Alaska Airlines to announce new markets soon

Midwestindy · Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:57 pm

Following the cancellations of IND/MSP/ABQ/MEX/DEN/FLL/CUN-SFO, JFK-LAS, LAX-MEX, and other routes. It is nice to see that AS will be announcing some new routes and markets.

Any idea which markets/routes could be added next?

"Stay tuned in the coming weeks for new markets to be announced"
https://twitter.com/AlaskaAir/status/10 ... 8506690561

flyguy84 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:00 pm

Well, their SFO experiment epically failed.

kavok · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:05 pm

I will be very curious where AS decides to grow capacity from. SEA? It obviously is not SFO, and probably not PDX either given the recent cuts there. Does AS try and build a hub from somewhere else? Or maybe they just focus on new point to point routes located entirely in the Mountain/Pacific time zones.

B747Lighthouse · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:09 pm

East coast Micro hub ? Dreams but it would be pretty sweet to step into the upper east coast market. Choosing a city that has Amtrak, Coast, and sweet connections. . . I keep wanting to say BOS but lets be realistic .. . . and if anyone says Jersey your out of your mind. . .

SgtBarone · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:10 pm

Would love to see them finally enter Ohio.

ANA787 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:13 pm

Hopefully a PDX-FLL flight soon.

winstonavgeek · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:17 pm

I think that it will probably be new flights to SEA-MIA(but they'd have to lower SEA-FLL frequency) or maybe SEA-YYZ?

jbs2886 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:20 pm

flyguy84 wrote:
Well, their SFO experiment epically failed.

Yes, they are dropping a few routes, many that are new. But, to say that the "experiment epically [sic] failed" is quite the exaggeration. In fact, Alaska will still have a very large operation in SFO; in addition, I anticipate some of these new routes will be SFO-based.

WaywardMemphian · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:20 pm

MEM/LAX and MEM/SEA, one can drram can't they

klm617 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:21 pm

SEA-GRR I could see.

Bigant0408 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:22 pm

As a PHL follower id love to see PHL-SAN to give AA some competition and also PHL to San Jose. Doubt any of them will happen tho but wishful thinking

gmcc · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:45 pm

I would not hold you breath for new markets anytime soon. Growth number has been cut. You might see flights between existing dots but I would be very surprised with anything other than that. Also with the reduced growth number, AS has stated that they will move some of the cabin mods and painting up.

AVENSAB727 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:48 pm

IAH-PDX/SFO?

Midwestindy · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:49 pm

gmcc wrote:
I would not hold you breath for new markets anytime soon. Growth number has been cut. You might see flights between existing dots but I would be very surprised with anything other than that. Also with the reduced growth number AS has stated that they will move some of the cabin mods and painting done sooner.

They literally just said today that they would announce new routes in the coming weeks, look at the link

lhpdx · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:51 pm

I'm not holding my breath for anything new out of PDX with all of those recent cuts, BLI, PSC,STL, and DTW...........

MaverickM11 · Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:52 pm

flyguy84 wrote:
Well, their SFO experiment epically failed.

Is that your name for VX? :duck:

gmcc · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:08 am

Midwestindy wrote:
gmcc wrote:
I would not hold you breath for new markets anytime soon. Growth number has been cut. You might see flights between existing dots but I would be very surprised with anything other than that. Also with the reduced growth number AS has stated that they will move some of the cabin mods and painting done sooner.

They literally just said today that they would announce new routes in the coming weeks, look at the link

I did look at the link and what was said in the link, which appear to be a twitter agent trying to convince a customer not to give up on them, contrasts with what AS leadership had to say on the last earnings call. Given the statements from AS leadership on the last conference call, I am just not convinced that they are in the new dot on the map mode. Maybe something has changed since then but they seemed very much in a lets get back to the core markets and not be in a looking to expand mode. I hope I am wrong, but I expect something more along the lines of LAX to GEG direct to compete with and try hurt Delta that a new dot on the map. Just my :twocents:

crescent · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:09 am

There is no good answer to this- in effect, AS bought its natural growth by issuing equity for VX. I always wondered how in the world they would find markets for year after year of 8% seat growth. On the margin, they can pick away at select markets being #2 to WN in SMF SJC SAN, but any big project is hard to identify.

Jshank83 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:12 am

lhpdx wrote:
I'm not holding my breath for anything new out of PDX with all of those recent cuts, BLI, PSC,STL, and DTW...........

