Alaska Airlines launches new daily route between San Diego and Atlanta
Alaska Airlines is expanding in the Peach State.
The Seattle-based carrier announced Monday that it is adding a new daily route from San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) that begins flying May 16, 2024.
With the new route, Atlanta becomes Alaska's 37th destination out of San Diego.
Alaska's latest expansion into Atlanta — which also happens to be Delta Air Lines' biggest hub — comes after the carrier launched a new status match offer; the offer aims to entice loyal Delta flyers into Alaska's frequent flyer program after Delta enacted some controversial changes to its program. Alaska currently only flies to Atlanta from its Seattle hub.
Until Oct. 31, Alaska is allowing SkyMiles Medallion members to match within the Mileage Plan program, which also includes matches into Alaska's top-tier MVP Gold 100K status. This tier has otherwise been historically difficult to reach through a status match.
Delta recently overhauled its SkyMiles program, now allowing customers to earn miles and Medallion status through how much money they spend rather than considering the amount of miles flown. The changes unleashed a firestorm on social media, with many decrying the new loyalty program and some even saying they'll no longer fly with Delta. Ever since the changes, competitor airlines have been trying to court Delta flyers.
JetBlue on Tuesday launched a similar status match offer for Delta loyalists.
Kirsten Amrine, Alaska's vice president of revenue management and network planning, said in a statement that the carrier wanted to add the daily route because San Diego and Atlanta are both popular leisure and business destinations.
"We're excited to connect the cities, especially since Atlanta is our largest unserved transcontinental market from San Diego," Amrine said.
Kimberly Becker, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's president and CEO, lauded the new route.
"This new nonstop service to Atlanta offers Southern Californians direct access to Georgia's capital and key economic center, while providing easy access for Georgians to the warmth and beauty of San Diego," Becker said in a statement.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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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