Summary

  • Alaska Airlines resumes La Paz flights and adds daily Monterrey service.
  • Both new routes will be operated by Embraer E175.
  • Alaska Airlines is the number one airline connecting the West Coast US to Mexico.

Alaska Airlines is returning to La Paz this winter after an 11-year hiatus and is adding daily flights to Monterrey.

Expanding service to Mexico

Earlier today, Alaska Airlines announced it was expanding its international operations from Los Angeles. Beginning in late November, Alaska will be the only airline connecting La Paz to the United States. From next February, the airline will start flying daily to Monterrey, Mexico. Tickets will be available for sale starting tomorrow.

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Photo: Alaska Airlines

Both of the new routes will be flown on the Embraer E175, meaning one of Alaska’s regional contractors will operate the flights. They will likely be operated by SkyWest as the airline already operates a significant portion of Alaska’s flights to Mexico. Flight schedules are not yet available.

“For the Government of Baja California Sur, tourism is one of the pillars that drives the state’s economy. Therefore, we are highly committed to promoting actions that benefit this important sector through our tourism trusts, which day by day seek alliances for the benefit of all.” – Maribel Collins, Minister of Tourism and Economy, Baja California Sur

Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning at Alaska Airlines highlighted that the airline recently marked 35 years of connecting Mexico to the United States. Amrine highlighted Alaska’s position as the number one airline connecting the West Coast of the US to Mexico and shared the airline’s excitement for the new destinations.

Air operations in La Paz

La Paz is the capital of the state of Baja California Sur and has a population of just over 250,000. Located on the coast, La Paz is known for its beaches. Aeropuerto Internacional Manuel Márquez de León is an international airport with nearly 1,000 roundtrip flights available this month.

According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, LAP has flights by five different airlines: Aeromexico, Viva Aerobus, Volaris, Calafia Airlines, and TAR Aerolineas. Volaris is the largest operator at LAP, with 400 of 994 flights and 80,502 seats out of 140,292. The airline’s busiest route is a short hop to Tijuana, located on the Mexican-American border.

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Aeromexico, Mexico’s flag carrier, operates two daily flights to Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez in Mexico City. Volaris competes with Aeromexico but only offers one daily flight, switching between its Airbus A320s and A320neos.

Air operations in Monterrey

Aeropuerto Internacional General Mariano Escobedo (MTY) serves Mexico’s second-largest metropolitan area of Monterrey. Data shows there are 8,690 flights scheduled there this month, offering more than 1.5 million seats. Eleven carriers operate flights to MTY, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Two other international carriers serve Monterrey, Copa Airlines and Air Canada.

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Photo: Viva Aerobus

Viva Aerobus, headquartered at MTY, has the largest market share at the airport, with 5,299 flights scheduled this month. Of the 1,514,814 seats available, 1,065,422 are on Viva Aerobus’ flights. Six hundred of its flights are international, serving several destinations in the US, as well as Havana, Cuba, and Bogotá, Colombia. American Airlines has the second-largest market share of international flights, with 490.

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