SEATTLE, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines will inaugurate service between San Jose, Calif., and Guadalajara, Mexico, starting Dec 15, 2010, and between Sacramento, Calif., and Guadalajara, starting Dec 16, 2010. Tickets will go on sale pending government approval of the new routes.

"We are pleased to be able to offer more service to this important Central Mexico market from two new gateways," said Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "Alaska Airlines has served Guadalajara from Los Angeles since 2003, and we look forward to expanding our reach to our customers in the Bay Area."

Summary of new service:

Times are based on local time zones.

The new flights will be operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin.

Alaska Airlines introduced service to Mexico in 1988 and flies an average of 1 million passengers annually between the U.S. West Coast and Mexico. Alaska and sister carrier Horizon Air together serve seven Mexico beach destinations — Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Loreto, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta — in addition to serving Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009 and 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies(SM). For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines