Alaska Airlines adds 2 cities from Boise. Grab a jacket for one, shorts for the other

John Sowell
·3 min read

Alaska Airlines says it will add daily flights to two new destinations beginning next June.

The Seattle-based carrier will fly from Boise to Idaho Falls and Las Vegas beginning June 16. It will give Alaska Airlines up to 36 daily nonstop departures from Boise to 15 destinations.

“We have deep roots in the Treasure Valley and our commitment to our guests in southern Idaho keeps getting stronger,” Brett Catlin, an Alaska Airlines vice president, said in a news release Wednesday. “Reconnecting Boise and Idaho Falls with nonstop air service will drive economic activity and enable further growth of our Boise focus city.”

Flights will leave Idaho Falls at 9 a.m. and land in Boise 65 minutes later. The return trip to Idaho Falls leaves Boise at 7:35 p.m. and arrives at 8:35 p.m.

“Nonstop service between Boise and Idaho Falls enhances both communities, making business and leisure travel more convenient between the two,” Boise Airport Director Rebecca Hupp said in the release.

Alaska Airlines previously flew between Boise and Idaho Falls. That service ended in 2010.

Flights to Las Vegas will leave Boise at 11:30 a.m. and arrive in the Nevada city at 12:10 p.m. Pacific time. Return flights leave Las Vegas at 3 p.m. Pacific and arrive in Boise at 5:45 p.m. Mountain time.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci heard last year from employees in Boise that Las Vegas was at the top of their wish list for new routes. They’ll get their wish next June as the Seattle carrier also adds service to Idaho Falls.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci heard last year from employees in Boise that Las Vegas was at the top of their wish list for new routes. They’ll get their wish next June as the Seattle carrier also adds service to Idaho Falls.

When Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci spoke with some of the company’s 700 Boise workers in June, they told him Las Vegas was at the top of their list for new routes. Minicucci said the company wasn’t looking to fly to Las Vegas “anytime soon,” but it took less than five months to arrange it.

The company said Las Vegas is one of the most popular destinations for travelers from Idaho Falls. The new routes will allow people to fly from Idaho Falls to Las Vegas with less than a 90-minute layover in Boise.

Previously, Alaska Airlines announced winter flights from Boise to Phoenix, beginning Nov. 19 and ending April 18, 2022. With Tuesday’s announcement, the air carrier said those flights will now be offered year-round.

Daily flights to Phoenix will leave Boise at 11:20 a.m. and arrive in Phoenix at 1:23 p.m. Return flights will leave Phoenix at 2:05 p.m. and arrive in Boise at 4:20 p.m.

Boise ranks eighth — by number of departures — among the more than 120 cities served by Alaska Airlines. Seattle, Anchorage and San Francisco are the company’s main hubs. Alaska Air, which began flights from Boise in 1983, has nearly 1,200 flights a day while serving more than 45 million customers a year.

Alaska Airlines began direct daily flights from Boise to Chicago O’Hare, and to Austin, Texas, in June.

In August, Alaska Airlines added service between Boise. and Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport. In a deal with Alaska, the University of Idaho. guaranteed payments of as much as $500,000 a year for three years if the flights do not make at least a 10% profit. The Pullman-Moscow airport is waiving its landing fees for Boise flights and has pledged at least $25,000 toward advertising the new route.

Tickets for the new routes are available online at www.alaskaair.com.

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