Alaska Airlines cuts 4 high-profile routes, including 2 transcons
Alaska Airlines is making big changes to its route map.
The Seattle-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to drop four high-profile routes over the next few months, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
The affected routes are:
- Chicago-San Francisco
- Los Angeles-Nassau, Bahamas
- Washington-Los Angeles
- Washington-San Francisco
All of the domestic routes will end Aug. 19, while the international route to the Bahamas will stop flying Aug. 17.
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Travelers booked on these affected routes will be offered full refunds or reaccomodation to nearby airports.
Perhaps the most notable cuts are those at Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C. Exiting these two routes will leave United Airlines with a monopoly on service from IAD to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
This isn't a station exit for Alaska, as the airline will continue flying from IAD to its hometown of Seattle and San Diego (a route with its own interesting backstory).
Meanwhile, Alaska will continue flying to Los Angeles and San Francisco from the far more convenient Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The airline offers one daily flight to both destinations.
As for why Alaska is making these cuts at IAD, the airline explains that "we’ve seen a recent decrease in demand on our routes between San Francisco-Washington Dulles (IAD) and Los Angeles-Washington Dulles, potentially connected to economic uncertainty and a decrease in government-related travel."
Other U.S. airlines have also noticed this trend of reduced demand to and from the nation's capital in recent weeks, but these are perhaps the most notable cuts yet that have been blamed on this trend.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Alaska says that its once-daily flight doesn't offer enough frequency to compete with the other airlines in the market — American Airlines and United Airlines — that offer a far more robust schedule of up to 11 daily flights. "Other airlines offer a greater frequency of flights on this route compared to our once-daily flight," explained a spokesperson. Alaska could've decided to compete more fiercely with more flights, but it seemingly decided that redeploying this aircraft makes more sense.
Finally, Alaska's cut in the Bahamas represents a station exit for the airline. Alaska first entered the market with flights to Nassau from Los Angeles and Seattle in December 2023. At the time, the airline thought it could capture leisure traffic looking for a Caribbean vacation.
But nonstop flights from the West Coast to the Caribbean are historically quite challenging. No other airline flies nonstop from Los Angeles or Seattle to Nassau, and it's not for lack of trying. In addition to Alaska, JetBlue Airways also tried flying from Los Angeles to Nassau in the 2023 winter season. That flight has since been cut.
"For the past year and a half, we’ve tried a variety of strategies to make the route financially successful from both Seattle and LAX," an Alaska spokesperson told TPG. It wasn't immediately clear what strategies Alaska tried on this route, but Seattle service ended earlier this year, and now Los Angeles flights will end later this year.
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- 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.
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- $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.