Thursday, May 26, 2011

jetBlue commences Long Beach - Anchorage service

JetBlue Airways launched a new seasonal nonstop flight to Alaska on Monday, May 23 and plans to add a third daily flight to Sacramento (SMF/KSMF) in the coming months.


The Anchorage (ANC/PANC) flight is the latest expansion at Long Beach Airport (LGB/KLGB), where commuters now have the option of direct travel to 17 cities nationally.


The Alaska flights will last through at least Sept. 5, though they could be extended depending on demand. Travelers arriving from Alaska can connect with flights leaving Long Beach to several major cities, including New York (JFK/KJFK), Boston (BOS/KBOS), Washington, D.C. (IAD/KIAD), and Chicago (ORD/KORD).

Long Beach Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske meets moose mascot Samuel at a ceremony Monday to mark JetBlue's inaugural Anchorage, Alaska, flight from Long Beach.
 (Jeff Gritchen, Staff Photographer)


The new route is expected to cater primarily to tourists, though there are strong economic ties between Long Beach, Los Angeles and Alaska, primarily because of the timber and oil trades.


Oil tankers carrying Alaskan crude call in Long Beach regularly and Southern California businesses and universities do a great deal of engineering and research work in Alaska.


The Airbus 320 jets used for the route will also haul commercial cargo, including frozen fish, from Alaska, and various other packages, said Mateo Lleras, a JetBlue spokesman.


"Summer is the best time to visit our northernmost state, and we're proud to offer our customers another option in the L.A. Basin, as the only airline flying to Anchorage out of Long Beach and the southern Los Angeles region," said Marty St. George, JetBlue's senior vice president of marketing. "Plus, with the extended daylight hours, our customers can look forward to playing midnight golf soon after they touch down in Anchorage."

The Long Beach to Anchorage service departs daily on Airbus 320 jets at 7:37 p.m. and arrives at Ted Stevens International Airport at


11:54 p.m. The return flight departs Anchorage at about


1 a.m. and lands in Long Beach at 7:30 a.m.


Fares can be found as low as $149 each way with advanced booking, the airline said.


Meanwhile, JetBlue is planning to begin a third daily flight to Sacramento in September as part of a reshuffling of operations following the departure of Frontier Airlines.

(Kristopher Hanson - Long Beach Press Telegram)

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