Alaska Airlines responds to Delta’s domestic expansion in Seattle stepping up competition

Seattle is emerging as a confronting new battleground for partners Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines as Alaska Airlines appears to be quickly answering Delta's latest moves in key US domestic markets by fortifying its leading position on those routes - Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Alaska appears poised to add frequencies on those routes beginning in Mar-2014 and continuing through Jun-2014. The move follows Delta's declaration of launching new service from Seattle to San Francisco in Mar-2014 and adding frequencies in Los Angeles and Las Vegas during 1H2014.

The build-up in those markets by both carriers is occurring even as Alaska remains a key strategic partner for Delta in Seattle, and as Delta adds more international service from the airport buoyed by feed from Alaska's vast domestic network. The heightened competition between the two carriers alongside their powerful partnership reflects the reality that loyalty only goes so far when revenue maximisation is the ultimate end game for any carrier, and Alaska's efforts to maintain its passenger concentration in key west coast markets shows that it is willing to strike back at any carrier's encroachment - even if its originates from an important revenue sharing partner.