Alaska Airlines adds 5 new Southern California routes ahead of JetBlue, Southwest expansion
Alaska Airlines is doubling down in Southern California ahead of new and expanded competition from JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines.
The Seattle-based carrier is matching JetBlue route-for-route from its Los Angeles (LAX) hub with new service to Cancun (CUN) and Reno (RNO) beginning Dec. 17, Alaska said Monday. JetBlue plans to begin service from its new LAX focus city on both routes this fall.
And 100 miles to the east, Alaska will add new nonstop flights between Palm Springs (PSP) and Boise (BOI), Reno and San Jose, California (SJC) also on Dec. 17. The routes are mostly unserved today — Allegiant Air offers limited service between Palm Springs and Boise — but come ahead of Southwest's planned entry into the 11th-busiest airport in California by year-end.
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"We've long offered nonstop flights to some of the most popular vacation destinations from Southern California, and we continue to see demand for our unique low fare, high-quality experience," said Brett Catlin, managing director of capacity planning and alliances at Alaska.
Competition aside, the new routes continue the trend of airlines adding flights in predominantly leisure markets aimed at holidaygoers who want a socially distanced escape during the coronavirus pandemic. Alaska emphasized "fun by the poolside, the beach, skiing [and] golfing" in its statement.
So far, Palm Springs appears to be a big winner of this trend. In addition to Alaska and Southwest's expansion in the desert oasis, Delta Air Lines will connect the city to Los Angeles in November and JetBlue will add new service from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) in December. Departures from the airport will only be down roughly 14% in October, while nationally they are down 45%, according to Cirium schedules.
Alaska has a long history in Palm Springs. It began serving the city in the late 1980s, including the San Jose route that it flew on-and-off since at least 1989 until 2014.
Related: Alaska Airlines makes bigger play for Los Angeles with 8 new routes
Even with the additions, Alaska remains far smaller than it was before COVID-19. The airline plans to fly just 58% of what it flew a year ago in October, Cirium shows. Schedules beyond October are still in flux.
Airlines are bracing for a tough autumn and winter as lucrative business flyers remain mostly grounded. The colder months are traditionally a slower time for leisure travel, especially outside of the end-of-year holidays.
Still, analysts at Cowen expect flyer numbers to continue to climb through December, albeit at a slower rate than during the summer. Their latest forecast has Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screenings surpassing 1 million people a day by the end of the year after peaking at a pandemic high of 968,673 people on Sept. 4, the Friday before Labor Day weekend.
Related: Alaska Airlines sees coronavirus as an opportunity to ‘rerack’ its route map
Alaska's Los Angeles and Palm Springs expansion is just the latest in a series of additions to its route map. Since July, it has unveiled more than a dozen new routes from its California bases at LAX, San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO) and San Jose; and added Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC) to its map.
Alaska CEO Brad Tilden has described the pandemic as an opportunity to "rerack" the carrier's route map with travel up in some of its core West Coast markets but down on many of the transcontinental routes it has added in recent years.
In addition to the new routes, the airline will up frequency between LAX and Boise to three daily flights; Guadalajara (GDL) to two daily flights; and Salt Lake City to two daily flights on Dec. 17.
Related: Alaska Airlines puts Wyoming on its route map, adds 3 routes to Jackson Hole
Below are the details of Alaska's five new Los Angeles and Palm Springs routes.
- Los Angeles - Cancun: seasonal daily flight on a Boeing 737 from Dec. 17 to April 12, 2021
- Los Angeles - Reno: daily flight on an Embraer E175 from Dec. 17
- Palm Springs - Boise: seasonal daily flight on an E175 from Dec. 17 to April 12, 2021
- Palm Springs - Reno: seasonal flight on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday on an E175 from Dec. 17 to April 12, 2021
- Palm Springs - San Jose: two daily flights on E175s from Dec. 17
Related: US airlines ‘fighting for survival’ with no hope of V-shaped recovery
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
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 $6,000 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.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.