June 28--Financial incentives helped Tucson land a new daily nonstop flight to Portland, Ore., nine years after Tucson's last nonstop service to the City of Roses was dropped.
Alaska Airlines announced Thursday that it will begin the new nonstop service to Portland starting Nov. 1, bringing the total number of nonstop destinations served by Tucson International Airport to 15.
Alaska's new flight, which will be operated by partner SkyWest Airlines on a 70-seat regional jet, will arrive in Tucson daily at 1:05 p.m. and depart for Portland at 1:35 p.m.
The last time Tucson had a nonstop flight to Portland was 2004, when Alaska Airlines' sister Horizon Air dropped the flight after about a year and a half.
The new flight was welcomed by business travelers and tourism officials.
Rick Partlett, president of the Southwest division of General Tool & Supply, said he and other employees often fly to Portland to visit the company's office there, and used to use the former Horizon nonstop before it was dropped. General Tool sells machine tools and related items to mining and other industries.
"It helps us a lot," said Partlett, noting that he has had to waste several hours connecting in Phoenix. "I will probably be making one trip a month, and some other people here go a few times a year."
Brent DeRaad, president and CEO of VisitTucson (formerly the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau), said the flight should help boost tourism from the Northwest.
"We're really excited about it. It really opens up the Northwest -- not only the leisure market, but for convention business and planners," DeRaad said, adding that the year-round flight will have more impact than a seasonal route.
"Now, we're going to work hard to fill those seats. ... We hope this is just the beginning with Alaska Airlines."
Airport Authority President and CEO Bonnie Allin said the airport heard from both business and leisure travelers that the Pacific Northwest is an important destination.
"New nonstop routes are also critical to bringing in more visitors for the region's tourism industry and in efforts to attract new businesses to Southern Arizona," Allin said in prepared remarks.
Incentive program
Alaska, which now operates daily nonstop service to Seattle, is the first airline to offer a new destination that qualifies for the Tucson Airport Authority's Air Service Incentive Program. The program, launched in late 2011, budgeted $1.6 million from airport reserve funds for incentives.
Under the program, Alaska is eligible for financial incentives, including up to $50,000 in co-op marketing incentives and landing-fee waivers expected to reach about $35,000 over a year, said Richard Gruentzel, vice president of administration and finance for the Tucson Airport Authority.
Gruentzel said the financial incentives -- which he called modest compared with what some other airports are offering -- may have helped land the new flight, but it also took a nearly two-year lobbying effort by local airport and business officials.
"No airline, regardless of incentives, is going to start this route unless they are confident" it will be a success, he said.
The airline must repay the incentive money if it doesn't keep the flight going for a year.
Recession's toll
The recession took a heavy toll on Tucson air service. In 2007, for example, the Tucson airport offered 81 flights a day to 24 nonstop destinations. By 2010, that had dropped to 60 flights a day to 15 nonstop locales.
There have been some other additions and subtractions since last year.
Frontier Airlines was expected to restart a seasonal nonstop to Denver last fall but never came back.
But Gruentzel noted that United Airlines recently added back a second nonstop flight to San Francisco, after dropping one flight last year.
Alaska's Tucson flight will be operated by SkyWest Airlines using a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet. The flight will include free soft drinks and Starbucks coffee, planeside baggage service, and complimentary Northwest wine and microbrews for passengers 21 years and older, Alaska said.
nonstop flights
Tucson International Airport will have nonstop flights to 15 destinations as of Nov. 1:
Destination Airline
Atlanta Delta
Chicago O'Hare American
Chicago Midway Southwest
Dallas/Ft. Worth American
Denver Southwest, United
Houston United
Las Vegas Southwest
Los Angeles American, United, Southwest
Minneapolis Delta
Phoenix US Airways
Portland Alaska (SkyWest)
Salt Lake City Delta
San Diego Southwest
San Francisco United
Seattle/Tacoma Alaska
Source: Tucson Airport Authority
Portland promo
Alaska Airlines is offering a promotional $129 one-way fare for its new Tucson-Portland nonstop flight, but conditions apply. Tickets must be purchased by July 4; the fare requires 21-day advance purchase and is available for travel Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Seats are limited, and all travel must be completed by Jan. 31, 2014; tickets are nonrefundable, and baggage fees and other conditions apply.
For more information or to book a flight, see www.alaskaair.com
Contact Assistant Business Editor David Wichner at [email protected] or 573-4181.
Copyright 2013 - The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
