SAN DIEGO, March 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines today announced increased investment in Southern California by adding service to six new destinations from San Diego International Airport. New nonstop service includes daily flights to Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Omaha, Nebraska; and St. Louis. By late August, Alaska will fly 40 daily departures to 28 destinations from San Diego, including the most nonstop flights to Mexico and Hawaii.

Alaska is quickly establishing itself as the go-to airline for people on the West Coast. Today's news comes on the heels of Alaska's announcement last week adding 13 nonstop routes from the Bay Area - the single largest announcement in company history.

"Alaska Airlines has grown more than any other carrier in San Diego over the last five years, with the addition of 18 nonstop destinations and nearly twice as many departing seats," said John Kirby, vice president of capacity planning at Alaska Airlines. "We want to thank Airport Authority President and CEO Thella Bowens and her terrific team for their partnership. Without Thella's strong leadership and support over the years, our growth wouldn't have been possible."

The new flights build on previously announced routes, which include daily nonstop flights between San Diego and Baltimore starting today, three-times-daily service between San Diego and Sacramento starting tomorrow, and daily service between San Diego and Mexico City. Flight schedules for Mexico City will be announced in the coming months, pending government approval.

From San Diego, guests can make convenient connections to Tokyo and London, served by partner carriers Japan Airlines and British Airways, while enjoying the benefits of Alaska's award-winning customer service and loyalty program.

Tickets for the new routes are available for purchase at www.alaskaair.com or by calling 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 for Hearing & Speech Impaired (TTY): Dial 711 for Relay Services).

"We strive to make flying in and out of San Diego as convenient and enjoyable as possible," said Bowens. "We're delighted to see Alaska Airlines continue to grow its presence here at SAN, giving travelers more options to explore and connect than ever before."

Schedule of new service:

    Start Date City pair             Departs    Arrives    Frequency Aircraft
    ---------- ---------             -------    -------    --------- --------

    Aug. 27    San Diego-Omaha       8:50 a.m.  2:25 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    ---------------       ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Aug. 27    Omaha-San Diego       3:05 p.m.  5:05 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    ---------------       ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Aug. 27    San Diego-Austin      6:55 p.m.  11:35 p.m. Daily     E175
    -------    ----------------      ---------  ---------- -----     ----

    Aug. 28    Austin-San Diego      8:30 a.m.  9:30 a.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    ----------------      ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Oct. 18    San Diego-Albuquerque 4:35 p.m.  7:15 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    --------------------- ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Oct. 18    Albuquerque-San Diego 2:55 p.m.  3:53 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    --------------------- ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Nov. 18    San Diego-Minneapolis 1:50 p.m.  7:50 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    --------------------- ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Nov. 18    Minneapolis-San Diego 12:50 p.m. 3:20 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    --------------------- ---------- ---------  -----     ----

    Dec. 15    San Diego-Kansas City 6:40 p.m.  11:55 p.m. Daily     E175
    -------    --------------------- ---------  ---------- -----     ----

    Dec. 15    Kansas City-San Diego 6:30 a.m.  7:50 a.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    --------------------- ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Dec. 15    San Diego-St. Louis   8:30 a.m.  2:10 p.m.  Daily     E175
    -------    -------------------   ---------  ---------  -----     ----

    Dec. 15    St. Louis-San Diego   3:55 p.m.  6 p.m.     Daily     E175
    -------    -------------------   ---------  ------     -----     ----


    Flight times based
     on local time
     zones.

New routes will be served by 76-seat Embraer E175 jets, which feature 12 seats in first class, 12 seats in premium class and 52 seats in the main cabin. The E175 boasts cabin dimensions on par with a narrow-body jet. Onboard amenities include Wi-Fi Internet access, and Alaska Beyond Entertainment, which includes free and premium entertainment direct to customer devices and power outlets in the first class cabin.

Editor's note: High-definition, broadcast quality footage of Alaska Airlines is available for download at https://ascorpcomm.sharefile.com/d-sadfdde4d49545f4a.

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America along with their regional partners, fly 40 million customers a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, customers can earn and redeem miles on flights to nearly 900 destinations worldwide. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

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SOURCE Alaska Airlines