Alaska Air: San Diego-BWI non-stops latest in cross-country push

Alaska Airlines is staking out a claim as a major player on cross-country routes from the US West Coast. Alaska Airlines will add non-stop service between San Diego and Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), launching one daily round-trip flight on March 15. The carrier says BWI will become its fourth new East Coast destination from San Diego in any as many years. More broadly, Alaska Air’s San Diego-BWI service comes as the airline has been steadily increasing its presence on cross-country routes. Alaska Air has long been one of the largest carriers on routes between West Coast cities, but has added a number of high-profile coast-to-coast routes since mid-2013. Alaska Air could soon gain an even larger cross-country presence with its acquisition of Virgin America, which was announced in April. Virgin America operates numerous cross-country routes from its hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles.<br/>