JobsOhio Restores Daily Air Service from Cleveland to Seattle with Alaska Airlines

JobsOhio, along with partners Team NEO, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Destination Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the City of Cleveland, is pleased to announce the return of daily air service from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) after reaching an agreement with Alaska Airlines. Service is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2022 and continue year-round.

This new route will provide travelers in Northeast Ohio with not only nonstop service to Seattle, but also one-stop access to Alaska Airlines’ expansive network of destinations in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, such as Portland, Spokane, Vancouver, Anchorage, and Fairbanks.

JobsOhio was instrumental in securing this new route with the JobsOhio Air Service Restoration Program, which was established in 2020 to provide Ohio’s commercial airports the opportunity to work collaboratively through public and private partnerships to retain and restore air service opportunities for economic development.

Over the past six years Cleveland Hopkins airport staff have been in discussions with Alaska Airlines to bring additional service to the Cleveland market. Cleveland Hopkins informed JobsOhio of the opportunity with Alaska Airlines and JobsOhio began discussions with the airline to explore avenues of community support.

Citing the strength of the CLE market, the airport’s better-than-average COVID recovery rate, and exhibiting the benefits of serving Cleveland with a revised 2022 airport incentive program, Alaska Airlines decided to move forward in serving Cleveland in September 2021.

Cleveland-Seattle Air Service by the numbers:

• $111 million total economic impact
• 116,070 annual increase in seats
• 2,600 miles from CLE to SEA
• 16 first class, 24 premium, and 138 economy seats on each flight
• Boeing 737-900 aircraft

Alaska Airlines is the fifth-largest U.S. airline based on passenger traffic and is one of the most popular U.S. West Coast air carriers. Headquartered in Seattle, Alaska Airlines has expanded significantly to serve several transcontinental U.S. East Coast routes, following the merger with Virgin America. The airline has also expanded internationally, with service to Costa Rica, Canada, and Mexico.

With roots tracing back to 1932, the airline was founded when Linious “Mac” McGee of McGee Airways started flying his three-seat Stinson between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, Alaska. A merger with Star Air Service in 1934 created the largest airline in Alaska, which eventually became Alaska Airlines.

Opening in 1925, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) was the first municipal airport in the country. CLE brings $11.7 billion to the Northeast Ohio economy, generating more than 34,000 jobs. Alaska Airlines will join CLE’s nine passenger and four cargo airlines.

To learn more about the JobsOhio Air Service Restoration Program, contact Terry Slaybaugh.