New nonstop flights to LA from Tri-Cities. Alaska takes over route dropped before COVID
Alaska Airlines is reviving air service between the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco and Los Angeles four years after rival United canceled it for apparently low ridership.
The daily flight from Pasco to Los Angeles International (LAX) begins Oct. 1. Published air fares start at $99.
The flight will be operated by SkyWest and will feature a 76-seat Embraer 175. The plane will depart Pasco at 7 a.m. and returns from LAX at 7:55 p.m.
A prior effort to connect Pasco to LAX was short lived.
The Port of Pasco, which operates the regional airport, pulled out all the stops in 2019 when United Airlines initiated daily service. It greeted the new flight with a reception, speeches, a ribbon cutting and even a traditional water cannon salute.
A year later, the flight disappeared from the schedule.
Buck Taft, airport director, confirmed United canceled the service before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.
The Tri-Cities Airport is served by six airlines, including Allegiant, Avelo, Delta, Alaska, United and American.
Direct service is available to Las Vegas, the Phoenix area, (Phoenix Sky Harbor and Phoenix-Mesa) Los Angeles (LAX and Burbank), Sonoma, Calif., Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver and San Francisco.
The airport is on track to beat its 2019 passenger record, after coming within about 1,000 passenger boardings in 2023.
Go to alaskaair.com.
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