Alaska Airlines Unveils 2025 Cross-Country Route from Atlanta to San Diego

Alaska Airlines will expand its presence in San Diego next year, adding a new flight from the Southern California city to Atlanta.

The new flight, which the airline plans to launch on May 16, 2024, will mark the 37th destination the airline flies to from San Diego, which Alaska said was the most of any other carrier. The new flight will operate daily between the two major cities and will depart San Diego mid-morning, with a return flight from Atlanta in the early evening.

“We want to provide our guests in San Diego the most nonstop options,” said Kirsten Amrine, the vice president of revenue management and network planning for Alaska Airlines. “Not only are San Diego and Atlanta popular destinations for leisure travelers, but both are also major business hubs. We’re excited to connect the cities, especially since Atlanta is our largest unserved transcontinental market from San Diego.”

Moreover, Alaska Airlines flies to several popular destinations from San Diego, including all four major islands in Hawaii, various cities across California, and popular spots in Mexico.

This is not Alaska Airlines’ only new route. This fall, the airline will launch new flights from Portland, Oregon, to Miami, followed by new flights this December from Palm Springs to New York and from San Luis Obispo to Las Vegas.

Consequently, the new route comes as Alaska extended an olive branch to Delta Air Lines customers by offering to match their loyalty status. Furthermore, Alaska Airlines is even raising some frequent fliers to the next status level after Delta made it harder to earn status with the airline in 2024.

However, travelers flying with Alaska may find it harder to access the airline’s airport lounges after the carrier started restricting access for passengers booked on a first-class ticket based on how far they are traveling.

Alaska MVP Gold, Gold 75K, and Gold 100K members can access the lounge when they travel on a Oneworld member airline to a destination outside of the United States, Canada, or Mexico, according to the airline’s policy.