Delta Air Lines' latest punch at Alaska in Seattle is an effort to siphon traffic from Vancouver

Pressure by Delta Air Lines on Alaska Airlines in Seattle continues through service additions on routes where Alaska is the dominant or lone carrier - Vancouver and Fairbanks, Alaska. The latest moves underscore Delta's build-out of Seattle during the last year to solidify connecting traffic for its gateway to the Pacific, and the now familiar increasing competition with its long-term partner Alaska Airlines.

Alaska is all too aware of Delta's encroachment, evidenced by the recent acknowledgement of Alaska's management that the two carriers have no plans to codeshare on Delta's recently announced spate of new US domestic north-south markets from Seattle to feed the legacy carrier's expanding international network from Tacoma International Airport.

As it works to add service to six of Alaska's top 10 domestic markets from Seattle by Sep-2014, Delta during the next year also plans to compete with Alaska by launching service from Vancouver to feed its international operations in Seattle. The new service not only continues to heighten tension with Alaska, but also adds a new layer of competitive dynamics to carriers offering service to Asia from Vancouver, which is just 204km north of Seattle.