Alaska Airlines: Comprehensive Airport Destinations Guide

Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the fifth-largest airline in North America when measured by scheduled passengers carried, as of 2024. The airline operates out of six hubs, with its primary hub at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. Alaska Airlines offers flights to over 100 destinations in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as internationally to Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The airline has a long history dating back to 1941 when it was known as Star Air Service, and has since pioneered new technologies and innovations in the aviation industry.

Anchorage Airport

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (IATA: ANC, ICAO: PANC, FAA LID: ANC) is located 5-6 miles from downtown Anchorage, Alaska. It is named after Ted Stevens, a senator from Alaska who served from 1968 until 2009 and survived a plane crash at the airport in 1978. The airport is Alaska's largest, serving two dozen national and international cities and handling more than 100 passenger flights daily. Carriers that use the south terminal include Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Ravn Alaska, Grant Aviation, Aleutian Airways, Sun Country, and United Airlines. International flights from Condor and Discover arrive at the north terminal during the summer.

In the 1950s, Alaska Airlines, Northwest Orient, Pacific Northern Airlines, and Reeve Aleutian Airways served the airport, which was also a refuelling stop for Canadian Pacific Air Lines. In the 1980s, Anchorage Airport earned the nickname "Crossroads of the World" as a common stopover for passengers flying between Europe and East Asia. This was due to airspace restrictions in China, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Bloc countries, as well as the limited range of early jets and widebody airliners. Carriers using Anchorage as a stopover included Air France, British Airways, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Sabena, Swissair, and Spantax. Japan Airlines also offered service through Anchorage to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, New York City, and São Paulo until October 1991.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) began a transpolar flight from Copenhagen to Tokyo via Anchorage in 1957. However, the introduction of the Boeing 747-400 and the opening of Soviet airspace due to glasnost led to a decrease in stopovers at Anchorage in the late 1980s. Most scheduled passenger service from Anchorage to Europe and Asia ended in the early 1990s. In the 1990s, Alaska Airlines operated services from Anchorage to several destinations in the Russian Far East, but they pulled out in 1998 due to insufficient demand.

In recent years, there have been developments at Anchorage Airport. In 2018, plans were announced for year-round, nonstop flights between Anchorage and Harbin Taiping International Airport in China. The airport was briefly the busiest in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the sustained volume of cargo flights through Alaska while passenger travel decreased at other airports. In 2023, Delta Airlines began using the Airbus A321neo for their route to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Paine Field, Everett, Washington

Paine Field in Everett, Washington, is a non-hub primary commercial service facility, as categorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027. The airport has two runways: 16R/34L and 16L/34R. 16R/34L, at 9,010 feet (2,750 m) in length, is suitable for most aircraft and occasionally handles heavy traffic. The first 1,000 feet of runway 16R is concrete, while the rest is asphalt. Paine Field is adjacent to the Boeing Everett Factory, the world's largest building by volume, where Boeing assembles its wide-body 767 and 777 aircraft. The facility also previously produced the 747 and 787 models.

The history of Paine Field as an aviation hub dates back to the 1960s when the Boeing Company selected it for its Everett assembly plant as part of the Boeing 747 program. By the 1970s, the airport had become a hub for light aviation and manufacturing, but commercial service was absent due to opposition from neighbouring cities. Despite ongoing controversy, Paine Field resumed commercial service in March 2019, with Alaska Airlines announcing in May 2017 that it would operate from the airport. Alaska Airlines initially planned nine daily flights using a mix of mainline and regional jets. However, in January 2018, they adjusted their plans, announcing that all flights from Everett would be operated by their regional subsidiary, Horizon Air, using the Embraer 175 regional jet, with an increased offering of 13 flights per day. By November 2018, the number of daily departures was further increased to 18, with daily flights to several West Coast destinations, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, and San Francisco.

Paine Field is also home to several notable aviation-related businesses and organizations. Aviation Technical Services (ATS), one of the nation's largest aviation maintenance facilities, operates a 950,000-square-foot facility at the airport. ATS provides 'heavy' checks for various airlines and cargo companies, averaging 443 aircraft redeliveries annually. Additionally, Paine Field hosts four flight schools: Chinook Flight Simulations, Regal Air, Northway Aviation, and Everett Helicopters, making it a popular destination for flight training.

The use of Paine Field for commercial air service has been a highly controversial topic. While the city of Everett, the largest in the county, has supported the use of Paine Field for commercial flights, several local governments and a citizens' group called "Save Our Communities" have actively opposed it. Despite the ongoing debate, Paine Field has become an important aviation hub, serving both commercial and general aviation needs in the region.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Sea-Tac Airport first opened in the 1940s, replacing Boeing Field, which had been converted for military use during World War II. Construction of the airport began in 1943 with funding from the federal government, Port of Seattle, and the City of Tacoma. The first ceremonial landing took place on October 31, 1944, and the first commercial flights were launched in May 1945 with Northwest Airlines. However, use of the airport was initially limited as the U.S. Army Air Force needed it to stage Boeing B-29 bombers for delivery. It wasn't until 1947 that the first scheduled commercial flights began, with Northwest Airlines and Western Airlines operating ten daily departures. By 1951, they were joined by United, Alaska, Trans-Canada, Western, and Pan Am.

Over the years, Sea-Tac Airport has undergone several expansions and renovations to accommodate increasing passenger traffic. In 1961, the airport was expanded to accommodate jetliners, and new concourses and satellite terminals were added by 1973. The main runway was extended and twinned in 1970, and a third runway finally opened in 2008 after decades of planning and local opposition. In the 2010s, major concourse expansions and renovations were initiated to accommodate Delta Air Lines, which established a hub at the airport in 2011. A new international arrivals facility was also opened in 2022.

Today, Sea-Tac Airport covers an area of 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) and has three parallel runways. It serves as the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters are located near the airport. As of 2022, 31 airlines operate at Sea-Tac, serving 91 domestic and 28 international destinations across North America, Oceania, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In 2024, the airport set a record with 52,640,716 passengers served, showcasing its importance as a major aviation hub in the region.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The airport first opened in 1941 and was originally named Washington National Airport. Part of the original terminal is still in use today as Terminal 1. A larger second terminal, now known as Terminal 2, opened in 1997. In February 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill to rename the airport in honour of the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, who served from 1981 to 1989. The bill was passed against the wishes of MWAA officials and political leaders in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Opponents argued that the airport was already named for George Washington, the first president of the United States, and that a large federal office building, the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, had already been named after the former president.

The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport features several airport lounges, including three American Airlines Admirals Clubs in Terminal 2 and a Delta Sky Club and United Club in Terminal 2, Concourse B. The airport also features a USO lounge for retired and active military members in Terminal 1. In addition to these lounges, the airport offers a unique culinary experience in collaboration with the José Andrés Group, located in the heart of Terminal 2.

The airport is served by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station on the Washington Metro, with service from the Yellow and Blue lines. The station is located on an elevated outdoor platform adjacent to Terminal 2.

Airports in Alaska, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico

Alaska Airlines serves many airports across North America, including in Alaska, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Alaska

The Alaska International Airport System (AIAS) was created in 1961 and is a state-owned enterprise fund under the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF). Fairbanks, located north of the Alaska Range, acts as the primary hub for Northern Alaska and has two airports that provide gateways to Alaska, Denali National Park, and beyond.

Belize

Belize has several airports, with Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) being the main international airport.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has two international airports: Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), the largest and busiest airport in the country, and Guanacaste Airport.

Guatemala

Guatemala has a total of 402 airports and airstrips, three of which are international.

Mexico

Mexico has a vast aviation network, with 1,527 registered airfields and 80 officially recognized airports, ranking 4th globally. Of these, 64 airports have scheduled commercial flights, with 37 handling both domestic and international flights, and 27 serving only domestic destinations.

Frequently asked questions