Delta downplays Seattle rivalry with former 'frenemy' Alaska Airlines
Delta Air Lines says there's room for two in Seattle, where it shares a hub with hometown carrier Alaska Airlines.
"I wouldn't suggest that there's a battle for Seattle," CEO Ed Bastian said, speaking Friday on the airline's earnings call.
But make no mistake: Delta and Alaska are competing aggressively for Seattle customers.
And "battle" or not, that fight — or whatever you call it — is playing out on an increasingly global stage.
2 hub carriers in Seattle
Alaska is far and away the biggest carrier at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). This year, it will operate roughly double the number of flights that Delta will fly from the airport, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
But Delta has a much more robust long-haul international footprint, boasting routes to a host of places Alaska doesn't fly — from Shanghai to Taipei, Barcelona and Amsterdam.
That's not surprising, considering Alaska — until the last couple of years — had primarily operated as a domestic airline, with a heavily West Coast network.
However, things are changing.
Alaska has global ambitions
Two years after acquiring Hawaiian Airlines and a new fleet of long-haul planes, Alaska is in the midst of a fast global expansion.
Next summer, the carrier will add to its fledgling European map with new service to Athens and Paris. By the end of the decade, it expects to serve at least 15 long-haul destinations from Seattle.
Alaska is also planning to compete more forcefully on transcontinental service by adding lie-flat suites on key domestic routes.
And, it's building a new, state-of-the-art club at SeaTac. That "Aurora Lounge" will serve as its answer to Delta's upscale facility that opened last year — and won a TPG Award for best new U.S. airline lounge in 2025.
Alaska isn't shying away from its long-term goals in the Pacific Northwest.
"By 2030, we expect to be the number one international carrier in Seattle," chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison told investors last month.
Delta happy to 'cohabitate' in Seattle
Despite Alaska's international growth in Seattle, Delta is taking a cordial tone; asked about it Friday, Bastian called its Seattle rival's moves "smart."
"Seattle's a big and growing market. It's certainly a market that is large enough for us and our principal competitor up there," he said. "We don't have to 'own' every market we fly in. I think you can cohabitate a bit."
It's certainly a different tone than the one Delta has struck in Los Angeles.
In recent months, the carrier has boldly touted its place as the "number one airline" at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — a hub it shares with both American Airlines and United Airlines.
Now — that's not to say Delta isn't competing forcefully in Seattle.
Just in the last week, Delta rolled out special flights discounts clearly targeted at Alaska-based members of its SkyMiles program.
And last year, when Alaska announced London and Rome as its first two destinations in mainland Europe, Delta responded by adding its own route to the Eternal City.
At the time, Alaska's top network planner Kirsten Amrine told TPG that the carrier had expected moves like that from Delta.
"But where we sit is, we're the hometown carrier," she said then. "Over time, as we have a larger international portfolio, we see the opportunity just to win back much of the travel that we've lost to Delta."
Not 'frenemies' ... but not a 'battle,' either
Looking ahead, Pacific service is a key area both airlines hope to make gains.
Alaska executives recently noted they see flights to Asia as the airline's biggest international opportunity.
Interestingly, Delta sees the future similarly, thanks to its duo of West Coast hubs — including Seattle.
"No. 1 global carrier in Seattle — we're going to keep continuing to build that," chief commercial officer Joe Esposito told me in August. "We've got great launching platforms in the West to expand into Asia."
Long-term, consumers win when airlines compete. At SeaTac, this build-up by Alaska and Delta is producing more routes and better amenities. Time will tell what it means for fares.
Either way, it's clear Seattlelites have two major airlines competing for a slice of their wallet.
And for that reason, this Pacific Northwest "cohabitation" of two former "frenemies" could ultimately be a good thing for travelers.
Just don't call it a "battle."
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