Alaska Airlines plans to suspend its early morning 5 a.m. daily flight between Juneau and Seattle beginning next month. The final flight will be on Jan. 5.
The early bird option is a staple for Juneau travelers, especially those who head to Seattle for work or to catch a connecting flight. Without any delays, passengers land before the workday starts.
“There’s been a lot of chatter among Juneau travelers about the suspension of the flight. But Alaska is aware of the unpopularity of their decision, trust me,” said Scott McMurren, a travel analyst based in Anchorage.
In an email, a spokesperson for the airline said it’s only temporary. They cited low demand for the flight during the winter months as the reason for the suspension. Alaska Airlines will resume the 5 a.m. flight for the busy summertime season starting in mid-June.
McMurren said seasonal scheduling like that is not unusual.
“We have seasonal flights to Europe. We have seasonal flights to Hawaii. We have seasonal flights to a lot of Alaska’s nonstop destinations,” he said.
Patty Wahto is Juneau International Airport’s manager. She said the busyness of the airport ebbs and flows depending on the time of year.
“Definitely, our peak seasons are the summer for travel. You see a lot more flights added on. You see a lot more tourism,” she said. “The bulk of our traffic is in the summer months.”
The Alaska Airlines spokesperson said Juneau won’t lose capacity despite the flight’s suspension. The airline will still offer three other flights from Juneau to Seattle. The earliest leaves around 8 a.m.
Right now, the airline has a near-monopoly in Juneau. Its biggest competitor, Delta, doesn’t plan to offer any flights between Juneau and Seattle until mid-next year.
In an email, a Delta spokesperson said it operates the Juneau-Seattle flight seasonally. This year it ran from June through early November. Delta won’t resume the flights until next June.
McMurren said that could affect the cost of flying during the winter months.
“During the months that Delta does not operate, Alaska enjoys a monopoly, and so they price their flights accordingly,” he said. “Typically they’re a little more expensive, then when Delta comes back into the market they typically drop. In the summertime, fares are lower because there’s competition.”
McMurren said schedules could be subject to change if there’s enough demand. But for now, he suggests preparing in advance for the later flight times.