Alaska Airlines is set to recommence flight operations between Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) and Portland International Airport (PDX). The service being seasonal, will be operated from late fall to early spring and is aimed at the demand seen by the airline from people of both communities.

The highly popular route

According to Central Oregon Daily, the resumption of this route is something the population of Central Oregon has been waiting for since the airline stopped serving the route a few years ago. However, towards the end of this year, Alaska Airlines is set to resume serving this route as a safer and faster alternative for travelers than having to drive over the mountains, especially during the winter season weather.

The once-a-day flight service will commence on Wednesday, November 29th, and is set to run through until Wednesday, April 10th, 2024. Data from Cirium show that the carrier will be using its fleet of Embraer E-175 aircraft to operate this route.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Since the service stopped, passengers traveling from RDM to PDX generally traveled via Seattle. However, data for December indicates that Alaska Airlines is scheduled to operate 30 flights on this route, which would open up 2,280 seats on this route.

The carrier's E-175s can carry 76 passengers split into 12 passengers in first class, in a 1-2 configuration, 12 passengers in premium class, in a 2-2 configuration, and 52 passengers in economy, also designed in a 2-2 configuration.

Alaska Airlines, General Manager of Airline Planning and Network Performance, Kevin Lemme, commented,

"This route has been the top ask from both communities and will be highly impactful to the business population that commutes between the two cities. We're excited that we can resume service on a winter-seasonal basis."

Larger presence at Redmond

Further analysis of Data from Cirium suggests that Alaska Airlines has a significant presence in Redmond, which is connected by the airline to four other destinations within the United States, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Diego International Airport (SAN), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

Of the four airports, Seattle sees the most flights and is the only one of the four in which the carrier utilizes its E-175s and Boeing 737s. From the total of 480 flights Alaska Airlines is scheduled to operate in and out of RDM in December, 258 flights are to and from the carrier's hub in SEA.

Busy December for Redmond

For the month of December, data suggests that a total of 1,406 flights are scheduled to be operated in and out of RDM by five carriers, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Avelo Airlines. In total, over 130,000 seats are available for passengers in and out of Redmond.

During December, Alaska Airlines has the most number of flights scheduled in and out of Redmond, while Avelo has the lowest.

The busiest route pairing is Redmond - Seattle, which has 408 flights scheduled in December and will see competition from Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Sources: Central Oregon Daily, Cirium.