Maybe Delta Air Lines didn't intentionally set out to strike a competition when it created a new hub in Seattle - which just so happens to be Alaska Airlines' hub.
But if there wasn't a rivalry before, there is now.
Delta is adding year-round daily flights from Seattle to Fairbanks, Alaska and from Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia, two routes already operated by Alaska Airlines - which is the only airline currently providing service from Fairbanks to Seattle during the winter months.
Delta's service out of Sea-Tac Airport from Seattle to Fairbanks begins May 29, while five daily flights from Seattle to Vancouver begin June 5 on Delta affiliate SkyWest.
Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines' regional vice president in Alaska, told the Fairbanks News-Miner that she didn't think Delta was a competitor just because the Atlanta-based carrier was adding similar routes.
"No, we feel like we got our start in the state of Alaska, been flying here over 83 years," she told the paper. "I feel like we are pretty embedded in the communities of Alaska where we fly. Delta is doing what they think is best, but it doesn't change our commitment to the communities where we fly at all. I think them coming in with a small airplane, in the winter, is not going to take away from what we try to do to take care of our customers every day and the things that we offer. … They've had a big focus on Seattle. Really, this has been going on for a while now."
Delta has added plenty of international flights out of Seattle, including a lucrative market to Asian destinations, as well as expanded domestic service to cities in the west including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
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