Alaska Airlines’ inaugural flight to Houston from Seattle will begin operating on September 23.

The new air service means that George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) increases the number of airlines landing at the big airport – despite a challenging economy where other U.S. airports are losing airlines.

“We are excited to bring a new airline to Houston and we realize that adding new flights during the current economy is a real blessing,” said Eric Potts, Houston Airport System interim director of aviation. “We believe the new nonstop service will bring business travelers and spark leisure travel also – Alaska Airlines featured Houston in the September inflight magazine. We hope this extra attention will encourage more Alaska Airlines’ customers to mark Houston as a business/vacation destination of choice.”

This is the first time Alaska Airlines will operate flights into the Space City.

For east-bound service, the Seattle flights depart at 9:00 a.m. (PST) and arrive into Houston at 2:05 p.m. (CST). For the Houston departures, the flight leaves at 4:30 p.m. (CST), arriving in Seattle at 7:05 p.m. (PST).

“With its strong business ties to the state of Alaska and Pacific Northwest, Houston will be a great addition to our core route network,” says Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines vice president of planning and revenue management.

The arrival of Alaska Airlines to Bush Intercontinental Airport will connect the country’s fourth (Houston) and fifteenth (Seattle) largest cities via nonstop flights. Seattle also represents the largest city located in the nation’s Pacific Northwest.

Alaska Airlines will operate out of IAH's Terminal A and serve Houston on its Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

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