almost 10%, and introducing new routes, including flights to Guatemala City, The Bahamas, and Toronto.

Further, Alaska Airlines is enhancing its travel experience with new technology, upgraded lounges, and additional pre-order meal options. A new subscription service, Alaska Access, is also being launched.

The airline emphasizes its commitment to safe operations, ranking highly in completion rate and on-time performance.

Overall, the efforts aim to deliver a premium and reliable travel experience while accommodating more passengers than ever before.

Positive

• Largest summer schedule in history with nearly one million added seats.
• 10% increase in flights to popular destinations.
• New international routes: Guatemala City, The Bahamas, and Toronto.
• 16% more flights in Portland, 10% more in Seattle, 23% more in San Diego, and 13% more in Anchorage.
• Upgraded lounges at San Francisco International Airport and Anchorage.
• Enhanced onboard meal options and a new free upgrade program.
• Introduction of Alaska Access subscription service for Wi-Fi and early fare sales.
• High rankings in completion rate and on-time performance.

Negative

• Increased operational costs due to the expansion of flights and new routes.
• Potential logistical challenges in managing an expanded flight schedule.
• High competition from other airlines offering similar services and routes.
• Risk of overcapacity leading to lower load factors and revenue per available seat mile.

We're flying to new destinations, adding more flights for convenience and implementing new technology for a premium travel experience this summer

SEATTLE, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to an increase in travel demand, Alaska Airlines is offering the largest summer schedule in the company's history, including new nonstop routes and international destinations we've never served before during our busiest months of the year.

We're also expanding the number of daily flights in our network for convenience, flying to popular destinations based on guest feedback, unveiling innovative bag drop stations in some of our hubs and continuing to operate an industry-leading safe operation.

"As best-in-class operators, our top priority is consistently delivering on our promise to guests to take them where they're going safely and on time – all while showing them the care for which we're known," said Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer at Alaska Airlines. "This summer, we're prepared to do more flying and welcome more guests to experience not only a safe operation, but also a premium experience. We've been hard at work on elevating all aspects of the travel journey for our guests from start to finish."

During this year's peak summer months (June, July and August), we've added almost one million seats versus last year; these added seats will help guests get to more barbeques, baseball games, and beaches than ever before. Our busiest days will be before and after Independence Day, where we expect to see almost 160,000 guest boardings each day.

Guests are excited to travel away from home this year. This past Memorial Day weekend, we connected more than 500,000 guests to their destinations or 6% more people over the holiday weekend compared to last year.

Outside of our hub cities, which are seeing notable growth, our guests have been particularly interested in exploring new places: we've seen tremendous interest in Guatemala City, where travelers can marvel at the pyramids of Tikal National Park or explore the shores of Lake Atitlán. National Parks have been especially popular: to support this demand, we've added 16% more flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming -- the gateway to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. We've also launched nonstop service from New York (JFK) and San Diego to Anchorage, in our namesake state; these flights will help connect adventure seekers with the grandeur of the Last Frontier.

Here's how we're prepared for this summer's busiest days: 

More Flying & More Destinations

• We've added nearly 10% more flights to our guests' favorite destinations—from Alaska to Zihuantanejo, we've got your summer travel covered!
• We're expanding our reach to the east this summer with new nonstop routes connecting Anchorage and New York, Portland and Nashville, and San Diego with both Atlanta and Anchorage.
• For the first time this summer, we're flying guests to new international destinations: Guatemala City, The Bahamas, and Toronto.
• Our summer schedules have grown at many of our hubs: with 16% more flights in Portland, 10% more in Seattle, 23% more in San Diego and 13% more in Anchorage.
• Summer doesn't have to stop! Starting this fall, we're growing Los Angeles (LAX) departures 33%, giving guests even more opportunities to soak up the California sun.
• We offer more flights to Mexico from the West Coast than any other U.S. airline, with service to Cancun, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Loreto, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo.

Enhanced Travel Experience

• We're moving to San Francisco International Airport Harvey Milk Terminal 1 later this month, culminating a major investment in modernizing our infrastructure and providing our guests with a seamless travel experience. When it opens in July, our newest Lounge at SFO T1 space will be 11,000 square feet with 55% more seating and offer the ultimate comfort with our signature Loungers for kicking back, an expanded menu made with fresh ingredients, a barista staffed coffee bar and complimentary West Coast wine, spirits and craft brews.
• In Anchorage, we're renovating and upgrading our popular Lounge with more space, seating and thoughtful touches.
• At Portland International Airport, we'll be moving into a brand new, bolder and brighter lobby in August.
• At Los Angeles International Airport, a complete overhaul of the gates, including new carpet, lighting, seating with power outlets and signage will be complete by the end of July at Terminal 6 where Alaska is the primary airline.

Premium Products

• We're elevating our guests' culinary experience in the sky with an expansion of our pre-order for-purchase hot meal options to Premium Class and the Main Cabin for flights 1,100 miles or more. Check out our premium onboard menu here.
• We're giving you the chance to upgrade – for free with our new program called upgrade unlocked! Every day this summer we're surprising and delighting at least one guest seated in our Main Cabin to Premium Class as a "thank you" to our guests for flying us this summer. Learn more here.
• Can't wait to learn if you've been selected for upgrade unlocked? We're making it easier for you to upgrade! Now you can pay to upgrade to First or Premium Class up to 30 minutes before departure under Manage Trip on www.alaskaair.com, or through the Alaska Airlines mobile app.
• Frequent flier, savvy traveler? Sign up for our newest subscription service, Alaska Access, to receive a monthly one-time free use voucher for our streaming fast Wi-Fi and to get early access to some of our biggest fare sales of the year.

Reliable, Safe Operation

• Most importantly, running a safe and reliable operation is our top priority. Halfway through the second quarter, we rank in the top of three of the industry for both completion rate and on-time performance. Our highly dedicated Maintenance and Engineering teams are focused on safety, reliability and excellence and utilize the latest aircraft maintenance technology to access information that keeps us flying.

Remember to download the Alaska Airlines mobile app, which keeps your travel needs at your fingertips. You can use our app to check in, pay for your bag(s), get your boarding pass(es), track flights, make seat changes and much more right from your phone. You can also preorder your meal to have it conveniently sent to your seat from our app anytime from 2 weeks to 20 hours before travel.

Don't forget that we offer the most legroom in First* and Premium Class, no change fees, multiple fare offerings and the most generous loyalty program with the fastest path to elite status.

 _{* Out of any U.S. legacy airline excluding lie-flat seats}    

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico. We offer our guests a premium flying experience with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program, Mileage Plan. With our fellow oneworld Alliance members and additional global partners, our guests have more choices than ever to purchase, earn or redeem on alaskaair.com across 30 airlines and more than 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group. 

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SOURCE ALASKA AIRLINES

FAQ

What new destinations is Alaska Airlines adding in Summer 2024?

Alaska Airlines is adding new nonstop routes to Guatemala City, The Bahamas, and Toronto in Summer 2024.

How many additional seats is Alaska Airlines offering in Summer 2024?

Alaska Airlines is adding nearly one million additional seats in Summer 2024.

What is the new subscription service offered by Alaska Airlines?

The new subscription service, called Alaska Access, offers a monthly one-time free use voucher for Wi-Fi and early access to fare sales.

How is Alaska Airlines enhancing the travel experience in its lounges?

Alaska Airlines is upgrading lounges in San Francisco International Airport and Anchorage with more space, seating, and enhanced amenities.

What are the new meal options on Alaska Airlines flights?

Alaska Airlines is expanding pre-order hot meal options to Premium Class and Main Cabin for flights over 1,100 miles.