Alaska Airlines Is Adding New Orleans Flights From Portland

If you’ve ever traveled to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you’ve been part of an annual phenomenon that’s led to temporary spikes in the city’s population. This year, The Street reported that New Orleans saw more than three times its usual population visit the city for the festivities in question. And next year, when New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl, it should see an even larger influx of visitors in February and early March.

Needless to say, someone needs to convey those visitors to New Orleans. And airlines, which have historically responded to events like the Super Bowl with increased flights, are indeed following that very course. The latest carrier to do so is Alaska Airlines, which just announced increased service to New Orleans from Portland, Oregon. The direct flight will commence on January 6 and run through May 14, 2025.

The flight will be the latest addition to Alaska Airlines’ growing selection of flights from Portland to the southeastern U.S., including a recently launched route to Nashville and service to Atlanta set to begin later this year. As The Points Guy reported, this will be the second direct route to New Orleans that Alaska Airlines will offer, in addition to one from Seattle.

“Until now, New Orleans was one of the largest U.S. markets without a nonstop from PDX. Tens of thousands of travelers already fly between these two great cities every year, and we expect that number to only grow with this new nonstop service,” said the Port of Portland’s chief aviation officer, Dan Pippenger, in a statement.

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For airline industry viewers hopeful for a “who’s on first” situation, it should be noted that Alaska Airlines does not yet offer direct service between Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine. Still, if you’re looking to head from Oregon to a coastal city in the eastern U.S. where crustaceans are on the menu, this new route might be just what you’re looking for.