Alaska Airlines is adding new jets and new routes in an expanded partnership with SkyWest Airlines.
Beginning July 1, Alaska will begin offering daily nonstop service between Seattle and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Seattle and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Portland, Oregon and St. Louis, flying on new Embraer E175 jets.
The 76-seat E175 jet will feature 12 seats in first class and 64 in coach, and boasts cabin dimensions on par with a 737. Onboard amenities include Wi-Fi Internet access, streaming inflight entertainment and 110 volt power in every first class seat. Food and beverage will include hot meals and picnic packs for purchase, in addition to Northwest microbrews and wine.
SkyWest has purchased seven E175 aircraft to fly on behalf of Alaska under a capacity purchase agreement (CPA). The first three aircraft will arrive in the summer of 2015, and the remaining four will be delivered in Q1 2016.
"The E175 is new for the Alaska brand and fills a specific need to serve 'long, thin routes' - destinations that are too distant for our regional aircraft, but currently don't have enough customer demand to fill a mainline jet," Andrew Harrison, senior vice president of planning and revenue management for Alaska Airlines, said in a press release. "The smaller, but spacious, E175 jet will not only open up new cities, but provide feed traffic to our Northwest hubs, while giving customers a comfortable experience on these longer flights."
Russell "Chip" Childs, SkyWest, Inc. president, said the airline was excited to expand its partnership with Alaska Airlines.
"The addition of the E175 to our Alaska portfolio is an excellent addition to an outstanding partnership," he said.
Today, SkyWest flies 40 flights a day between 14 cities for Alaska Airlines and by August 2016, that will increase to 52 flights a day to 17 cities.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
