Seattle-based Alaska Airlines will make Belize the fourth foreign country it flies to, joining Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico.
The oneworld alliance member said it plans to begin selling tickets to Belize City (BZE) in early June, hinting that flights will be offered from at least one of its West Coast hubs of Seattle (SEA), Los Angeles (LAX) Portland (PDX) and San Francisco (SFO).
“Our guests are eager for more eco-friendly leisure destinations, especially as they get vaccinated, and we're ready to offer them terrific options,” VP of network and alliances Brett Catlin said. “Belize offers an unbeatable mix of sensational beaches, iconic cayes and rich heritage.”
Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that BZE is currently unserved from SEA, PDX and SFO. However, American Airlines and United Airlines each offer a 1X-weekly LAX-BZE flight, both using Boeing 737 aircraft.
O&D traffic between the US and Belize totaled 676,766 two-way passengers in 2019, with Houston-Belize City the largest city pair, accounting for more than 110,000 passengers. Los Angeles-Belize City was the second largest, with 52,720 two-way passengers.
Alaska announced its intention to serve Belize at the same time as confirming plans to exercise options for 13 737 Max 9s that are part of restructured agreement with Boeing in December 2020 to acquire 68 Max 9s from 2021 to 2024. The carrier will take delivery of nine aircraft in 2023 and four in 2024.
Alaska is also adding 17 Embraer 175 jets to its regional fleet in 2022 and 2023—nine to be operated by Horizon Air and eight by SkyWest.
“Regional aircraft play a huge role in Alaska's growing network,” SVP of fleet, finance and alliances Nat Pieper said. “As our network expands, regional aircraft connect smaller communities to our larger hubs providing critical feed to assist in the development of new markets.”
Photo credit: Getty Images / Schafer & Hill
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