Only 37% Full: Alaska Airlines' 11 Emptiest Routes From Seattle Revealed

Published Oct 7, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in Airline Strategy and Economics. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK. Everyone knows that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is by far Alaska Airlines' primary hub. Cirium Diio data shows that the oneworld member currently has 303 daily nonstop departures (double for total movements). It accounts for 52.6% of the airport's total scheduled passenger activity. Alaska Airlines' dominance is, of course, driven by the vast domestic market (55.2%) rather than the international arena (31.1%). Still, it is SEA's leading international operator. It has quickly jumped to become the second-largest airline for long-haul flights, which is, of course, a key focus amid the carrier's intention to become a global operator. Alaska Airlines' 11 Seattle Routes With The Lowest Loads Credit: Jomica8 | Shutterstock US Department of Transportation (DOT) data was examined for the 12 months to June 2026, which is as far as that source's information currently extends. In this period, Alaska Airlines' average load from SEA was 83.2%, which was marginally higher than for its system-wide result (82.4%). An airline's load factor (which is technically its seat factor) is just one performance measure and one part of the overall performance puzzle. It should therefore not be considered seriously in isolation from other information. It is always about how it was achieved, with context critical in understanding the data. Some of the following routes had only started recently, while others had a big increase in flights and capacity or larger-gauge aircraft. Routes with relatively low loads may make an important network contribution. It could be argued that some of the following markets — some of which cover extremely little distance, like Eugene, Redmond/Bend, and Walla Walla — are in that category. They have a reasonably large number of flights to drive connectivity. Some cities in Alaska are also in that category, which were only just shy of being included. Load Factor (12 Months To June 2026)* Alaska Airlines From SEA To... Round-Trip Passengers** Comments 36.7% Vail 2,056 Flights began in December 2024. More on this route below 61.3% Steamboat Springs 3,949 63.4% Sun Valley 37,477 Had record flights in the examined period 65.1% Jackson Hole 19,861 66.8% Rome 24,538 This route only began in April 2026. More below 68.2% London Heathrow 16,565 Flights began in May 2026, with a daily operation and a lot of capacity. More below 68.7% Walla Walla 74,038 69.7% Bozeman 220,880 70.0% Eugene 216,259 71.2% Redmond/Bend 252,950 Had some of the highest use of non-RJ narrowbodies 72.3% Arcata/Eureka 8,851 The route began in April 2026 * According to the US DOT ** According to the US DOT. A minimum of 2,000 passengers is required to be included. Loading map… Drag to explore Alaska Airlines From Seattle To Vail Credit: Ian Dewar Photography | Shutterstock Until December 2024, this market, which covers 817 nautical miles (1,513 km) each way, did not have any flights. Alaska Airlines debuted on December 20, arriving just in time for skiing and other outdoor activities for Christmas in Colorado. Three weekly departures on Horizon Air's 76-seat Embraer E175s remain available, at least for now, on a winter-only basis. DOT data for the 12 months to June 2026 shows that Alaska Airlines served Vail in December 2025 and between January and March 2026. The highest load factor was 48.0% (December 2025), while the lowest was just 26.9% (January 2026). Only around 20 of the 76 seats were full in the first month of this year. Ouch. The same source shows that more than seven in ten passengers only flew between SEA and Vail. Given the hub's location, that is not surprising. You might think that the fare was perhaps unusually strong. The system fare was $258 one-way, which says little in itself. When adjusted for distance, Vail had by far Alaska Airlines' lowest total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) from SEA. It was about 20% lower than the airline's second-lowest result (SEA-Cincinnati). Alaska Airlines' Initial Long-Haul Results Credit: Flickr Alaska Airlines' long-haul debut took place in May 2025 to Tokyo Narita, followed by Seoul Incheon in September of that year. Flights to Europe materialized in April 2026, initially to Rome, followed by London Heathrow and Reykjavík–Keflavík in May. Service to Athens and Paris will begin next year. US DOT data shows that the leisure-focused Rome was the worst-performing market in the examined period, although Heathrow was very close behind (68.2%). Obviously, it is not fair to consider only a very small number of months. It'll be much more meaningful to consider the performance after one or two full seasons. In contrast, Narita had the highest load (86.2%).