Airlines Add New Routes as Travel Returns

It’s a good sign that airlines are adding new routes for summer and fall 2021.  It’s a sign that we are eager to get back to traveling, and that airlines are ready to serve our travel itch.

Here’s what US-flag carriers are planning for recovery and growth – including new frequent flyer partnerships.

In alphabetical order, since that’s the only fair way.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines continues to strengthen its Pacific Northwest connections with four new routes, which includes linking Boise to Chicago O’Hare and Austin, and two new destinations from Seattle.

The new routes to and from Boise will be  year-round with Horizon Air’s Embraer 175 jet and its three-class cabin. With these new flights, Alaska will have 28 daily departures to 12 cities from Boise this year.

The new departures from Boise on the E175 aircraft will offer only window and aisle seating – there are no middle seats on board.

Passengers also enjoy free entertainment with hundreds of movies and TV shows available for viewing on personal devices; free texting on most flights; and Wi-Fi connectivity for purchase.

Alaska’s new service between Boise and Austin will connect two capital cities with robust tech economies.

The airline is also adding an additional daily flight between Boise and Sacramento.

New Partnership with American Airlines

The flights between Idaho’s largest city to the Windy City will allow passengers on Alaska to connect to American Airlines’ domestic and international network.

With Alaska joining American in the oneworld alliance on March 31, passengers  can expect a seamless travel experience.

Two new destinations are coming to Alaska’s schedule this summer: Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Redding, California. Both locations offer excellent outdoor opportunities, especially this summer as more and more travelers search for open spaces to spread their wings. Idaho Falls is the western gateway to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and Redding in Northern California provides easy access to Mt. Shasta and the Redwoods.

The year-round service will connect both Idaho Falls and Redding to Seattle on Horizon’s Q400 turboprop aircraft starting on June 17. Idaho Falls currently does not have a year-round flight to any West Coast airport, and this new service will be the only nonstop flight between Seattle and Redding.

Tickets are available for purchase now at alaskaair.com.

New Partnership with American Airlines

The flights between Idaho’s largest city to the Windy City will allow passengers on Alaska to connect to American Airlines’ domestic and international network.

Alaska joins the American  oneworld alliance on March 31.

American Airlines

AA will begin service from Ontario International Airport (ONT) to Chicago in August, yet another milestone in the Southern California airport’s steady recovery from the coronavirus pandemic which continues to depress air travel around the world.

The new flights to begin August 17 will depart ONT at 11:40 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. with ONT arrivals scheduled for 12:14 p.m. and 10:39 p.m.

American Airlines, which flies to Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth from Terminal 4 at ONT, will serve the Chicago O’Hare route with Boeing 737-800 aircraft equipped to accommodate 172 passengers in a three-class cabin with 16 in First-Class, 30 in Main Cabin Extra and 126 in Main Cabin.

The number of passengers who traveled through ONT in 2020 totaled 2.5 million, about half as many as the year before. Many airports around the world saw passenger volume decline by 60%.

Southwest Airlines

New service to Santa Barbara Airport and Fresno Yosemite International Airport is scheduled to begin in Spring 2021.

The new service offers a convenient gateway to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Along with Palm Springs, which received its first Southwest flight in November 2020, the addition of Fresno and Santa Barbara will position Southwest Airlines as an option in 13 California airports before summer 2021, further deepening the carrier’s commitment to the Golden State.

Southwest long has carried more air travelers to, from, and within California than any other carrier, a legacy sustained in the most recent reporting of U.S. Department of Transportation data on airline passengers traveling nonstop.