Alaska Airlines returns to Kelowna in style today, launching daily non-stop flights to both Los Angeles and Seattle.
YLW-LAX is a seasonal winter service from today until March 17, 2025.
Of course, there's always the hope the winter service will go well and Alaska Airlines decides to make Kelowna-Los Angeles a year-round route.
One-way flights between Kelowna and LA are generally around $350 to launch, or $149 if you want to fly on Christmas Day.
Throughout January and February, one-way fares are as low as $99 to $109.
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The winter flights are aimed at Okanagan travellers who want some California sun or a connection from the Los Angeles hub to a myriad of destinations in Hawaii, the rest of the US and Mexico.
"We're always looking for new ways to connect guests with their favourite destinations," said Alaska Airlines in a statement about the new flights in and out of Kelowna.
"Given the popularity of ski markets across our network, launching new non-stop flights between Los Angeles and Kelowna provides a great way for customers in Southern California (and beyond) to experience the BC Interior. Furthermore, more Seattle flights will provide additional connections to destinations across the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines networks. We have received positive feedback about these routes so far and we appreciate our great partners at the airports in the communities."
"It's been over a decade since we had direct service to LAX, so we are thrilled Alaska Airlines is bringing back this integral route for the Okanagan community," said Kelowna International Airport director of commercial and air service Geoff Ritchie.
A decade ago Kelowna's flights to Los Angeles were with United Airlines.
Alaska Airlines is flying the 76-seat Embraer 175 regional jet on the Kelowna-LA route.
The airline touts the narrow-body jet configuration of two seats either side of the single aisle as one where no one is ever stuck in a middle seat.
The Embraer will depart LA daily at 10:36 am to arrive in Kelowna three hours and 10 minutes later at 1:46 pm.
The plane will then turn around to leave Kelowna at 2:35 pm and touch down three hours and seven minutes later in LA at 5:43 pm.
The return of daily flights between Kelowna and Seattle will be daily.
The Embraer 175 will also be used on the route.
The jet will take off from Seattle at 11:20 am and arrive in Kelowna at 12:36 pm.
The same plane will turn around to depart Kelowna at 1:26 pm for landing in Seattle at 2:41 pm.
This month, the one-way fares on the route tend to start around $289.
But, in January, February and March, one-ways on some days are as low as $59 and $69.
Some days in February and March, Alaska will bump up the Kelowna-Seattle frequency to twice daily.
"We are delighted to have Alaska Airlines back at YLW providing our passengers with more options to travel to the United States and beyond," said Kelowna International Airport CEO Sam Samaddar.
Alaska Airlines first came to Kelowna in 1998 with daily flights to Seattle.
However, in early 2023 it suspended the route due to soft demand, pilot and aircraft shortages.
Alaska Airlines resurrected the route mid-December 2023 to mid-April 2024 as a winter seasonal service to bring Washington state skiers here and to get Okanagan travellers to Seattle to catch connections to California, Hawaii and Chicago.
Alaska upgrading the Kelowna-Seattle flights to daily starting today is hailed as a bonus for both cities.
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Alaska will have competition on the route when WestJet starts five-times-a-week service between Kelowna and Seattle on Jan. 17 with a boost to daily year-round flights on Feb. 17.
The new routes to LA and Seattle join an amazing winter line up of non-stops from Kelowna.
Also on the roster are Phoenix, Las Vegas, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and Mazatlan with WestJet.
And, of course, Kelowna has all its regular flights to a myriad of Canadian destinations -- Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Comox, Prince George, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon (summer), Regina (summer), Winnipeg (summer), Toronto and Montreal.
