Alaska to use Virgin A320s to launch single-aisle expansion.

Alaska Airlines will use the  A320-family aircraft it inherited when it merged with Virgin America to launch the largest single-market expansion in the carrier’s storied history.

Alaska has targeted the  San Francisco Bay Area, specifically San Francisco International and Mineta San Jose International airports,  to roll out nonstop service on a slew of new routes, many of them transcontinental or near-transcon flights.  

It can do this because A320s have the “legs” (range) to fly the transcontinental trips non-stop.

Starting in late August, and wrapping up in mid-December, Alaska will start flying from San Francisco to Philadelphia, New Orleans, Nashville, Indianapolis, Raleigh/Durham, Baltimore/Washington and Kona, Hawaii.

It is set to launch Embraer E175 regional jet flights from SFO to Albuquerque and Kansas City.

Out of San Jose, there will be daily non-stop service to Austin and Tucson—as well as four daily non-stops to Los Angeles International.

The number of daily roundtrips is critical here. Business travelers want a minimum of three daily non-stops on a given route, the better to fashion flexible schedules.  

Daily services are often insufficient and this low-frequency strategy could mitigate the competitive impact Alaska’s entry into a number of these markets may have.

The San Francisco Bay Area expansion dovetails nicely with Virgin America’s former SFO focus.  It also puts Virgin’s A320s to work in a West Coast market other than Seattle/Tacoma. Sea-Tac is Alaska’s home airport and the new West Coast hub for Delta Air Lines.