Alaska Airlines has decided to discontinue its regular flights between New York JFK and Los Angeles (LAX) from October 6 later this year to better compete in other West Coast hubs.
Alaska Airlines has been operating flight between New York and Los Angeles since it took over Virgin America. Currently, Alaska Airlines operate twice-daily flights on this route. The airline was planning to reduce the frequency and operate only once daily in the fall. However, it’ is being discontinued now.
This route is one of the most competitive routes in the United States. Alongside Alaska Airlines, this route is also served by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines.
Although this is a premium market, Alaska Airlines is the only airline that’s not offering flatbeds. All other carriers are offering flatbeds. However, Alaska’s Chief Commercial Officer claimed that they were happy with the product offering, saying:
“We feel really good. We are very thankful that we maintained a non-lie-flat position. We think our first-class seats are spot-on for the demand environment.”
While the airline is cutting its route between New York and LAX, it will be operating 25 daily flights between New York and other West Coast cities. It will operate 12 daily flights to New York’s JFK, using all allocated slots from:
Seattle (SEA), 4 daily flights
San Francisco (SFO), 4 daily flights
Portland (PDX), 2 daily flights
San Diego (SAN), 2 daily flights
In addition, Alaska Airlines will also operate 13 daily flights to Newark on the following routes:
Seattle (SEA), 4 daily flights
Los Angeles (LAX), 4 daily flights
San Francisco (SFO), 3 daily flights
Portland (PDX), 1 daily flight
San Diego (SAN), 1 daily flight
Commenting on this decision, the airline said:
“We’re focusing our resources on where we can best compete and provide the most consistent, superior service to our guests. Our biggest strength is our core markets on the West Coast, including Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and San Diego.”
What do you think about this change in route? Let us know below!
