Alaska Airlines Adds Cleveland to Network
Originally published on AeroXplorer
Alaska Airlines is adding Cleveland to its route map beginning in the summer of 2022. The Seattle-based airline will add the Ohio city to its route network while adding frequencies to Columbus and Cincinnati. The move comes as the airline continues to further its goal of bringing more feed to its Oneworld partners and more nonstop access to the West Coast.
The new service to Cleveland will make use of Alaska's Boeing 737-900ER. Photo: Pablo armenta
Beginning on June 16th, 2022, Alaska Airlines will start daily service from its largest hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). Flights will depart Seattle at 9:50 local time and arrive in Cleveland at 17:15 local time. The return leg will depart Cleveland at 18:25 local time and arrive in Seattle at 20:30 local time. Alaska Airlines will use 178-seat Boeing 737-900ER aircraft for flights between Seattle and Cleveland. This includes 16 recliner-style first-class seats, 24 extra-legroom economy seats, and 138 standard economy seats.
In March 2019, Alaska Airlines launched service to Columbus, Ohio from Seattle, and in May 2021, the airline started serving Cincinnati from Seattle as well. Cleveland will be Alaska’s third destination in Ohio. Next summer, Alaska will be doubling service on existing routes. Flights from Seattle to both Columbus and Cincinnati will move from one daily flight to two daily flights. These flights will see second daily nonstop flights starting on June 16th, which is the same day Alaska will begin flying to Cleveland.
Alaska's expansion is due in part to its membership in the Oneworld alliance. Photo: AeroXplorer
Alaska Airlines is primarily concentrated around the West Coast, with its largest hubs include Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, and Los Angeles. Recently, the airline has expanded east from major cities such as Boise, Idaho; however, it has no bases on the East Coast or in the Midwestern United States. After joining the Oneworld alliance and as part of the partnership with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines continues to expand its route network. Much of the expansion has to do with supporting these partnerships and accessing new customers. Adding the new route to Cleveland benefits both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
For American, Alaska’s nonstop means a new way to market access to the West Coast that previously American could not sell to its customers nonstop. For Alaska, it means access to American’s base of customers and creating new connecting opportunities for residents from Cleveland to get to destinations such as a secondary destination in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, or Asia with only one stop.
