Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) is adding more flights at Delta’s Salt Lake City hub while Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has been adding more routes from Alaska’s Seattle/Tacoma hub. Is the Alaska-Delta partnership dissolving or is each carrier feeding the other at their hubs with additional flights?

Alaska Airlines is adding daily flights to three more cities from Salt Lake City next summer, marking the latest in a series of route expansions. The carrier will begin flying nonstop from Salt Lake City to Boise, Idaho, and Las Vegas on June 16 and between Salt Lake City and San Francisco on June 18.

The airline will fly one daily roundtrip each between Salt Lake City and Boise and San Francisco, and two daily roundtrips between Salt Lake and Las Vegas. Flights from Salt Lake City to San Francisco allow travelers same-day connections to the airline’s nonstop service to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Summary of new service:

All times based on local time zones.

The routes will be operated with Alaska Airlines Boeing 737s and Horizon Air Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) turboprop aircraft.

Alaska Airlines continues to expand in the Lower 48. However the name “Alaska” no longer properly describes its expanding operating area. Most of its flying is along the West Coast and from/to the Seattle/Tacoma hub in Washington State. The Eskimo tail logo no longer properly defines the operating area of the airline. The company has outgrown its original name when it was a niche airline flying from Portland and Seattle/Tacoma up to Alaska. A new more appropriate name and livery is probably in the works for 2014.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-490AS (msn 27082) departs from Anchorage.

Alaska Airlines: