Alaska Airlines has been given the green light to begin its flights to The Bahamas from the US West Coast, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation said in a statement yesterday.

The statement said the airline hit two milestones last week: receiving an approved license from the the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas, and completing a booking integration with Bahamasair that will allow the linking of reservations.

Bahamas Director of Aviation Dr. Kenneth Romer said in the statement: "We are pleased that the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas (CAAB) approved the application for an air transport license by Alaska Airlines for commercial air operations to/from The Bahamas, pursuant to Section 15 of the Civil Aviation Act of 2021."

Alaska Airlines will fly nonstop from Los Angeles and Seattle to Nassau this December.

The statement added: "This approval paves the way for the airline to officially operate and intensify promotions around their new scheduled flights from the West Coast, a major market targeted by The Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation and industry stakeholders."

The live integration of Alaska Airlines and Bahamasair's respective booking platforms will allow easy transfer for visitors wanting to commute to the Family Islands.

"We are particularly proud of the live integration and the further strengthening of the interline relationship between Bahamasair and Alaska Airlines," said Romer.

"It not only marks the progress our national flag carrier is making in terms of its international competitiveness, but interlining with other legacy carriers facilitates a greater ease of travel for international passengers to all the islands of The Bahamas being serviced by Bahamasair."

The statement explained that Alaska Airlines will service Nassau using Boeing 737 aircraft. It explained that the service will run between December 15, 2023 through to April 9, 2024.

"Service from Los Angeles will operate four times a week, while flights from Seattle will operate three times a week," the statement said. "Alaska will be the only airline operating in both markets."

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