It would be nice to see them bring STL-PDX back seeing they had pretty full planes on it, but I won't hold my breathe.

gmcc wrote:
Midwestindy wrote:
gmcc wrote:
I would not hold you breath for new markets anytime soon. Growth number has been cut. You might see flights between existing dots but I would be very surprised with anything other than that. Also with the reduced growth number AS has stated that they will move some of the cabin mods and painting done sooner.

They literally just said today that they would announce new routes in the coming weeks, look at the link

I did look at the link and what was said in the link, which appear to be a twitter agent trying to convince a customer not to give up on them, contrasts with what AS leadership had to say on the last earnings call. Given the statements from AS leadership on the last conference call, I am just not convinced that they are in the new dot on the map mode. Maybe something has changed since then but they seemed very much in a lets get back to the core markets and not be in a looking to expand mode. I hope I am wrong, but I expect something more along the lines of LAX to GEG direct to compete with and try hurt Delta that a new dot on the map. Just my

AS has used the term "markets" to say new routes to existing cities in the past, not necessarily new cities or dots. They interchange market and route.

enilria · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:16 am

flyguy84 wrote:
Well, their SFO experiment epically failed.

I think they need to add at least 3 SFO markets to change the impression the focus City there is in trouble. I doubt they will do that. 2 or less I think.

zackary747 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:18 am

I hope they give IND/BNA-PDX a try. There are a few select markets that could work to PDX for Alaska.

Flyingstump · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:20 am

kavok wrote:
I will be very curious where AS decides to grow capacity from. SEA? It obviously is not SFO, and probably not PDX either given the recent cuts there. Does AS try and build a hub from somewhere else? Or maybe they just focus on new point to point routes located entirely in the Mountain/Pacific time zones.

Maybe add a few routes to SAN with the intention of providing connections to Hawaii? They are certainly limited in their ability to expand with hubs only on the west coast that provide almost no connection opportunities.

If they have free aircraft, they could try routes with no competition such as PDX-TPA or SEA-CMH. Their acquisition with Virgin America really doesn't seem to have put them in a much better position besides eliminating competition.

axiom · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:21 am

enilria wrote:
flyguy84 wrote:
Well, their SFO experiment epically failed.

I think they need to add at least 3 SFO markets to change the impression the focus City there is in trouble. I doubt they will do that. 2 or less I think.

What would they even add? They've tried the obvious midcon routes. Long and thin transcons? Great niche, I'm sure...

Balloonchaser · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:24 am

Not in this announcement.. But in the future, does anyone else see Alaska going into the smaller airports like KISP, KPVD, KBDL, KSWF, KBTV, etc?

axiom · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:26 am

Flyingstump wrote:
kavok wrote:
I will be very curious where AS decides to grow capacity from. SEA? It obviously is not SFO, and probably not PDX either given the recent cuts there. Does AS try and build a hub from somewhere else? Or maybe they just focus on new point to point routes located entirely in the Mountain/Pacific time zones.

Maybe add a few routes to SAN with the intention of providing connections to Hawaii? They are certainly limited in their ability to expand with hubs only on the west coast that provide almost no connection opportunities.

If they have free aircraft, they could try routes with no competition such as PDX-TPA or SEA-CMH. Their acquisition with Virgin America really doesn't seem to have put them in a much better position besides eliminating competition.

The VX acquisition was all about eliminating competition, to be sure.

PDX is TPA's top domestic priority; I'm sure there would be sweeteners for AS should they go for it. Not convinced there's enough demand there, especially not with all of the TPA-West Coast additions as of late.

wedgetail737 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:27 am

Not too terribly likely, but I would mind seeing SEA-PBI, SEA-JAX and SEA-MRY. Maybe with the discontinuation of DAL-LGA and DAL-DCA, maybe we'll see additional intra-CA flights or connections. Some additional SAN segments like SAN-BOI would be nice!

BoeingGuy · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:30 am

Balloonchaser wrote:
Not in this announcement.. But in the future, does anyone else see Alaska going into the smaller airports like KISP, KPVD, KBDL, KSWF, KBTV, etc?

Where would they serve those cities from? They are west coast oriented. I don't think any of them would work from SEA. I believe even LAX-BDL is a marginal route that has been on-and-off, let alone trying it from SEA. The others are total non-starters. AA doesn't even serve several of them from DFW; or UA from DEN.

I'm not sure what's next for AS as far as new cities. Not a lot left that could work. Maybe CLE, CVG, CHM, CLT from SEA. MEM might be a stretch. What's left? JAX couldn't even support LAX.

