Alaska Airlines announces latest expansion plan to add 2 new cities and 13 routes
Alaska Airlines operations are largely back to normal after a major IT outage Thursday night. Now, the Seattle-based airline is moving forward with a massive reorganization of its route network in 2026.
Next spring, Alaska will fly planes to two U.S. cities for the first time.
The Seattle-based airline will offer nonstop flights from Tulsa, Oklahoma, between March and April. It will also begin flying to Arcata-Eureka Airport (ACV) in northern California, just steps from the Pacific Coast.
It’s part of a 13-route network transformation that Alaska Airlines announced this week, which includes some brand new routes for the airline and the return of others that haven’t been operating in several years.
The biggest winners from the announcement: San Diego International Airport (SAN), Alaska’s fastest-growing West Coast hub, and Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon.
San Diego will welcome three new routes to Alaska’s network, including direct flights to Tulsa. It’s the latest in a wave of urban Alaska development in Southern California.
Related: San Diego’s new Terminal 1 debuts with new lounges
Even before Friday’s announcement, the airline’s total seat count on the SAN was expected to increase by 38% in the first half of 2026 compared with 2025, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
According to Cirium, Alaska Airlines will also launch four new routes or round-trip routes from Portland. It is expected that the number of seats in Portland will increase by 19% in early 2026.
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Also included in Friday’s new route lineup: another route between California and Hawaii, short-haul flights to California’s wine country, and several new routes to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Alaska’s headquarters.
“San Diego continues to be one of our fastest-growing hubs, and Portland and Hawaii are important parts of our global network,” Kirsten Amrine, Alaska’s vice president of revenue management and network planning, said in a statement.
In announcing the 13 routes, Alaska did not immediately disclose any related cuts to its network. However, industry observer Ishrion Aviation reports that the airline will cease service on a handful of routes from other West Coast hubs. TPG has reached out to the airline to confirm the changes.
Read more: Alaska Airlines launches new Summit card with great benefits, 100,000-point welcome bonus
13 new and return routes in Alaska
Here’s the full list of 13 new and returning routes to Alaska announced this week:
| route | Start date (frequency) | airplane |
|---|---|---|
| SAN to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) | April 22 (twice a day) | Boeing 737 |
| SAN to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) | April 22 (four times daily) | Embraer 175 |
| SAN to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) | April 22 (daily) | Boeing 737 |
| SAN to Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) | April 22 (twice a day) | Embraer 175 |
| Santur | March 18 (daily) | Embraer 175 |
| PDX to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) | May 13 (every day in summer) | Boeing 737 |
| PDX to Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) | May 13 (daily) | Embraer 175 |
| PDX to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) | May 13 (every day in summer) | Boeing 737 |
| PDX to St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) | May 13 (every day in summer) | Boeing 737 |
| SEA-ACV | April 8 (daily) | Embraer 175 |
| Southeast Asia-TUL | March 19 (daily) | Embraer 175 |
| Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to Honolulu Daniel Inouye International Airport (HNL) | May 13 (every day in summer) | Boeing 737 |
| Ontario International Airport (ONT) to Charles Schulz Airport, Santa Rosa, California (STS) | March 18 (daily) | Embraer 175 |
Four of the 13 routes are flights previously operated by Alaska. The airline last flew from the PDX hub to BWI and PHL in 2019. The last time I flew from Portland to St. Louis was in 2018.
Moreover, Alaska will launch flights between San Diego and Santa Barbara as early as 2022.
As for Alaska’s three new transcontinental routes, new flights to RDU, BWI and Philadelphia will provide a second Alaska city to each East Coast airport. The airline currently serves every flight from its SeaTac base but has no other West Coast hubs.
Clint Henderson/Point Guard
bottom line
These network changes in Alaska come two months after the airline launched its Atmos Rewards loyalty program in conjunction with Hawaiian Airlines, which it acquired last year.
The program retains Alaska’s popular award chart, helping many savvy travelers find cheap flight redemptions. It also retains direct transfers from Bilt Rewards — a popular way for travelers to convert rentals into airline points.
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