Alaska Airlines will offer daily nonstop service between Pasco and Los Angeles starting this fall.
The new service, which starts Oct. 1, currently is set to include a flight leaving the Tri-Cities Airport at 7 a.m. and landing at Los Angeles International Airport, or LAX, at 9:51 a.m.; and a flight leaving LAX at 7:55 p.m. and landing in Pasco at 10:30 p.m.
“Daily nonstop service to Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines has been a long time coming for the Tri-Cities,” said Buck Taft, Tri-Cities Airport director, in a statement. “Our airport staff and regional partners have spent years working to connect to the airline’s Southern California market, and we are thrilled to see Alaska Airlines bring this important route to the community.”
Karl Dye, president and CEO of Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC, added that, “a direct flight to LAX opens up so much opportunity for Tri-Cities businesses and residents. The easy access to Latin America is especially important for our region. Being able to hop on an Alaska Airlines flight in Tri-Cities and connect through to Guadalajara? That’s huge.”
United Airlines previously offered service from Pasco to LAX, but it was discontinued about four years ago because it wasn’t drawing enough passengers. That flight was in the midafternoon, while the new Alaska flight’s morning takeoff means it will offer easier same-day connections to locations in Mexico, which Taft noted is a top international destination for Tri-Cities travelers.
The flight also will use bigger aircraft, a multiclass Embraer 175, with 76 seats.
The L.A. basin is Pasco’s largest market without daily flights, airport officials said.
The new LAX service comes at a time of growth for the Tri-Cities Airport. It’s the third new route to launch this year, along with the new American Airlines daily service to Phoenix that started in February and the Avelo Airlines’ twice-weekly service to Sonoma that starts May 1.
Tickets for the Pasco-LAX route are on sale at alaskaair.com.