Hello, Miami: Alaska Airlines Announces New Route From Seattle to Miami

Exciting news for Floridians, Alaska frequent flyers, and U.S. aviation in general: Alaska Airlines has announced it will be starting nonstop flights to Miami International Airport (MIA) from its base at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

This will be the airline’s 100th nonstop destination, and to start with, the route will see just 1 daily round-trip.

“We’ve landed on a perfect location for our 100th nonstop from our home airport in Seattle. Miami is a cultural hub for travelers around the world with its incredible nightlife, art, music, architecture, and food,” said Brett Caitlin, Vice President of Network and Alliances for Alaska Airlines.

A Milestone Route for Alaska Airlines

From June 16, 2022, Alaska will operate a daily rotation between Seattle (SEA) and Miami (MIA). This will be the first time Alaska has operated between the city pair for a decade.

The schedule is currently planned as follows:

• Flight AS305 departs Seattle at 7:15 a.m. and arrives in Miami at 4:15 p.m.
• Flight AS728 departs Miami at 5:40 p.m. and arrives in Seattle at 9:10 p.m.

In total, the route spans a whopping 2,724 miles from Seattle, in the far Pacific Northwest, across the entire country to Miami, about as far southeast as you can get.

This is a long flight, especially if you’re sitting in the economy section of the Boeing 737-900 that will operate the route. The scheduled flight times are 6 hours from Seattle to Miami and 6 hours 30 minutes on the return leg.

The 737-900 aircraft will offer 16 seats in first class and 162 seats in coach.

Alaska’s flight times are more convenient than American Airlines’ incumbent flight which already operates the route. Its Seattle to Miami leg has a scheduled departure time of 12:44 a.m. and an arrival time into Miami of 9:22 a.m.

It’s unsurprising that Alaska has decided to restart the route after such a long hiatus, given its recent welcome into the Oneworld airline alliance and its strengthened partnership with American Airlines.

The new route will be Alaska’s second year-round scheduled route to Florida, joining Fort Lauderdale (FLL) as well as its seasonal routes from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), and San Francisco (SFO).

Final Thoughts

Alaska Airlines’ arrival in Miami will be a welcome one for all concerned.

It’s a strategic addition to the airline’s network and provides its frequent flyers access to an incredible network of leisure destinations from Miami thanks to the partnership with American Airlines.