Alaska Airlines puts Wyoming on its route map, adds 3 routes to Jackson Hole
Another airline is turning to the great outdoors to flesh out its route map during the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest is Alaska Airlines, which announced on Thursday that it will launch three routes to Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC). Seasonal service from Seattle (SEA), San Diego (SAN) and San Jose, California (SJC), will begin in December and run through April.
The move by Alaska comes as airlines increasingly look to add flights to outdoor-oriented leisure destinations even amid broader schedule cuts during the pandemic. Corporate demand has all but evaporated. And leisure travelers still appear wary of traveling to big-city destinations amid the closure of many popular tourist venues and a raft of local quarantine restrictions.
Sign up for TPG's brand new biweekly aviation newsletter for more airline news
But destinations like beaches or mountains that allow visitors to be outdoors have been the lone relative bright spot amid a historic drop in travel since March.
Alaska Airlines acknowledged as much in announcing that it would add Jackson Hole as a destination.
"It has been a challenging time, and for many the great outdoors has become a safe haven," the carrier said in a statement.
To the beach ... :United Airlines adds 17 routes to Florida, bypassing hubs in pandemic route-map shakeup
... or the mountains:Southwest Airlines unveils Steamboat Springs routes, adds new destination during pandemic
For now, Alaska will fly to Jackson Hole – a popular mountain destination that sits next to the Grand Teton National Park – during the ski season.
"Jackson Hole and the surrounding Grand Teton mountains offer a legendary winter playground with a rich history, amazing service, and plenty of activities both on and off the mountain" Brett Catlin, Alaska's managing director of capacity planning and alliances, said in the statement. "We know our guests on the West Coast are looking for nonstop access to more outdoor locales and we're excited to expand our footprint with the addition of Jackson Hole."
The full schedule details are below.
Seattle
- Jackson Hole service begins Dec. 17. Alaska Airlines regional affiliate SkyWest will fly five round-trip flights a week on 76-seat Embraer E175 jets through April 11.
- SEA to JAC: Departs 1:20 p.m., lands 4:20 p.m. (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
- JAC to SEA: Departs 5 p.m., lands 6:20 p.m. (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
More:Alaska Airlines adds another 6 California routes in West Coast build up
San Diego
- Jackson Hole service begins Dec. 17. Alaska Airlines regional affiliate SkyWest will fly five round-trip flights a week on 76-seat Embraer E175 jets through April 11.
- SAN to JAC: Departs 11:55 a.m., lands 3:20 p.m. (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
- JAC to SAN: Departs 4 p.m., lands 5:45 p.m. (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
San Jose
- Jackson Hole service begins Dec. 19. Alaska Airlines regional affiliate SkyWest will fly two round-trip flights a week on 76-seat Embraer E175 jets through April 10.
- SJC to JAC: Departs 11 a.m., lands 2:15 p.m. (Wednesday, Saturday)
- JAC to SJC: Departs 3 p.m., lands 4:35 p.m. (Wednesday, Saturday)
More on Alaska: Alaska Airlines quietly cuts inflight entertainment tablets
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month