Alaska Airlines commences nonstop service between Seattle and Baltimore

Alaska Airlines began round-trip service Sept. 2 between Seattle (SEA) and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), complementing the carrier’s existing service to Reagan National Airport (DCA) from three West Coast cities.

Alaska 737 on approach to SEA
Alaska (NYSE:ALK) flight 766 will leave SEA each morning at 8:20 a.m. local time and arrive at BWI at 4:25 p.m. Return flight 767 will leave BWI at 5: 25 p.m. and arrive at SEA at 8:00 p.m.

The airline also flies to DCA in the Washington, DC area from its West Coast hubs of SEA, Los Angeles International (LAX) and Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon.

The carrier operates a 737-800 on the new route. According to SeatGuru.com, the airline has four versions of the 737-800, with Economy Class seats that are 17 inches wide with pitch of 32 inches in most cases, though the 737-800 Slimline version has some seats with as little as 31 inches of pitch. First Class seats are 21 inches wide with pitch of 36 inches on all versions of the aircraft.

Alaska took pains to point out that, with the addition of its new BWI service, new Detroit service that starts Sept. 4 and Albuquerque service that starts Sept. 18, it will offer “273 peak-day departures to 78 destinations from Seattle, more than three times that of any other airline,” it said in a news release announcing the new service. The emphasis on its frequency of service is likely an attempt to counter the increasing visibility of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) in the Seattle market, brought on by its aggressive expansion and declaration that SEA is “Delta’s newest hub.”

In conjunction with the start of service to BWI, the airline is offering introductory one-way fares of $169 for tickets purchased by Sept. 8 for travel from Oct. 21 through Nov. 19. To book, and for complete fare rules, visit alaskaair.com or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522). Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or all days. Other restrictions may apply.

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Photo by Carl Dombek
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