Alaska Airlines drops 5 Bay Area routes, adds 2 as it refocuses on West
Alaska Airlines is taking further steps to refocus its California route map on its core territory in the western U.S., shaving five more routes from its current Bay Area schedules.
The Seattle-based carrier will end two routes from San Francisco (SFO): Nashville (BNA) on Nov. 4, and Raleigh/Durham (RDU) on Nov. 3, according to Diio by Cirium schedules. Alaska will also end three routes from San Jose (SJC) in California: New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Orange County (SNA) on Jan. 6, and Tucson (TUS) on Jan. 5.
Alaska is not only cutting routes. Next year, the airline will begin twice-daily flights between San Francisco and Phoenix (PHX), and daily flights between San Jose and Puerto Vallarta (PVR), the data shows. Both routes will be flown with Airbus A320s with up to 156 seats. The Puerto Vallarta route was first reported by Airline Route.
Related: Alaska, American slash partnership, eliminate reciprocal mileage redemptions
The airline has operated the San Francisco-Phoenix route on a seasonal basis in February and March for the past two years, according to Diio.
The moves come less than a week after Alaska dropped flights to Kona (KOA) from both Sacramento (SMF) and San Francisco, citing a change in the competitive environment. At the same time, the airline will boost service to the airport on the big island of Hawaii from San Diego (SAN) and San Jose.
And in August, Alaska dropped 11 routes to mostly the Midwest and East Coast while adding eight routes along the West Coast. It also announced two new San Luis Obispo (SBP) routes.
"There are so many places within the West where we're really good," Brandon Pedersen, Alaska's chief financial officer, said about the network changes at an investor conference in early September. "We've got point-of-sale on both sides [of these West Coast markets], strong loyalty — that's a much higher profit potential use of the airplane."
Related: Why Alaska Airlines is returning to its routes in the West
Alaska added many of the routes to the Midwest and East Coast from California after its acquisition of Bay Area-based Virgin America in 2016. At the time, it said the deal was a way to boost its presence in the Golden State, where it lagged many of its competitors.
However, beginning this summer, Alaska management changed tone and spoke of the importance to defend and expand in its core markets.
"The first priority would be… doing everything we need to do to sort of defend and grow markets out of the state of Washington, in the state of Alaska, the state of Oregon," Alaska CEO Brad Tilden said in July on the airline's 2020 growth plan
No route has been cut at Seattle/Tacoma (SEA), the carrier's home base, since the changes to Alaska's California network began rolling out in August. Some of the Midwestern and East Coast cities that are losing nonstop flights on the airline to California — Kansas City (MCI), for example — are gaining frequencies to Seattle, according to Diio.
Related: Alaska Airlines' Newest Route From Everett's Paine Field Is Palm Springs
Delta Air Lines continues to grow in Seattle, the SkyTeam Alliance carrier's primary Pacific gateway.
Alaska is keeping a number of its De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops in its fleet longer than planned. The aircraft primarily fly routes in the Pacific Northwest, where Tilden has said Alaska's focus is now on growing and defending its market share.
Once Alaska ends its latest set of Bay Area-routes, United Airlines will become the only airline flying between San Francisco and both Nashville and Raleigh/Durham, according to Diio. From San Jose, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways will continue to fly to JFK, and Southwest Airlines to Orange County and Tucson.
Related: Get the latest airline news delivered right to your in-box with the TPG newsletter
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.