Alaska Will Add L.A. Flights
By The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
Jan. 17–Posted online at 4:57 p.m. Wednesday
SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines moved Wednesday to defend popular California routes against newcomer Virgin America Airlines.
Alaska announced that it will add three daily flights between Sea-Tac Airport and Los Angeles International Airport beginning April 27 and change its schedule to depart on the hour from Sea-Tac and on the half-hour returning from Los Angeles.
Virgin America, affiliated with Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways, has announced it will begin flying between Sea-Tac and Los Angeles on April 8 with three daily flights. It will add a fourth daily flight May 11.
With the three trips added in April, Alaska will have 15 daily flights between the two airports. Alaska dominates the Sea-Tac-Los Angeles market with 59 percent of the passenger traffic, according to Farecast.com.
Alaska will also bolster its Sea-Tac-Orange County schedule with one additional daily trip for a total of nine. It plans to add a daily round trip to San Diego in June for a total of eight.
The airline also will offer double mileage in six California markets for qualifying fliers. Among those airports are San Francisco (eight round trips daily) and Oakland (seven round trips daily).
To qualify for the double mileage, Alaska customers must fly two round trips to Los Angeles or San Francisco between March 15 and May 15 and register for the promotion. Qualifying customers will receive double miles on any Alaska flights to Los Angeles or San Francisco from May 16 through Dec. 31.
John Gillie, The News Tribune
blogs.thenewstribune.com/business
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