BoeingGuy · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:32 am

wedgetail737 wrote:
Not too terribly likely, but I would mind seeing SEA-PBI, SEA-JAX and SEA-MRY. Maybe with the discontinuation of DAL-LGA and DAL-DCA, maybe we'll see additional intra-CA flights or connections. Some additional SAN segments like SAN-BOI would be nice!

LAX-PBI and LAX-JAX have come and gone. If they don't work from LAX, they probably aren't going to work from SEA.

I can see SEA-MRY coming sometime. I'm surprised AS hasn't tried it yet.

I thought AS does do SAN-BOI. They did used to do it, at least.

What's left intra-California? Return of OAK-SNA?

klm617 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:32 am

Summer ANC-DTW please and thank you.

BoeingGuy · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:36 am

klm617 wrote:
Summer ANC-DTW please and thank you.

AS doesn't seem to have interest in adding new eastern destinations from ANC. They do ORD and that's it. AS did DEN-ANC for awhile as retaliation for F9 starting the route. Supposedly it performed well, but they dropped it several years ago.

AS did add PHX and LAS seasonally from ANC. They've tried and dropped GEG, SFO, and YVR. They also tried and dropped PDX-FAI.

What is left that is viable for AS to do from ANC that is within range of a 737? SJC, LIH, SFO (again), SAN?

DeltaRules · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:41 am

Anybody have a list of the largest cities they're not already in (by PDEW, presuming anything would start with SEA, or population)?

axiom wrote:
Flyingstump wrote:
kavok wrote:
I will be very curious where AS decides to grow capacity from. SEA? It obviously is not SFO, and probably not PDX either given the recent cuts there. Does AS try and build a hub from somewhere else? Or maybe they just focus on new point to point routes located entirely in the Mountain/Pacific time zones.

Maybe add a few routes to SAN with the intention of providing connections to Hawaii? They are certainly limited in their ability to expand with hubs only on the west coast that provide almost no connection opportunities.

If they have free aircraft, they could try routes with no competition such as PDX-TPA or SEA-CMH. Their acquisition with Virgin America really doesn't seem to have put them in a much better position besides eliminating competition.

The VX acquisition was all about eliminating competition, to be sure.

PDX is TPA's top domestic priority; I'm sure there would be sweeteners for AS should they go for it. Not convinced there's enough demand there, especially not with all of the TPA-West Coast additions as of late.

And, similar to axiom's comment about TPA, SEA is at the top of CMH's list.

BobbyPSP · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:45 am

Most of the markets are mor east dropped are flying east. Didn’t alaska say they wanted to connect North/South on the West coast? Plus there are 1 flight a Day markets.

Makes sense to add service along west coast. Also SAN is a very large station that has seen a lot of growth

KICT · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:46 am

SEA-ORF? SEA-RIC? SEA-CLT? SEA-CMH?

dbo861 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:49 am

SEA-DSM on an E175..please for the love of GOD!

psa1011 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:54 am

So AS will never ever consider acquiring some 788's to compete with DL internationally out of PDX/SEA, or with UA out of SFO? I'm not really comprehending how they thought that they would capture the VX crowd once they stripped the VX aesthetic without a true international network.

MIflyer12 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:58 am

Midwestindy wrote:
gmcc wrote:
I would not hold you breath for new markets anytime soon. Growth number has been cut. You might see flights between existing dots but I would be very surprised with anything other than that. Also with the reduced growth number AS has stated that they will move some of the cabin mods and painting done sooner.

They literally just said today that they would announce new routes in the coming weeks, look at the link

A Customer Service agent on Twitter?! That's what counts as a source for you?

BoeingGuy · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:01 am

MIflyer12 wrote:
Midwestindy wrote:
gmcc wrote:
I would not hold you breath for new markets anytime soon. Growth number has been cut. You might see flights between existing dots but I would be very surprised with anything other than that. Also with the reduced growth number AS has stated that they will move some of the cabin mods and painting done sooner.

They literally just said today that they would announce new routes in the coming weeks, look at the link

A Customer Service agent on Twitter?! That's what counts as a source for you?

And her comment was to appease a customer who was disappointed that AS is (again) cutting MEX. I agree that I'd take that with a grain of salt.

RL757PVD · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:02 am

PVD leaks a ton on west coast pax to BOS... Someone who drives to BOS from PVD to go west is likely not flying AS, they have an opportunity to own a market like LAX then add others over time.

