SEATTLE- Alaska Airlines (AS) has cultivated a dominant presence on leisure-heavy international routes from the West Coast, with Mexican resort cities playing a central role.
Mexico accounts for 13 of Alaska’s top 20 international routes, driven by high demand from sun-seeking travelers in California, Washington, and Oregon.
Alaska Airlines International Routes
The busiest international route for Alaska Airlines is Los Angeles (LAX) – San Jose del Cabo (SJD) with 150 monthly flights, offering over 25,000 seats, and generating over 23 million ASMs. This route’s popularity is echoed by San Diego – San Jose del Cabo with 116 flights and San Francisco – San Jose del Cabo, which ranks fifth overall with 76 flights.
Together, these three Cabo routes highlight Alaska’s deep connectivity between California and Baja California Sur.
Alaska also operates numerous flights to and from Puerto Vallarta, another Mexican leisure hub. The LAX – Puerto Vallarta (PVR) route sits third overall, with 96 flights and 20.5 million ASMs, followed by PVR – San Francisco, offering 68 flights.
Other smaller markets include San Jose (SJC) – San Jose del Cabo, Los Angeles – Mazatlán, Loreto, and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, which round out Alaska’s broad reach across Mexico’s Pacific coast resorts.
Los Angeles as a Central International Gateway
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is by far Alaska Airlines’ most important international gateway, featuring in ten of the top 20 international routes.
The airline’s growing ambitions in Central America are centered on LAX, with routes to San José (Costa Rica), Guanacaste (Liberia, Costa Rica), and Guatemala City (GUA) each offering 62 flights in a month and exceeding 21 million ASMs.
The LAX-Guanacaste route ranks highest in terms of ASMs overall, with 27.2 million, indicating its strategic importance despite fewer seats than Cabo or Cancun. LAX – San José follows closely with 26.8 million ASMs, reflecting the longer distance and sustained demand.
Alaska has positioned itself as a leading option for travelers heading to Central America from Southern California, emphasizing its strength in VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) and vacation travel segments.
LAX also connects to major markets in Mexico such as Guadalajara, Cancun, and Mazatlán, reinforcing the city’s role as a launchpad for both leisure and ethnic travel.
Seattle’s Regional Reach
While Los Angeles dominates the international network by volume, Seattle (SEA) is equally crucial for Alaska Airlines from a strategic and historical standpoint. SEA hosts routes to Mexico, Central America, and Canada, although with slightly less volume due to competition and geographic constraints.
From Seattle, the SEA – San Jose del Cabo route sees 82 monthly flights, ranking fourth overall in ASM despite being just sixth in seat count. The Puerto Vallarta – SEA and SEA – Vancouver (YVR) routes also appear in the top 20, though the Vancouver route, with 34 monthly flights and just 768,604 ASMs, reflects short-haul regional flying, more about connectivity than capacity.
The SEA – Toronto (YYZ) route, however, is a surprise entry at rank 7. With 62 flights and 22.7 million ASMs, this transcontinental international connection serves business travelers and international tourists alike, reflecting Alaska’s growing network diversity beyond leisure markets.
San Jose and San Francisco to Mexico and Central America
Alaska Airlines has expanded its reach from secondary California airports such as San Jose (SJC) and San Francisco (SFO), capturing loyal tech and leisure travelers seeking direct links to Latin America.
SFO – San Jose del Cabo ranks fifth overall, while PVR – SFO ranks sixth, illustrating strong bidirectional demand between the Bay Area and Mexico. The Guadalajara – SJC and SJC – San Jose del Cabo routes further reinforce Alaska’s hold on high-frequency, short-haul international traffic from the tech-heavy region. These routes typically see consistent year-round demand from VFR travelers and weekend leisure passengers.
Although San Jose lacks the scale of LAX or SEA, its high-yield O&D markets help sustain these thinner international services, allowing Alaska to avoid head-on competition with bigger U.S. carriers while still capturing a loyal customer base.
Top 20 Busiest Routes
| Rank | Route | Flights | Seats | ASMs |
| 1 | Los Angeles (LAX) – San Jose del Cabo (SJD) | 150 | 25370 | 23086700 |
| 2 | San Diego (SAN) – San Jose del Cabo (SJD) | 116 | 20211 | 16189011 |
| 3 | Los Angeles (LAX) – Puerto Vallarta (PVR) | 96 | 16803 | 20466054 |
| 4 | Seattle (SEA) – San Jose del Cabo (SJD) | 82 | 14292 | 25925688 |
| 5 | San Francisco (SFO) – San Jose del Cabo (SJD) | 76 | 12939 | 16147872 |
| 6 | Puerto Vallarta (PVR) – San Francisco (SFO) | 68 | 12066 | 18750564 |
| 7 | Seattle (SEA) – Toronto (YYZ) | 62 | 11036 | 22745196 |
| 8 | Los Angeles (LAX) – Guanacaste (LIR) | 62 | 10371 | 27244617 |
| 9 | Los Angeles (LAX) – San Jose (SJO) | 62 | 9858 | 26823618 |
| 10 | Guatemala City (GUA) – Los Angeles (LAX) | 62 | 9858 | 21628452 |
| 11 | Cancun (CUN) – Los Angeles (LAX) | 62 | 10143 | 21493017 |
| 12 | Guadalajara (GDL) – Los Angeles (LAX) | 62 | 10998 | 14374386 |
| 13 | San Jose (SJC) – San Jose del Cabo (SJD) | 62 | 10542 | 12840156 |
| 14 | Guadalajara (GDL) – San Jose (SJC) | 39 | 6942 | 11183562 |
| 15 | Belize City (BZE) – Los Angeles (LAX) | 36 | 6180 | 13453860 |
| 16 | Los Angeles (LAX) – Mazatlan (MZT) | 36 | 6218 | 6497810 |
| 17 | Seattle (SEA) – Vancouver (YVR) | 34 | 6052 | 768604 |
| 18 | Puerto Vallarta (PVR) – Seattle (SEA) | 34 | 5862 | 12181236 |
| 19 | Los Angeles (LAX) – Loreto (LTO) | 32 | 5468 | 3783856 |
| 20 | Los Angeles (LAX) – Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (ZIH) | 30 | 5226 | 8032362 |
Bottom Line
Some of Alaska Airlines’ top international routes highlight its willingness to experiment with niche, long-haul services not served by the legacy three (Delta, United, American).
The Los Angeles – Belize City (BZE) route, for example, ranks 15th, with 36 monthly flights, offering a unique nonstop link to the Caribbean coast of Central America.
Even lower-density routes such as Los Angeles – Loreto and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, though further down the list, demonstrate the airline’s strategy of offering differentiated services on underserved routes, particularly during peak travel seasons.
These flights often cater to premium leisure travelers and vacation packages, supported by codeshare traffic with oneworld partners.
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