Alaska Airlines announced today that the carrier is expanding their international network from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with two new routes to Mexico. The Seattle based carrier is adding flights between LAX and La Paz (LAP) and Monterrey (MTY) Mexico.
This new service will make Alaska the only U.S. carrier serving La Paz and they will also be the only airline flying between Los Angeles and Monterrey.
In announcing the new service Kirsten Amrine, Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning for Alaska, said:
“We recently celebrated 35 years of service to Mexico and are proud to connect travelers with the rich culture and natural beauty of the country. We look forward to continuing to serve as the carrier of choice from the West Coast, especially as we prepare to start service to these popular destinations in Mexico.”
Kirsten Amrine, Vice President of Revenue Management and Network Planning
Flights for both routes are expected to go on sale July 3rd at alaskaair.com. The La Paz flight is scheduled to operate 2-3x weekly beginning November 20th, 2024 while the Monterrey flights will operate daily beginning February 13th, 2025. Both routes will be operated by Embraer E175 aircraft.
With the addition of the new routes, Alaska will operate to 15 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean this winter which is the most of any carrier from LAX.
La Paz, Mexico
La Paz, located on the Gulf of California side of Baja California Sur, is the capital and largest city in Baja California Sur though it sees much less air service when compared to the resort towns that make up Los Cabos a couple of hours to the south. The city offers fantastic diving and sport fishing opportunities and the local government is hoping the new flights improve international tourism.
Raúl Revuelta Musalem, CEO of the Pacific Airport Group, had this to say about the new flights:
“Connecting La Paz with Los Angeles is an important step for internationalizing this airport which has grown passengers significantly over the past three years. We thank Alaska Airlines for offering this flight to one of the most beautiful destinations in Mexico and look forward to welcoming travelers to La Paz and continuing to provide greater ease for foreign tourists to visit this city.”
Raúl Revuelta Musalem, Pacific Airport Group CEO
Monterrey, Mexico
Monterrey, Mexico’s second largest metropolitan area behind Mexico City, will see daily service between General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MTY) and Los Angeles. The city, nestled in the Sierra MAdre Oriental Mountains offers a vibrant food scene with multiple Michelin-starred restaurants.
Ricardo Dueñas, CEO of Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (the operator of Monterrey International Airport), said this about the new service:
“We are pleased to announce that Alaska Airlines will begin operations from Monterrey Airport to Los Angeles. Through LAX, this new route will offer access to new destinations on the West Coast, as we continue to increase international connectivity from Monterrey to meet both business and leisure travel demand.”
Ricardo Dueñas, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte CEO
Alaska will compete with Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Viva Aerobus on the LAX-MTY route and the Big 3 U.S. carriers all offer service between Monterrey and their various hubs.
Summary
Alaska Airlines is launching two new routes from its hub in Los Angeles to La Paz and Monterrey in Mexico. This marks the airline’s only service to both destinations and the only service for any U.S. based carrier to La Paz.
Based on the amount of service to/from Monterrey I don’t see any issues with the route being successful though Alaska has flown to La Paz in the past and eventually suspended service. It will be interesting to see how that route performs long term given it only operates 2-3x weekly.
(Images courtesy Alaska Airlines)
