Alaska Air Adds New Nonstop to JFK; Fares from $300 Round-Trip

Alaska Air has been previously absent from the JFK market, and instead flies into the nearby Newark, NJ airport. Having to fly several times to Seattle over the past few years, with some needing a connection or departure out of JFK, the only options that seemed reasonable were either on Delta, American, or on Alaska, out of Newark.

Now, Alaska will be adding a nonstop Seattle to JFK flight, once daily, beginning September 16.

The eastbound flight (#18) will depart Seattle at 9:35pm, arriving in JFK at 6am. The westbound flight (#7) will depart JFK at 7:15am and arrive in Seattle at 10:15am. The flights will be operated by a 737-800.

Upgrades on the route will be very competitive for Alaska elites, just like they are on the SEA-DCA flight, which is one of the toughest complimentary upgrades in their network. If you plan on flying them to or from JFK, my suggestion would be to outright purchase a First Class fare (or a Y fare, since that gives an instant upgrade if you are an elite).

Alaska is running a promotion for $149 fares each-way, which isn’t too bad. You’ll also be able to earn double MileagePlan miles on the route through October 28, 2015.