BDL-SEA I could also see sometime in the near future. Probably the only missing domestic dot on their realistic route map.

DLASFlyer · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:06 am

SEA-JAC is still the only domestic SEA market Delta flies that AS does not.

phxa340 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:09 am

SAN-FLL please. AS seems to be doing very well with the MCO-SAN routing, and has whittled away the SFO-FLL route. I think with the the loyal base of fliers in SAN and B6 commanding often rediculously high fares for the route, there could be something there for AS. Additionally, FLL would help AS customers get to MIA (obviously) and a quick drive to the keys. FLL just always seemed like a big hole in the AS SAN network.

olddominion727 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:11 am

They could bring back SJC-PSP, SJC-ONT, maybe SJC-ATL, SJC-BOS, SJC-ORD? SJC EWR & JFK seem to be working. Maybe SJC-WAS? I see them building up their SJC and SAN Routes. Maybe SJC-MCI or SJC-RDU? They have the gate space in SJC. So maybe they will move some SFO stuff to the South Bay?

adls307usa · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:15 am

SAN-ORF? Could see a lot of Military traffic on that route?

As for all of the previously mentioned ones, the most realistic route I could see coming to life is SEA-CMH.

Secretly hoping for an E175 operating seasonally from SEA-SGU.

whpbur · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:18 am

I think Alaska is going to try to battle Southwest in California. Lots of SoCal - NorCal service.

olddominion727 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:21 am

the issue is, being on the East Coast, people don't look at AS the same as they do AA, UA, B6, & DL to SFO, LAX, & LAS... AS needs to boost their marketing and get their product known. They have had a huge opportunity to expand JFK. They are not taking it. Such a shame. With feed from SEA, PDX, SJC, SFO, SAN, LAX, LAS.

joeljack · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:23 am

dbo861 wrote:
SEA-DSM on an E175..please for the love of GOD!

I think that has a descent shot! DSM has no west coast nonstops that are not 2x weekly seasonal. OMA year-round west coast nonstops started with AS to SEA on a CR7 now it is a 737-900 most days. Don’t know if DSM can support that but a E175 I think would be successful.

jplatts · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:25 am

DLASFlyer wrote:
SEA-JAC is still the only domestic SEA market Delta flies that AS does not.

DL also serves its CVG focus city nonstop from SEA, and AS doesn't currently serve CVG. Both DL and AS also already have nonstop service from SEA to DL's LAX, SLC, MSP, DTW, JFK, and ATL hubs and DL's BOS and RDU focus cities.

AS could add SEA-CVG nonstop service in order to better compete against DL in the SEA market. CVG also used to have 3 daily nonstops out of SEA on DL 10 years ago, but DL currently only has 1 daily nonstop to CVG from SEA.

Midwestindy · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:29 am

BoeingGuy wrote:
MIflyer12 wrote:
Midwestindy wrote:

They literally just said today that they would announce new routes in the coming weeks, look at the link

A Customer Service agent on Twitter?! That's what counts as a source for you?

And her comment was to appease a customer who was disappointed that AS is (again) cutting MEX. I agree that I'd take that with a grain of salt.

You think the AS social media team is allowed to make up random statements like that? There is no way they were allowed to say something like that unless an announcement was actually planned.

jplatts · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:33 am

olddominion727 wrote:
the issue is, being on the East Coast, people don't look at AS the same as they do AA, UA, B6, & DL to SFO, LAX, & LAS... AS needs to boost their marketing and get their product known. They have had a huge opportunity to expand JFK. They are not taking it. Such a shame. With feed from SEA, PDX, SJC, SFO, SAN, LAX, LAS.

WN also already has nonstop service to California destinations from ATL, BWI, EWR, MCO, and TPA on the East Coast. WN can also connect passengers to additional East Coast destinations from the West Coast through MDW and BWI.

jplatts · Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:35 am

The top domestic destinations traveled to from SEA that aren't currently served nonstop from SEA are CMH, BDL, ORF, and JAX, and AS isn't currently in any of these 4 markets. Even though CLE has seasonal less-than-daily nonstop service out of SEA on F9, the lack of daily nonstop service to CLE out of SEA on a non-ULCC is a huge hole. There is enough demand for either AS or DL to serve CLE nonstop from SEA, even with less-than-daily seasonal nonstop service to CLE out of SEA on F9.

jetmatt777 · Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:03 am

New markets don’t necessarily means new destinations. AAA-BBB, and AAA-CCC are both markets, and a potential new market could be BBB-CCC.

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