Alaska and American airlines today will activate an expanded codeshare alliance that eventually will provide Alaska customers with access to more than 100 AA destinations, while giving American its first significant domestic codeshare partner.
The first wave of codeshare flights departing today include Alaska flights between Los Angeles and both Portland, Ore., and Seattle, and between Seattle and both Anchorage and Spokane, Wash. As of Feb. 15, cooperation will be expanded to include AA flights between Seattle and St. Louis and between Los Angeles and 10 cities, notably Newark, New York JFK, St. Louis and Washington Dulles.
American plans eventually to share codes on about 450 West Coast and transcontinental flights to 30 destinations operated Alaska and sister carrier Horizon Air. Alaska's code gradually will be applied to more than 1,000 American and American Eagle flights
The carriers said cooperation is "a cost-effective means of generating new traffic and competing more effectively against airlines that already have larger codeshare networks in place." Each of the other five major legacy carriers currently are building domestic codeshare networks: United and US Airways, and Continental, Delta and Northwest airlines. Alaska also shares codes with Continental and Northwest.
American and Alaska in December applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for alliance approval
(BTN, Jan. 19).