Boise Airport welcomes Alaska Airlines expansion with two new flights for busy summer
Alaska Airlines, the Boise Airport’s primary air carrier, debuted two new nonstop flights Thursday, expanding service to 15 different cities, or more than half of the airport’s total destinations.
The Seattle-based airline launched its long-awaited Idaho Falls route before introducing service between Boise and Las Vegas. The daily trip to and from eastern Idaho’s largest city is the first at the airport in more than a decade, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting.
“We are so pleased Alaska Airlines started daily nonstop service to Idaho Falls today,” Rebecca Hupp, director of the Boise Airport, said in a news release. “This route brings more intrastate connectivity to the residents and businesses of Boise and Idaho Falls alike — enhancing both communities and making business and leisure travel between our state’s major hubs even more convenient.”
The first Idaho Falls flight landed just before 10 a.m. Thursday and was scheduled for its return trip just after 7 p.m. The flight is about an hour each way.
“Reconnecting Boise and Idaho Falls with nonstop air service will drive economic activity and enable further growth of our Boise focus city,” Brett Catlin, an Alaska Airlines vice president, said in the news release. “We have deep roots in the Treasure Valley and our commitment to our guests in Southern Idaho keeps getting stronger.”
Boise Airport launches new flights this summer
About an hour after touchdown of the intrastate route, Alaska Airlines’ nonstop flight from Boise to Las Vegas departed on its first trip. The return flight landed a little before 3:30 p.m.
Some Alaska Airlines flights to Las Vegas will depart just before 6 p.m., depending on the day of the week, with a return flight landing back in Boise just before 10 p.m., according to the airline’s website.
Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air also offer flights between Boise and Las Vegas. Spirit Airlines is scheduled to launch service at the Boise Airport on Aug. 5 with a daily nonstop route to Sin City, making the air carrier the airport’s eighth commercial airline.
Thursday’s new routes follow Alaska’s addition last month of a twice-weekly flight to and from Southern California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport. The flight will compete directly with the recent arrival of Avelo Airlines, which also debuted at the Boise Airport in May with twice-weekly trips to Burbank, where the new low-cost airline is based.
In 2021, Alaska Airlines added flights between Boise and Austin, Phoenix and Chicago-O’Hare International airports, as well as Pullman, Washington, near Moscow on the border of Idaho.
This year, the Boise Airport expects to field the busiest summer in its history. Through the first quarter of 2022, the airport is on pace to break its single-year record of more than 4.1 million passengers, which was set in 2019.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 1:40 PM.
