Alaska Airlines unveils top Fall travel trends: Hawaiʻi and hidden gem destinations dominate

This season includes the busiest travel day of the year and emerging trends driven by popular cultural events

SEATTLE, Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines is revealing unique trends that are shaping the airline's bookings across its network this fall, including a rise in bookings to smaller, off-the-beaten path markets driven by guests seeking exclusive experiences. Alaska is prepared to welcome guests this season, which includes the busiest travel period of the year, with increased staffing, expanded flight options and enhanced service for an elevated and seamless travel experience.

Thanksgiving: The Peak Travel Period

Thanksgiving remains the busiest travel period of the fall with flights projected to be nearly full. We estimate nearly a half million guests will fly between Friday and Sunday with Dec. 1 expected to be the single busiest day of the entire year. Across our major West Coast hubs, we expect to fly more passengers than last year. In San Francisco, passenger numbers are anticipated to increase by 15%. In Seattle, we expect to serve 230,000 guests, a 6% increase from last year. Portland is expected to see the largest surge in passenger volume with a 35% increase -- or 85,000 passengers during the holiday weekend.

Hawaiʻi Leads Fall Travel Surge

This fall, we're seeing strong year-over-year bookings to Hawaiʻi with guests eager to support the local economy amid continued recovery efforts from last year's wildfires. Through the combined network of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, we offer 66 daily flights to the Islands from the continental U.S.

Travel at Major Hubs on the Rise

A rebound in business travel is driving an increase in bookings across California. In response to the demand, we've added capacity to our hubs this fall, including San Francisco and San Diego. Latin America is also becoming a popular fall and winter getaway as guests look for an escape from the cold. In response to this trend, we're thrilled to offer several routes to exciting Latin America destinations for the first time during the fall season, including Guatemala, Nassau, expanded service to Mexico destinations from Las Vegas and our new route to La Paz from Los Angeles.

Rising Popularity of Smaller Destinations

More and more guests are seeking unique and authentic experiences that stand apart from well-known tourist destinations. This fall, we're seeing strong bookings to small destinations, such as Bellingham, Missoula and Santa Rosa. To respond to the rising trend to these hidden gems, we've increased capacity between Bellingham and Seattle by 40%, adding one additional flight each way compared to last year. We're also now flying mainline aircraft to increase our capacity up to 40% between Seattle and Missoula. Starting Oct. 1, we launched our seventh nonstop from Santa Rosa, now connecting to Las Vegas, making it easier for guests to reach California's wine country. 

Special Events Driving Travel Demand

November continues to be a popular time for travel with Veterans Day weekend driving bookings for guests seeking a long-weekend getaway. Special events like Austin City Limits and the F1 Grand Prix are also contributing to increased demand in Austin, Texas throughout October. Meanwhile, the fall foliage is drawing guests to Boston, making it a popular destination for leaf peeping.

Emerging Travel Trends: Swifties on the Move

A unique travel trend this fall is the influence of Taylor Swift's concert tour, which is drawing travelers to destinations like New Orleans, Toronto, Indianapolis and Vancouver. These markets are seeing strong demand from Swifties following the pop star's performances.

Committed to Providing an Elevated Travel Experience

As guests travel this fall and winter, Alaska Airlines is committed to providing an elevated travel experience. Guests across our expanding network can take advantage of our award-winning service on their next Alaska flight, including the most legroom in First Class* and Premium Class; no change fees; multiple fare offerings; the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, the most generous loyalty program with the fastest path to elite status; 30 Global Partners; and West Coast food and beverage on board.

We're also making it easier for our guests to buy tickets with our domestic and Global Partners directly at alaskaair.com.

* Out of any U.S. airline excluding lie-flat seats  

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Air Group, Inc. is based in Seattle and comprised of subsidiaries Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Holdings, Inc., Horizon Air and McGee Air Services. With our recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, we now serve more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Central America, Asia and across the Pacific. We are committed to safety, remarkable customer care, operational excellence, financial performance and sustainability. Alaska Airlines is a member of the oneworld Alliance. With oneworld and our additional global partners, our guests have more choices than ever to purchase, earn or redeem on alaskaair.com across 30 airlines and more than 1,000 worldwide destinations. Book travel throughout the Pacific on Hawaiian Airlines at hawaiianairlines.com. Learn more about Alaska Airlines at news.alaskaair.com and Hawaiian Airlines at newsroom.hawaiianairlines.com/blog. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as "ALK."

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SOURCE Alaska Air Group, Inc.