Alaska Airlines Starts New Seattle to Toronto Route, Strengthening Partnership with Porter Airlines

Alaska Airlines has announced the launch of a new route connecting Seattle with Toronto, marking its first-ever service to Canada’s largest city from its primary hub. This new development, set to start in May, revives the airline’s presence in Toronto, a destination last served by the airline in July 1992 from Los Angeles.

Beginning May 16, Alaska Airlines will offer daily flights between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), utilizing the Boeing 737-900 aircraft. This new service expands Alaska Airlines’ Canadian network, adding Toronto to its existing routes to Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver, and Victoria.

Kirsten Amrine, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of revenue management and network planning, highlights the strategic importance of this route. She notes, “There’s a strong desire by our guests for a Seattle-Toronto flight that connects a pair of exciting cities not only for leisure travel, but also links key business centers between the U.S. and Canada.”

This route announcement follows Alaska Airlines’ recent partnership with Porter Airlines, a Toronto-based carrier. This collaboration, initiated in December, includes an interline agreement and shared loyalty program benefits, further integrating the two airlines’ operations.

Porter Airlines is concurrently launching routes from Toronto Pearson International Airport to two Alaska Airlines hubs: Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). These new services will provide passengers with access to various western U.S. destinations, including Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Phoenix, through Alaska Airlines’ network. Flights to LAX commenced on January 16, while service to SFO began on January 25.

Both airlines anticipate enabling connections through shared Canadian airports in early 2024, with the rollout of loyalty program benefits also planned for this year.

With this new SEA-YYZ route, Alaska Airlines joins Air Canada as the second carrier offering nonstop service between Seattle and Toronto. Current schedules from OAG Schedules Analyser reveal that Air Canada operates daily flights on this route using Airbus A220-300 aircraft.