2 weeks Ago By Chester Robards Senior Business Reporter [email protected]
A laska Airlines is ditching its seasonal Bahamas route this year, telling airline news website Airlinegeeks.com that it has tried to make the route financially successful from both Los Angeles and Seattle. With its last flight operating on August 17 of this year, Alaska Airlines is axing routes it began in 2023.
“For the past year and a half, we’ve tried a variety of strategies to make the route financially successful from both Seattle and LAX,” a spokesperson told Airlinegeeks. “At 2,886 miles, the airline’s Seattle-to-Nassau flight is one of its longest during the winter months.” The airline also stated that it was cutting other routes due to “economic uncertainty and a decrease in government-related travel”.
The Alaska Airlines flights to The Bahamas began with much fanfare and hope that the US West Coast direct connection would boost travelers from that side of the continental United States. Alaska Airlines made its inaugural flights to The Bahamas from Seattle, Washington; and Los Angeles, California in December of 2023. Alaska Airlines Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning Kristen Amrine said during a ceremony marking the flights, that although bookings were strong for the Christmas season, they were not robust looking past Christmas.
She said it was likely because the airline was still “getting the word out” in anticipation of direct routes to the region becoming a high-demand product. Amrine said the airline’s two direct flights to The Bahamas were Alaska Airline’s first try at Caribbean routes. Jet Blue, which began direct flights to The Bahamas from Los Angeles around the same time as Alaska, cut its direct flights in September of last year.
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