Getting from the West Coast to the Caribbean and Central America hasn’t historically been easy—there simply aren’t many nonstop flights, which makes for long travel days. But new offerings from Alaska Airlines could change that.
Recently, the Seattle-based carrier announced that starting this winter, travelers will be able to fly to Guatamala City, Guatamala, directly from Los Angeles and to Nassau, Bahamas, directly from Los Angeles and Seattle. It’s the first time the carrier has ever flown to either nation—and it comes on the heels of low-cost carrier JetBlue last month unveiling its first-ever nonstop service from Los Angeles to the Bahamas, further enhancing Caribbean and Central America flight options for West Coasters.
Alaska’s VP of revenue management and network planning said in a statement that the airline is excited to add new dots to its route map and that they believe “guests will appreciate the convenience of nonstop service.”
Flight costs and schedules
As of press time, the cheapest flights to the Bahamas were $227 and $299 one-way from Los Angeles and Seattle, respectively, and $423 from Los Angeles to Guatemala.
Departures to and from the Bahamas start on December 15 and stop for the season on April 9, 2024. Flights from Los Angeles run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday morning (returning that evening), whereas the Seattle offerings are on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. JetBlue is the only other airline that currently offers a Los Angeles to Nassau flight (Saturdays only, beginning November 4, 2023), and no other airline flies directly from Seattle to Nassau.
For Guatemala, departures start on December 14, 2023, and will be offered year-round going forward. Currently, Delta, United, and Avianca also offer nonstop service from Los Angeles to Guatemala City.
More international routes to come
Alaska Airlines doesn’t have a large international route map compared to U.S.-based legacy carriers—the airline relies heavily on its partnership with American Airlines for international travel. At present, the only other destinations outside of the United States the airline flies to are Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico.
With the announcement of the new flights, Alaska also shared plans to add flights to some destinations in Mexico, including:
- Las Vegas to Cabo San Lucas (starting December 15 and ending April 10, 2024)
- Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta (beginning December 14 and concluding April 9, 2024)
- San Diego to Zihuantanejo (starting December 23 and finishing April 6, 2024)
- Chicago to Zihuantanejo (starting December 23 and ending April 6, 2023)
This article was originally published on July 11, 2023, and has since been updated with new informtion.
