Hubs are important for travelers.
Try as they might, airlines aren’t able to get all the travelers to all their destinations on a nonstop flight.
Here in Anchorage, especially during the summer, there is a whole flock of planes that go nonstop to a bunch of different cities: Houston, Washington, D.C., New York and Atlanta, among others. As winter approaches, there are fewer nonstop options: Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, Dallas, Honolulu and Chicago.
These nonstop flights are a big reason why Anchorage is the biggest aviation hub in the state. In addition to travelers here in Anchorage, many other fliers from around the state gather at our airport to join those flights. They start their journeys in Fairbanks, Nome, Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Cordova or Bethel, among other cities.
While it’s the biggest hub, Anchorage is not the only aviation hub. Bethel Airport is the gathering point for travelers from more than 50 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Places like Goodnews Bay, Akiak and Quinhagak. Dozens of smaller aircraft (nine seats or less) by operators such as Grant Aviation fly in and out of Bethel all day long. If travelers are going to another village, they can stay in the same terminal. If they’re getting on another Bush carrier or Alaska Airlines, they’ll have to hike over to another terminal, or take a van operated by the air carrier or a taxi.
If rural travelers are headed to the Lower 48 or beyond, they have to time their flights to connect with one of three Alaska Airlines nonstop flights between Bethel and Anchorage.
Fairbanks also is a hub airport for travelers in northern Alaska. Flights from villages up and down the Yukon and Tanana River start or end in Fairbanks. All of the flights to these villages, including Fort Yukon, Ruby and Galena, are on smaller planes (nine seats or less) flown by operators like Warbelow’s, Everts Air or Wright Air Service. When travelers arrive in Fairbanks on Wright or Warbelow’s, the planes park on the other side of the airport (East Ramp). Travelers usually take a cab over to the main airport terminal.
Passengers who go through Fairbanks end up traveling to Anchorage for their onward journeys. The exception is those travelers who can hop aboard the Fairbanks-Seattle nonstops operated by Delta and Alaska Airlines.
The particulars of your trip can change dramatically depending on how many stops you have — or how many hubs you must transit on the way. Each stop presents a new set of challenges, and more opportunities for flight delays and lost or delayed luggage. That’s why nonstop flights are much more desirable.
Two new hub-related developments caught my eye this week.
The first is the ongoing integration effort between Alaska Airlines and its new subsidiary, Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian’s new CEO, Alaska Air executive Joe Sprague, reiterated that “Honolulu will be Alaska’s second-largest hub after Seattle” as a result of the acquisition.
The first change Hawaiian and Alaska made was to enable mileage transfers between Alaska’s and Hawaiian’s loyalty plans. Sprague also revealed that all of Hawaiian’s million-miler travelers received equivalent status on Alaska Airlines. In the quest to make Honolulu more of a seamless hub right away, the two airlines are moving ahead with code-sharing flights. This should enable single-airline booking (through fares) from Anchorage to Hawaiian’s international destinations, including Sydney, Auckland and other destinations in the South Pacific and Asia.
Still in the works: flight times from Anchorage to Honolulu that match up with any connecting flights to the Neighbor Islands or to international destinations.
In addition to Hawaiian’s schedule, several other international airlines fly from Honolulu, including Fiji Air (to Nadi and Apia), United (to Majuro and Guam), Philippine Airlines (to Manila), Air New Zealand (to Auckland), Qantas and JetStar (to Sydney and Melbourne), Japan Airlines (several destinations in Japan) and Korean Air (to Seoul).
[Need a new passport? Wait times just got shorter.]
The second development is Philippine Airlines’ new nonstop flight between Seattle and Manila. This new flight represents the fourth gateway from Manila to the Western U.S. (in addition to Honolulu, San Francisco and Los Angeles). But it’s a little cheaper and more convenient to reach the Seattle flight from Alaska.
While Philippine Air has its own frequent flyer plan, the airline is not affiliated with any of the big three alliances (Delta’s SkyTeam, American’s oneworld or United’s Star Alliance). Rather, it appears the carrier is leaning in to appeal to the large number of Filipinos in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
It’s sort of a pain to connect through Seattle these days. For the past five years, Sea-Tac has been at or near the top of the fastest-growing airports in the U.S. This is primarily as a result of the ongoing war between Alaska Airlines and Delta. Although the airport is clogged, travelers should remember that this “Battle for Seattle” between the two airlines has kept fares lower.
In addition to Manila, the list of nonstops to Asia and the Pacific is impressive: three airlines fly to Tokyo (Japan Air Lines, ANA and Delta) and three fly to Seoul (Delta, Korean Air and Asiana). Delta also flies nonstop to Shanghai. Hainan Air now flies nonstop to Chongqing, in central China (a 15-hour flight). Three airlines fly nonstop from Seattle to Taipei: Starlux, EVA Air and Delta. Singapore Air flies nonstop from Seattle to Singapore (a 16-and-a-half-hour flight). Air Tahiti Nui flies nonstop from Seattle to Papeete, Tahiti.
Flying east, SAS Scandinavian Airlines recently announced it’s resuming nonstop flights to Copenhagen. SAS recently switched alliances, from Star Alliance to SkyTeam. That means Delta travelers who accrue SkyMiles points will be able to get credit on the five weekly nonstops, which start on May 21, 2025.
There are many other options to get to Europe from Seattle. One popular option is on Icelandair, which goes as far as its own hub in Reykjavik. Fly nonstop to Helsinki on Finnair, another Delta partner. Fly to Amsterdam on KLM, or to Paris on AirFrance.
Edelweiss Air, a Lufthansa subsidiary, is starting nonstop flights twice a week to Zurich on June 2, 2025. Lufthansa, a Star Alliance partner, flies three times each week nonstop to Munich. Both Condor and Lufthansa offer nonstop flights to Frankfurt.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Delta all fly nonstop from Seattle to London’s Heathrow Airport.
[PFD airfare sales are live, but be aware of extra charges to calculate the true cost of your trip]
Further east, Turkish Air flies daily from Seattle to Istanbul. Qatar Airways flies daily from Seattle to Doha, Qatar (a 14:20 flight). Emirates operates a daily flight from Seattle to Dubai, which takes about the same amount of time (14:15).
Hub airports vary around the world. The more passengers the hub attracts, the more shopping there is, including restaurants, duty-free stores and specialty shops. Anchorage still only has one airport lounge (Alaska Airlines). But Sea-Tac has a handful: Alaska and Delta have multiple lounges. So does Priority Pass, which cooperates with many international carriers to accommodate its business-class travelers. American Express also has a dedicated Centurion Lounge upstairs from the main food court.
Since Anchorage is a hub airport, there are times when flights are late and travelers just spread out on the floor or a row of seats to sleep. Modern hub airports, including Chicago, Miami and Singapore, have hotels right in the terminal.
My favorite on-airport hotel, though, is in Doha, Qatar. If you’re flying on Qatar Air (an Alaska Airlines partner) and your layover is more than eight hours, the airline will provide a room at no additional charge. And the rooms are sweet: a dreamy bed with a fluffy comforter and a hot shower. Since we had back-to-back red-eye flights, the six hours of shut-eye, along with a hot shower, was just what the doctor ordered!