Alaska Airlines and Iberia have filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT) for authorization to codeshare on Alaska's domestic flights. The airlines are looking to offer codeshares on Alaska's domestic and short-haul international network from Iberia's US gateways. In the future, the airlines are seeking authority to expand their codeshare agreements in the future if the airlines deem it is worthy.
Alaska Airlines and Iberia file for proposed codeshares
Alaska Airlines, together with its regional partners Horizon Air and SkyWest Airlines, have filed with the DOT for permission to display Iberia's code on some of Alaska's routes. Below is a map of the routes Iberia wants to put its code on.
Out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the two airlines want to codeshare on the following routes:
The second batch of codeshares cover routes out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO):
San Francisco and Los Angeles are key
Iberia's major gateways to the West Coast of the United States are San Francisco and Los Angeles. LAX is the airline's main gateway on the West Coast, while San Francisco is a secondary gateway. Both are also major US cities with large origination and destination traffic for flights to Spain and beyond in Europe.
Iberia placing its codes on these routes will allow it to sell more one-stop routes in the US. While American and Iberia also codeshare, Alaska's strength on the West Coast, especially in San Francisco, is something American cannot match.
Iberia does not currently fly to Seattle. However, it would not be surprising for the airline to utilize some of its future widebody aircraft deliveries to fuel expansion from Spain to Seattle. That route would be fueled with codeshares. Seattle is Alaska's largest hub. It is a gateway to much of the Pacific Northwest and the large population in the area of both corporate and leisure travelers. It would not be surprising to see Iberia add flights one day to Seattle, fueled by Alaska's codeshare.
Continuing oneworld integration
Alaska Airlines is the newest member of the oneworld alliance. The airline has an enviable position across the West Coast of the US. It has major hubs in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with a growing position out of all four hubs. This is in addition to its Anchorage hub in the state of Alaska.
Alaska Airlines has already filed codeshares with other oneworld partners. This includes both Qatar Airways and American Airlines. The airline is committed to the oneworld alliance and is proving its usefulness to various member airlines.
San Francisco is a prime example. While several oneworld airlines fly into the city, such as Qatar Airways, Iberia, and British Airways, among others, there is limited onward feed as there is no major oneworld hub at SFO. It is dominated by United Airlines, which is a member of the Star Alliance.
Alaska Airlines has a large position in San Francisco, in part thanks to the acquisition of Virgin America, and it is only committing to more growth. Over the next few years, the carrier will start to look at schedule depth out of these cities to support alliance partners.
The connections Alaska Airlines provides is an incremental benefit for Iberia. While the airline's planes will still be full of plenty of passengers terminating or originating in San Francisco and Los Angeles, it will be able to shore up some of its loads and add more security on the routes with the access to more one-stop itineraries it can sell through Alaska Airlines.
Are you glad to see Alaska and Iberia file for a codeshare? Let us know in the comments!