Airlines and Aviation
Two airlines have added new routes in the highly competitive California Corridor between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California, giving airline passengers new travel options.
Southwest Airlines launched daily nonstop service between Oakland, California, and Long Beach, California, on 5 June 2016.
Alaska Airlines launched daily nonstop service between San Jose, California, and two travel destinations in Southern California, on 8 June 2016: Orange County/Santa Ana and San Diego.
Alaska Airlines’ new flights will be operated by SkyWest Airlines with E175 jets, which seat 67 passengers: 12 in First Class and 52 in Cattle Class.
There will be three daily flights on the Orange County route and two on the San Diego route.
Orange County is home to Disneyland. San Jose Mineta International Airport is the closest airport to Silicon Valley.
The airline will launch service from San Jose to Burbank in early 2017. With the new flights, Alaska Airline will link San Jose with 15 travel destinations.
American Airlines, Delta Air Line, and Southwest Airlines also fly between San Jose and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Southwest Airlines also links San Jose with Ontario, Orange County, and San Diego.
Alaska and Southwest Airlines are the dominant carriers at San Jose Airport.
With 28 daily flights, San Jose is Alaska’s dominant airport in Northern California. It also serves Oakland International Airport, Sacramento International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport.
Long Beach Airport
Southwest Airlines will fly Boeing 737s on the Oakland-Long Beach route, with four flights per day.
JetBlue has long operated flights between the two California cities. Long Beach has limited airline service.
Because of noise concerns, airlines are severely limited in terms of the number of flights they can operate at the air field.
With the new service, Southwest will operate 43 flights per day between Oakland and Southern California. The airline also flies from Oakland to Burbank, Los Angeles, Ontario, and San Diego.
Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines fly between Oakland and LAX, as well.
With 120 departures per day, Southwest Airlines is the dominant carrier at Oakland International Airport, where it maintains a hub, linking the East Bay city with 26 travel destinations across the United States.
Oakland is Southwest Airlines’ dominant airport in Northern California. It also serves Sacramento International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and San Jose International Airport.
Sharp Rise in International Service
Both Oakland and San Jose airports have seen a sharp rise in international service in recent years.
British Airways recently launched non-stop service from San Jose to London, and Air Canada recently launched flights to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hainan Airlines launched service to Beijing, China, in 2015, and All-Nippon Airways launched service to Tokyo-Narita in 2013.
Lufthansa German Airlines will launch service to Frankfurt on 1 July 2016.
Air China has just announced plans to launch service between San Jose and Shanghai, China’s largest city.
Mexican Connection
Volaris has long flown from San Jose to Mexico. It currently flies to Guadalajara.
Alaska Airlines flies from San Jose to two Mexican travel destinations: Guadalajara and Cabo San Lucas.
Volaris flies from Oakland Airport to five Mexican cites: Guadalajara, Leon/Bahio, Mexico City, Morelia, and Tijuana.
Norwegian Air Shuttle has flown from Oakland to Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden, since 2013. It added London Gatwick earlier this year.
Rumour has it that Paris, France, is next in line, and Barcelona, Spain, and Rome, Italy, are also on the radar screen.
Azores Airlines has long offered seasonal service to Terceira Island in the Azores.
Oakland Airport served 11 million passengers in 2015, against 9 million for San Jose.
It is the second busiest airport in Northern California after San Francisco International, which served more than 50 million passengers in 2015. SFO is a hub for United Airlines and Virgin America