Summary
- Alaska Airlines has significantly increased its international seat offering this Thanksgiving week, with a 30% increase compared to last year, despite not adding any new routes.
- The busiest international route for Alaska Airlines during Thanksgiving week is from Seattle to Vancouver, with 15 flights operated by Embraer E175s.
- Compared to other US carriers, Alaska Airlines has the third-highest increase in international seats over last year, with Frontier Airlines having the highest increase at 54%.
Alaska Airlines’ international offering has grown significantly in the last year by adding new routes and aircraft swaps on certain routes. According to an analysis from Cirium, this Thanksgiving week, Alaska’s international seat offering will be 30% greater than last year, even though no new routes will operate.
Adding more seats this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest in the United States for air travel, with students receiving time off school, employees receiving time off work, and many traveling to visit family members. It is the week in which households consume the most food and typically watch football before the craziness of Black Friday shopping. This year, United expects to transport six million passengers, Delta over six million, and American almost 7.8 million.
Alaska Airlines has more than 30,000 seats available from November 22-26, a 30% increase over last year. This year, 39 routes are available from six airports, the same as last year, but frequencies have increased, and aircraft deployed have changed.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying
The busiest international route during the week is from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to Vancouver International Airport, a short 127-mile hop across the Canadian border. The peak day that week will be on Friday, the 24th, with four flights. In total, 15 flights will be operated during the 22-26 period, totaling 1,140 seats on the Embraer E175s operated by Horizon Air. Last year, Alaska operated 16 flights within the same period.
The Seattle-based airline’s second-busiest international route during the Thanksgiving period will be from its base at Los Angeles International Airport. Over the five days, Alaska will operate 13 flights to San Jose del Cabo Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico, representing an increase of three flights compared to last year. The 910-mile route will be operated with the Boeing 737-800, -900ER, and -9 (MAX 9), totaling 2,219 seats on the 910-mile route.
Photo: lorenzatx | Shutterstock
Six routes are joint-tied for third-busiest, operating from Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. Three LAX routes will have ten flights, Guadalajara, Liberia (Costa Rica), and Puerto Vallarta, each operating twice daily. Two San Francisco routes are set to have two daily flights, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. From Seattle, Alaska plans to fly twice daily to Cancun. All of the above routes are increasing significantly this year, with LAX-GDL and LAX Liberia doubling over 2022.
Below is how the six routes compare to last year’s service:
|
Origin |
Destination |
Flights in 2022 |
Flights in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Los Angeles |
Guadalajara |
5 |
10 |
|
Los Angeles |
Liberia |
5 |
10 |
|
Los Angeles |
Puerto Vallarta |
6 |
10 |
|
San Francisco |
Puerto Vallarta |
6 |
10 |
|
San Francisco |
Cabo San Lucas |
10 |
13 |
|
Seattle |
Cancun |
6 |
10 |
How does Alaska compare to other carriers?
Alaska has the third-highest increase in international seats over 2022 compared to other US carriers. Frontier Airlines has the most significant increase, 54%, and will offer over 26,000 seats this Thanksgiving period.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
JetBlue Airways, which cut some of its domestic flights compared to last year to meet increasing international demand, will offer an increase of 31%. Last year, JetBlue offered 73,676 seats, and this year it will offer 96,672. Alaska Airlines offered 24,118 seats last year and will offer 31,308 this year. The smallest increase, excluding Sun Country, which has no change, is from Southwest Airlines, which only has 2% more seats than last year.
Will you be flying anywhere over the Thanksgiving season? Let us know your plans in the comments.
Source: Cirium