Alaska Airlines adds 3 new Alaska routes, including its longest flight on an Embraer jet
Alaska Airlines will offer travelers three new nonstop ways to visit its namesake state next summer, including a new longest route for its smallest jet.
The Seattle-based Oneworld alliance carrier will launch daily service between Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) in Alaska and Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon on May 15 and Saturday-only service between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in Alaska and both Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) with Boeing 737s on June 14. All three routes operate seasonally through the middle of August.
The Fairbanks-Portland route will be flown with a 76-seat Embraer E175, the smallest aircraft in Alaska Airlines' fleet. At 1,640 miles or 4 1/2 hours, the route will be the longest for the plane at the airline by about 100 miles, schedule data for June 2025 from aviation analytics firm Cirium Diio shows.
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That's a long time on a plane that is equipped with Wi-Fi but lacks power outlets in economy — they are only available in first class on Alaska's E175s.
The new routes come as the carrier's merger with Hawaiian Airlines picks up speed. The airlines have begun to rework their schedules to offer travelers more options — particularly between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii but with some surprises elsewhere. For example, Hawaiian's Airbus A330s will fly between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and ANC during the peak summer season.
Alaska and Hawaiian together plan to grow their schedules by about 2% or 3% year over year in 2025, management disclosed in December.
All three new routes are part of that planned annual growth. The new Fairbanks-Portland flight is likely part of a broader expansion in the Oregon city as Alaska shifts its focus in Seattle more toward the local market and feeding its new nonstops to Asia. Alaska will launch flights from SEA to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) with Hawaiian's A330s on May 12 and to Seoul, South Korea's Incheon International Airport (ICN) in October.
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Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines' chief commercial officer, said in December that the carrier would rework its flight schedule in Portland to improve connectivity, including appealing to passengers who previously would have connected in Seattle by offering new north-south flights — like the new Fairbanks route.
The two Anchorage routes will offer travelers new nonstop options to Alaska's namesake state. The airline will face off against Delta Air Lines — a fierce competitor on Alaska's home turf in Seattle — on the Anchorage-Detroit route, Cirium Diio data shows. It faces no competition on the Anchorage-Sacramento route.
"Summer is a tremendous time to visit the great land of Alaska with our long, warm days, tremendous culture and adventure, and amazing wild Alaska seafood," Marilyn Romano, regional vice president of Alaska for Alaska Airlines, said in a statement. "There's so much to do around Anchorage, and the city is a perfect jumping-off point to venture out to communities across the state, as well as hopping on a cruise."
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See the full details of Alaska's new routes below:
- Anchorage-Detroit: Saturday-only from June 14 to Aug. 16 on a Boeing 737
- Anchorage-Sacramento: Saturday-only from June 14 to Aug. 16 on a Boeing 737
- Fairbanks-Portland: Daily from May 15 to Aug. 19 on an Embraer E175
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