Alaska Airlines to start Hawaii

[DAL767-400ER]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070531/aqth057.html?.v=10

SEATTLE, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines today announced new service between the Aloha state and Seattle and Anchorage. The airline will offer year-round daily flights beginning Oct. 12 between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Honolulu, and nonstop between Seattle and Lihue on the island of Kauai starting Oct. 28. It will also launch seasonal service between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Honolulu starting Dec. 9.

Seattle-Honolulu flights will depart at 8:40 a.m. Pacific time and arrive at 11:55 a.m. Hawaii time. Return flights will depart at 1:25 p.m. Hawaii time and arrive at 10:10 p.m. Pacific time.

Seattle-Lihue flights will depart at 4:20 p.m. Pacific time and arrive at 7:45 p.m. Hawaii time. Return flights will depart at 9:15 p.m. Hawaii time and arrive at 5:55 a.m. Pacific time.

Anchorage-Honolulu flights will depart at 3:20 p.m. Alaska time and arrive at 8:40 p.m. Hawaii time. Return flights will depart at 10:10 p.m. Hawaii time and arrive at 5:30 a.m. Alaska time.

The new flights will be operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin.

What has long been rumored is now finally happening.

[uy707]

Interesting

[ASpilot2be]

Sweet!!!

[as737700]

This was suppose to be announced back in January and the first flight was going to be in April. I don't know why they delayed those dates but it's awesome either way . The flights will be flown by ANC based pilots at the beginning (they are the only ETOPS trained pilots at the moment).

[DAL767-400ER]

This was suppose to be announced back in January and the first flight was going to be in April. I don't know why they delayed those dates but it's awesome either way . The flights will be flown by ANC based pilots at the beginning (they are the only ETOPS trained pilots at the moment).

Perhaps AS realised that getting ETOPS-certification and enough ETOPS-trained pilots in time for April might have been a tight fit. Better delay the start by a few months nad have everything in place than starting it in April and realise that operations aren't possible due to some ETOPS rules.

[FlyingPhotog]

*sigh* (wishing WN would do the same)

[Bok269]

Good to hear.

[Crunk415balla]

I wish them luck in the market! I wonder if we'll see any of these flights leaving SFO in the future.

[FlyingPhotog]

I wish them luck in the market! I wonder if we'll see any of these flights leaving SFO in the future.

That would be great to drive UA's fares down.

[DevilDog]

It was funny yesterday when I was at my job at the Frontier ticket counter, which is right next to the Alaska counter, I saw the Station manager giving leis to the Alaska CS agents to wear. Me and some of the F9 agents were wondering why they were wearing them, so I asked one of the Alaska agents and they told us of the Hawaii flights.

You would think they would fly out of SFO to Hawaii, since its less distance to fly.

[as737700]

Perhaps AS realised that getting ETOPS-certification and enough ETOPS-trained pilots in time for April might have been a tight fit. Better delay the start by a few months nad have everything in place than starting it in April and realise that operations aren't possible due to some ETOPS rules.

Yeah, that's the most likely case. Alaska still isn't ETOPS certified so they would have been in trouble if they were to start in April. I heard the starting in April thing back when they were planning to be certified in February.

[AA 1818]

I have to ask - is Alaska Airlines an LCC/LFC? It seems, that with stremlined fleet they would have rather low costs. Are their ticket prices rather low, when compared to other airlines? I am not too sure as to how to classify then - but then again it is soo very difficult to do so these days - everyone operates as an LCC, but only few are LFCs...

[FlyingPhotog]

I have to ask - is Alaska Airlines an LCC/LFC? It seems, that with stremlined fleet they would have rather low costs. Are their ticket prices rather low, when compared to other airlines? I am not too sure as to how to classify then - but then again it is soo very difficult to do so these days - everyone operates as an LCC, but only few are LFCs...

Officially they're a LCC. As far as fares I'm sure they're low or best in markets with competition. As far as their virtual monopoly within Alaska I have never looked at those fares.

[Bok269]

Is it just me or is it hard to tell these days who a LCC is? Aside from the fact that they price their fares based on the leg (so you don't get killed on the one way fare), their competitors have lowered their fares in simialar markets to compete.

[DAL767-400ER]

Low COST Carrier doesn't mean Low FARE carrier . And I'm quite confident that in their monopolised markets in Alaska AS does charge quite a bit more than they would charge on other routes of the same lenght.