Alaska Airlines changes: Asia flights to Seattle hub, premium credit cards and more
The merger of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines has officially startedand with it came some serious changes in the way the two previous carriers operated.
It begins by combining and expanding the two networks, which will soon make Seattle an international gateway, among other changes. The merger will also bring some major upgrades to the premium experience offered by the carriers, along with other changes to loyalty, short-term availability and more.
Now that the integration is underway, Alaska Airlines will host an investor day in New York to share more about its vision for how the combined airlines would work.
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Long-haul flights from Seattle
The highlight of the announcement is that Alaska will transform its hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) into an international gateway.
That means the airline will launch long-haul flights from Seattle. Its first destination, Narita International Airport in Tokyo, will take off on May 12 and tickets will be available for purchase on Tuesday.
The airline will then continue to fly another long-haul route to Seoul International Airport (ICN) starting in October. This route will go on sale early next year.
Alaska will deploy Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200s on its first trans-Pacific routes from Seattle. The flights will operate with Hawaii flight numbers until the two airlines receive a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Both flights will be bookable through the Alaska and Hawaii channels.
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Note that the aircraft used for these flights may change as Hawaiian adds wide-body aircraft to its fleet, an airline spokesperson told TPG.
Speaking about the expansion, Alaska Airlines chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison told TPG in an interview that Seattle is the sixth largest domestic gateway for flights to Asia and Oceania, while Asia Europe ranked tenth. Plus, “the great thing is that both Narita and Seoul are already served by Hawaiian, so all the infrastructure, the airport, all of that is already plug and play.”
He added that “Seattle is the largest West Coast hub of any U.S. airline. We have double the North American seats of Delta, we have 28% more seats than United in San Francisco. And the other thing is that it’s the fastest way to Asia.” above Seattle. Not San Francisco and Los Angeles.”
As part of this announcement, Alaska will transfer existing Hawaiian flights from Hawaii to Narita to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) instead. This will work on a twice daily basis.
“We’re going to move the Narita location to Seattle, and Honolulu to Narita is losing quite a bit of money, so moving it to Seattle with its strong sales point in the US, we believe that’s going to be more positive. ” from day one,” he said.
Two other tailwinds supporting long-haul expansion in Seattle are managed corporate travel and freight, Harrison said.
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Speaking about corporate travel, Harrison shared that “company-managed accounts for Alaska Airlines spend more than $300 million per year on international travel from Seattle and its five airlines alone.” Our head spends $200 million on corporate travel that we don’t go on today.” which we can directly participate in tomorrow.”
In terms of cargo, Harrison did not share any numbers, but the airline said these new routes will also meet strong cargo demand.
While Alaska will start with two transpacific destinations from Seattle, the carrier promises that by 2030, it will have at least 12 long-haul routes from the city.
Change network, other fleet
In addition to the new long-haul route, Alaska is making several other changes to its network.
This includes a review of how it manages its centres. Harrison said this is especially important in Seattle and Oregon’s Portland International Airport (PDX) because Seattle is at full capacity and nearby Portland still has some space available.
In the future, Alaska will connect through Seattle for new long-distance routes, while Portland will take over some other connections that previously went through Seattle.
Other changes on the horizon include adding 20% more seats between Seattle and Honolulu, made possible by upgrading three of the airline’s six daily nonstop flights to Hawaiian wide-body aircraft. .
In addition to the above deployment, Alaska will also use the Airbus A330 between Seattle and Anchorage during the summer peak season and will also use the A330 from Sacramento to Honolulu.
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The airline will also add new nonstop routes from San Francisco to both Kona on Hawaii’s “Big Island” and Lihue on Hawaii’s Kauai island. Kona service will operate four times a week starting June 12, while Lihue flights will operate three times a week starting June 13.
Alaska will also increase its use of Hawaii’s Airbus A321, A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft in the coming months. (The airline says Hawaii’s Airbus A321s will fly 25% more than before the merger.)
In terms of fleet, Alaska has spent recent years consolidating its operations with Boeing 737 aircraft. Hawaii’s integration eliminates those synergies because the Honolulu-based airline operates the planes. flying Airbus A321 and A330. Hawaiian also flies Boeing 717s, which Alaska does not.
That said, Harrison said the carrier has plans for its new consolidated fleet.
“The Boeing 737-8, -9 and -10 are truly ideal aircraft for the historic Alaska network… The Boeing 787 is the perfect choice for long-haul growth… The aircraft The only aircraft nearby is a Boeing 717 operating a neighboring island service which we will have to consider replacing.”
As for the remaining Airbus A330s and A321s, Alaska seems content to continue deploying them in existing markets.
Premium economy is coming
Now that Alaska Airlines will fly across the ocean, the airline says it needs an international premium economy product.
Hawaiian has chosen not to install premium economy class on its Airbus A330 aircraft either new Boeing 787 aircraftso these jets will undergo a retrofit program to install this popular cabin in the coming years. “They were very shoddy,” Harrison said of the Hawaiian’s cabin configurations.
Details and a timeline have yet to be revealed, but the addition of premium economy to these aircraft would not be surprising.
This intermediate cabin between business and economy class has increased in popularity (and profits) in recent years.
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According to Harrison, “Premium economy cabins on international routes are sometimes considered one of the most profitable cabins. That’s a real sweet spot, and there’s demand for that type of product.”
New premium credit card
Alaska has clearly heard the news that co-branded credit cards are where the money is. (Just ask Delta, which brought in about $7 billion this year from its exclusive deal with Amex.)
Alaska has never had a premium credit card, but that will change next summer when the carrier launches a card with an annual fee of $395
Unlike the Big 3 US airlines, which include lounge access with their top credit cards, Alaska’s version will include a number of other unique perks aimed at attracting check-ins and brings more value than “entering a crowded waiting room”, said. Harrison.
These benefits include so-called Global Companion Award Certificates (similar to the airline’s existing companion fares, but redeemable globally on partner airlines) , triple miles on overseas purchases and dining, a faster path to elite status, and more.
Details on what travelers can expect from this new card are still unclear, but waitlist sign-ups will begin today at alaskaair.com/premium-card. Alaska said travelers who join the waitlist before December 31, 2024 will enjoy exclusive offers.
Large lounge upgrade
Alaska will further invest in the most luxurious cruise experiences to increase its high-end appeal.
This includes the launch of new lounges in Honolulu and San Diego, as well as the opening of a brand new “flagship international lounge” in Seattle in 2027.
Alaska’s media team prevented Harrison from revealing details about the new facility (“I can’t tell Zach how big it’s going to be, right?”), but Harrison promised that Alaska would increase double the size of the concourse, and the new facility will be significantly larger than Alaska’s North Satellite concourse in Seattle, which is currently nearly 16,000 square feet.
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It will be interesting to see how Alaska markets this new lounge when it opens. In recent years, we have seen the rise of business class-only loungesso maybe this facility will be reserved for those sitting at the sharp end of the plane paying the big bucks (or miles).
Alaska announced Premium upgrades coming to its fleet with more premium and first class seats, and this announcement builds on the work already underway.
Bottom line
All in all, Alaska Airlines has laid out its vision of what Alaska and Hawaii combined should look like.
The airline is doubling its insurance premiums – a common move these days in the airline industry – while also launching long-haul flights from Seattle.
Other upcoming changes include upgraded lounges, rescheduled flights and bank withdrawals, all-new premium credit cards and more.
It’s certainly an exciting time to be an Alaska Airlines passenger, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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